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Live Contacts brings accurate business information to small business owners and advisors

To help small businesses and their advisors improve customer relationships and cashflow, we today announced Live Contacts in Xero. Live Contacts is a new way for small businesses and advisors to better manage customer and supplier information, by linking and enriching information of millions of businesses into their accounting platform. Delivering a complete customer record. With smart address verification to check information at point of capture, this helps to improve the user experience, reduce costs and ensure data accuracy. Getting accurate address data at the point of entry, reduces the need to clean it once it’s in your company database.…

Waste Management move to electric trucks

With over 200 cars and 800 trucks across New Zealand, Waste Management runs one of the country’s largest fleets of trucks and cars. The first diesel trucks are being converted to electric with world leading electric mobility integrator EMOSS in The Netherlands. We will evaluate their performance once they are on the road here in New Zealand. Tom Nickels, our Managing Director, said combining EVs with the ability to generate power from waste was an example of a sustainable “circular economy” in action. “Sustainability is what we do. From recycling, to generating energy from waste, managing hazardous materials and making…

New energy management tool for the business kit

A new online tool which allows businesses to compare their energy management practices with others has been launched by EECA BUSINESS. The Energy Management Journey Tool is a simple self-assessment tool which allows businesses to rate themselves in 6 key areas and then compares results against 450 other businesses across New Zealand. The tool also tells users which areas of their energy use (including transport fuel use) they should focus on, recommends actions to take and their estimated savings potential, and the process to follow when developing a business’s energy management plan. EECA BUSINESS General Manager Greg Visser says businesses…

Chorus launches gigabit wholesale broadband services nationwide

Chorus has today announced that it will extend its one gigabit (1Gbps) residential and SME business fibre broadband service across its entire Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) footprint from 1 October 2016. The move follows Chorus leading the introduction of gigabit services to New Zealand – proving both the demand and the technical viability – after the launch of its gig services in Dunedin in February, 2015. The company has long had national gigabit broadband services on its product roadmap and from October will make them available on any UFB connection. “We are delighted that other fibre providers have joined Chorus in…

Mayoral Debate Lacks Focus on Industry and Jobs

Today’s Auckland mayoralty debate covered a range of issues, but completely missed any discussion on Auckland’s productive industry, jobs and wealth creation, say the New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association (NZMEA). NZMEA Chief Executive Dieter Adam says, “The lack of discussion on wealth creation and building an environment for productive businesses to succeed is a concern for manufacturers - this is an issue that needs to be part of the debate both at local and central government levels. “We need real discussion and vision for how to create an environment that supports sustainable growth in productive businesses, both in Auckland…

Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay Emerges Clear Winner in Second International Blind Tasting

We've Done it again! - C'est du déjà-vu! In a second international comparative tasting, this time of 10 Chardonnay – five from Hawke’s Bay and five French heavyweights – Hawke’s Bay was placed first and three Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay where placed in the top five. Ngatarawa Proprietor’s Reserve Chardonnay 2014 took out first place overall in the double-blind tasting held on 1 September at the Radegast Hotel in Beijing, China. “Not only did we outshine the French reds in the comparative Syrah tasting in China earlier this year, but now we’ve demonstrated that we can also produce outstanding whites, with…

Signs of Challenges for Exporters - 6 September

The latest New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association (NZMEA) Survey of Business Conditions completed during August 2016, shows total sales in July 2016 decreased 15.27% (year on year export sales decreased by 20.48% with domestic sales decreasing by 6.03%) on July 2015. In the 3 months to July, export sales decreased an average of 6.5%, and domestic sales increased 2.6%. The NZMEA survey sample this month covered NZ$337m in annualised sales, with an export content of 60%. Net confidence fell to 6, down from 20 in June. The current performance index (a combination of profitability and cash flow) is at…

Free, easy access to Victoria University research

Victoria University of Wellington has launched a new initiative that will enable local industry to more easily commercialise the University’s innovative research. In a New Zealand first, Viclink, Victoria’s commercialisation office, is offering simple, free licences for selected technologies using the Easy Access IP programme. Easy Access IP is an international collective of universities and research institutions who give discoveries and inventions to companies and individuals at no cost, with the aim of translating more research into products and services that benefit the community. Bianca Grizhar, Viclink’s Open Innovations Manager, says the Easy Access IP agreements will make it easier…

NZ universities excel in world rankings

Tertiary Education Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has today congratulated all eight of New Zealand’s universities who are ranked in the top 450 universities worldwide, according the annual Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings. The QS Rankings were released today and show six New Zealand universities have improved in the rankings, while all eight are ranked in world’s top 450. “New Zealand has a world class tertiary education system and it’s great to see our universities continuing to excel in a highly competitive international environment,” Mr Joyce says. The QS Rankings considers 3,800 institutions worldwide and ranks the top…

Envelope market in a flap after takeovers

The Australian envelope market is down but not out as the sector regroups in the wake of recent corporate acitivity. Market intelligence service Pulp & Paper Edge (PPE) reports that Australian Paper’s recent acquisition of the assets of two envelope over-printers has “churned the market, created a flurry of merger and acquisition activity” and has resulted in reduced envelope imports. In a year when Australia Post “stunned the direct mail sector” by dramatically increasing delivery rates, many in the paper and printing industry considered Australian Paper’s asset acquisitions to be at least curiously timed, PPE said. However, on closer examination…

Reserve Bank confirms nationwide restrictions on loans to property investors

The Reserve Bank today confirmed that new rules tighten restrictions on bank lending to residential property buyers throughout New Zealand. From 1 October, residential property investors will generally need a 40 percent deposit for a mortgage loan, and owner-occupiers will generally need a 20 percent deposit. In both cases, banks are still allowed to make a small number of loans to borrowers with smaller deposits. Confirmation of the new rules is in the Reserve Bank’s response to submissions to its public consultation about changes to Loan to Value Ratio (LVR) rules. The Reserve Bank is modifying its proposals in response…

Leadership tool released for Kiwi decision makers

Business leaders have a new tool on their hands to help them develop their leadership skills. The Leader’s Digest app is a free resource developed specifically for leaders, enabling them to access answers to their leadership problems, tools to improve their skills and the latest leadership trends, from the comfort of their smartphone or device. The app was developed by New Zealand-based leadership blogger and executive coach Suzi McAlpine, is designed to help business leaders feel more supported, informed and inspired in their roles. McAlpine says the app was created in response to feedback from clients and readers of her…