Minister of Justice and MP for Selwyn Amy Adams formally launched the Lyttelton Port of Christchurch (LPC) MidlandPort facility in Rolleston last Friday (October 14). Having begun operation in June this year, the strategically-placed inland port is seen as playing a vital role in LPC accommodating blossoming future freight volumes, says LPC chairperson Trever Burt.  “For the first time, container freight has a rail route between Rolleston and Lyttelton Port which provides the most comprehensive shipping service in the South Island,” he says. “MidlandPort saves a journey to Lyttelton for customers. Import containers can be picked up here and export…

The UK’s unique mix of ageing and ultra-modern infrastructure means that engineers from the sector are in demand all over the world Evelyn Adams writes in The Engineer. Britain is a country built around railways. Since the opening of the legendary Stockton and Darlington line on Teesside in 1825, rail infrastructure has been an integral part of the nation’s development. Today, the rail industry plays a key role in the nation’s economy, contributing around £9.3bn each year. Nearly one in five European passenger journeys take place in the UK, giving the nation the fastest-growing rail network in Europe. But keeping…

New Zealand’s population will likely hit 5 million around 2020 and could reach this milestone sooner, Statistics NZ said yesterday. In the year ended June 2016 the population grew at its fastest rate since the early 1960s, up 2.1 percent or 97,000. "Our population was estimated to be 4.69 million at 30 June 2016, with net migration being 69,100 over the June year," Statistics NZ senior demographer Kim Dunstan said. The latest projections show a high chance of the population rising to between 4.9 and 5.1 million by 2020. By 2025 the population is expected to be between 5.0 and…

Steinlager have returned as a sponsor to Emirates Team New Zealand for the 35th America’s Cup challenge in Bermuda in 2017. For the first time since 2003, the famous Steinlager brand will be back on the kiwi boat as Emirates Team New Zealand race, to once again win the oldest trophy in international sport. New Zealand’s involvement in the America’s Cup began with Steinlager proudly as a sponsor for the 1986 Fremantle America’s Cup with KZ-7, The ‘Big Boat’ challenge with KZ-1 in 1988, the New Zealand Challenge in 1992 and continued all the way through to the ultimately successful…

The consumers price index (CPI) inflation rate was 0.2 percent in the September 2016 quarter, Statistics New Zealand said today. This follows inflation of 0.4 percent in the June 2016 quarter. “Higher housing-related prices were countered by lower transportation prices,” consumer prices manager Matt Haigh said. Housing and household utilities prices rose 1.1 percent in the September 2016 quarter. This rise was influenced by higher prices for purchase of new housing, excluding land (up 2.0 percent), and local authority rates (up 3.0 percent). Transport prices (down 3.0 percent) made the largest downward contribution for the latest quarter. Other private transport…

Cooperation between the companies could go deeper than manufacturing. Deepening ties between Tesla and Panasonic could help the U.S. car maker fast track its ambitious plan for solar-powered systems that charge smart homes and electric cars. The two companies said Monday that Panasonic will use what would have been a SolarCity factory in RiverBend, New York, to manufacture up to 10,000 solar panels per day. Tesla will buy the panels for use on houses as part of the deal, which is contingent on its acquisition of SolarCity. The partnership extends work between the two companies that began with Panasonic's Gigafactory…

A vessel carrying 23,000 tonnes of palm kernel expeller (PKE) will not be permitted to discharge its cargo in New Zealand. The Ministry for Primary Industries initially prevented discharge from the MV Molat after finding some of its cargo had come from an unregistered PKE facility in Malaysia. The vessel arrived at Tauranga on 6 September. MPI’s decision comes after considering an application from the importer to have the PKE treated in New Zealand. “We spent a lot of time assessing whether there was a solution that would meet biosecurity requirements, but unfortunately nothing ticks all the boxes in terms…

Anti-static packaging is one newer area where graphene’s conductivity properties could soon be commercially applied. Brent Balinski reports on Manufacturers' Monthly. After nearly two years of exploration, two Australian companies have signed an agreement to take the “wonder material” graphene into its next commercial domain: in anti-static and static-dispersive polymers. Yesterday graphene technology business Imagine Intelligent Materials and engineering plastics specialist Duromer Group announced an MoU to develop commercial applications that use graphene’s unique properties operating with a state- of-the-art operation in Vietnam (Durocolour Vietnam Ltd). Continue to full item  

Almost half of all broadband connections in New Zealand had unlimited data plans at 30 June 2016, Statistics New Zealand said today. In 2016, there are 43 percent more unlimited data plans than in 2015, when only around one-third of connections were unlimited. This is coupled with a large increase in the amount of data used by broadband connections compared with 2015. In total, residential and business connections used over 143,000 terabytes in the month of June 2016, a 70 percent increase from 2015. “Residential broadband connections in New Zealand used an average of 88 gigabytes each during the month…

The number of fibre-optic broadband connections in New Zealand has more than doubled since June 2015, Statistics New Zealand said today. Over 220,000 broadband connections in New Zealand are made through fibre, compared with 105,000 one year ago. As at 30 June 2016, over 12 percent of all broadband connections were through fibre-optic connections, a high-speed way to use the internet. “In 2016 around 1 in 8 broadband connections is made through a fibre-optic connection,” business performance senior manager Jason Attewell said. “The market share that fibre occupies has really taken off, since it was only 1 in 20 connections…

Following a joint directive from the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), Air New Zealand is placing a total ban on the carriage of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices from 5am (NZ time) Sunday 16 October 2016. These devices cannot be accepted for carriage either in person, in carry-on luggage, or in checked luggage. Air New Zealand is strongly advising travellers not to bring these devices to the airport with them. They cannot be accepted for travel and there is no storage facility available for them at our check in areas. Owners of these…