Risks around future Official Cash Rate movements are equally weighted, reflecting balanced risks around inflation, Reserve Bank Governor Graeme Wheeler said today in a speech. Speaking to Craigs Investment Partners’ Investor Day in Auckland, Mr Wheeler noted that the Bank’s February Monetary Policy Statement included a neutral bias with an unchanged OCR track until late 2019. Expanding on the main risks around the interest rate projections, Mr Wheeler said: “In effect, there is an equal probability that the next OCR adjustment could be up or down. We consider the balance of risks for the global outlook to be downside. For…

In a first for a New Zealand university, Victoria University of Wellington’s Faculty of Law is now offering accredited courses under the new trans-Tasman patent attorney registration scheme. Commencing on 24 February 2017, the new scheme merges the New Zealand and Australian regulatory regimes for patent attorneys, allowing them to practice in both jurisdictions. Completing a series of courses accredited by the Professional Standards Board (PSB), such as those offered by Victoria University, is compulsory to qualify under the new scheme. Professor Susy Frankel, an expert in intellectual property law, says that providing world-class postgraduate training in support of New…

The trans-Tasman patent attorney regime, a system for joint regulation of patent attorneys in Australia and New Zealand, is now in effect, helping to create a seamless trans-Tasman business environment. Reforms as part of the Single Economic Market agenda, agreed to by the Prime Ministers of Australia and New Zealand in 2009, have created a single body to regulate patent attorneys in both countries. The trans-Tasman patent attorney regime is designed to increase business confidence in the service provided by patent attorneys, to streamline processes, to minimise the cost of regulating patent attorneys in both countries, and to facilitate competition…

Human resources consultancy, Dough HR, says small and medium-sized businesses need just as much human resources support and assistance as the big guys. Hence, they’ve recently launched a health check service which is already proving popular. “We understand that with a growing business, sometimes you need to access HR skills and ideas but can’t justify investing in a part or full-time HR employee. That’s where we can help,” says Dough HR director Diana Barry. She says workplace litigation is on the rise and inadequate or out-of-date human resources management can result in great risk to businesses, regardless of how positive…

Energy and Resources Minister Judith Collins has today announced a Market Study into fuel prices/returns to be undertaken by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). The Fuel Market Financial Performance Study, which is expected to be completed by the end of June is designed to determine how fair petrol and diesel prices are at the pump. “MBIE data shows that fuel margins have more than doubled over the last five years. The Market Study will report on fuel company returns and will include in-depth analysis of oil companies’ finances. The Study will focus on the returns on average…

Uninitiated can wreck their public service careers by mishandling them Jargon in its politically correct form it is now being actively promoted and thus its adoption officially encouraged.Instead of relying on jarring clunky acronyms or neologisms, made-up new words, the new jargon is dangerous in that it is comprised of everyday words that have become re-purposed. Peter Isaac is the author of The Definitive Bureaucrats’ Survival Guide to Workplace Jargon and also The New Gobbledygook. This selection cites the face-value innocuous words that in recent years, months even, have suddenly become perilous to their unindoctrinated users. Community Now refers only…

Sue Suckling, Chair of Callaghan Innovation, is pleased to welcome Ms Crone to lead the next phase of the organisation’s development, following its establishment and consolidation phase under the inaugural CEO. “Vic brings a track record of leading and implementing organisational strategy to achieve challenging outcomes, through a customer-driven approach and building the strong organisational culture necessary to deliver results.” “Her significant executive and governance experience in the tech and innovation sector, and her broader profile, also position her well to drive Callaghan Innovation’s connectedness with all key stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem,” says Ms Suckling. Ms Crone was previously…

On Monday, Carl Bass, the CEO of $18 billion Autodesk, gave an interview with Pando Daily’s Sarah Lacy where he described President Donald Trump as “actingsomewhere between a dictator and a small business owner.” On Tuesday, Bass announced that he’s stepping down as Autodesk CEO, effective immediately. He’ll stay on the Autodesk board and assist with the search for a new chief executive, with senior executives Amar Hanspal and Andrew Anagnost holding down the fort as interim co-CEOs. Autodesk is best known as the company behind AutoCAD, the ubiquitous design software for the worlds of architecture, manufacture, and construction. In…

Science and Innovation Minister Paul Goldsmith has today announced the reappointment of Claire Robinson, Brett Hewlett, and Suse Reynolds to the Callaghan Innovation Stakeholder Advisory Group. “The reappointment of Ms Robinson, Mr Hewlett, and Ms Reynolds recognises the valuable skills and insights they all contribute to the advisory group, as well as their work to ensure that Callaghan is connected and engaged with its stakeholders,” says Mr Goldsmith. Callaghan Innovation is the government agency tasked with growing New Zealand’s economy by helping business succeed through technology. The seven-member Stakeholder Advisory Group provides independent, expert advice to the Callaghan Innovation Board.…

New tool provides easy access to economic data A new online tool will make it easy for businesses and decision makers to access a rich set of data on the performance New Zealand’s industrial sectors, Minister for Economic Development Simon Bridges says. Launched today, the New Zealand Sectors Dashboard provides the latest available data on twenty-six different sectors covering the whole economy, from the primary industries, manufacturing and services sectors to government, education and health. ‘The New Zealand economy is diverse and dynamic. Strong GDP and job growth, together with the impact of technology, is driving change in every sector.…

A review of the government's flagship agency for commercialising innovation has found Callaghan Innovation has "weak" management, and is "struggling internally" to complete a strategy guiding how it offers services to companies with high-value, high-tech commercial ideas. Three and a half years after its creation from the Crown Research Institute, IRL, Callaghan appears to be "caught mid-stream between two very different operating models", the Performance Improvement Framework (PIF) review by former public sector leader Paula Rebstock says. Compared to the needs of an organisation intended to bridge the gap between its mission as a "customer-driven, integrator" of commercialisation assistance to…