Founded by Max Farndale 1947 - 2018
The NZITP Skills Team flew out of NZ on the 10th of October bound for the WorldSkills International Competition in Abu Dhabi this month. Thirteen young people from a variety of trades have been selected for the New Zealand Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (NZITP) Skills Team to attend the 44th WorldSkills International Competition.
This will be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 15-18 October 2017. The 2017 NZITP Skills Team members are:
Andrew Champion – BOC Welding competitor from Feilding, employed by RCR EnergyAlex Banks – Resene Automotive & Light Industrial (RALI) Automotive Refinishing competitor from Wellington, employed by Stokes Valley Collision Repair in Lower HuttChabbethai Chia – etco Electrical Installation competitor from West Auckland, employed by Team Cabling in the North ShoreHunter Turner – Skills Plumbing and Heating competitor from Kohimarama, Auckland, employed by J&J Plumbing & Gas in South AucklandJarrod Wood – Aircraft Maintenance competitor from South Auckland, employed by Air New Zealand at the Auckland AIrportKimberley de Schot – Restaurant Service competitor from Christchurch, employed by the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) in BurnhamLogan Candy – Automotive Technology competitor from Gisborne, employed by the NZDF in Palmerston NorthLogan Sanders – etco Industrial Control competitor from Wellsford, employed by Dalton Electrical in AucklandNicholas Todd – Cooking competitor from Otago, employed by the NZDF in ChristchurchNicole Keeber – Floristry competitor from Whakatane, employed by Bouquet FloralSarah Browning – Yoobee Graphic Design Technology competitor from Nelson, employed by Adcorp in WellingtonShea Keir – Industrial Mechanic Millwright competitor from Waikato, employed by Carter Holt Harvey Woodproducts in TokoroaTodd Hamilton – Carpentry competitor from Hawkes Bay, employed by the NZDF in from Palmerston North
The NZITP Skills Team is selected from participation at the 2016 WorldSkills New Zealand National Competition and the 2016 Master Electricians Challenge, and subsequent on-going performance evaluation. They have been undergoing intensive training with the assistance of their respective employers and skill experts over the past few months.“We have a great team and participating in the WorldSkills International Competition in Abu Dhabi will be an invaluable experience for them. They have increased their work skills, but just as importantly have grown as individuals,” says Malcolm Harris, CEO of WorldSkills New Zealand.
Prior to selection, these competitors participated in international competitions in China and Australia. Hunter Turner and Sarah Browning won bronze medals in Shanghai, China; while Logan Candy and Chabb Chia received medallions of excellence.
Nicholas Todd was recently awarded Apprentice Chef of the Year at the 2017 NZ Hospitality Championships held in Auckland last month. Kimberley de Schot won six silver medals for the restaurant service competitions of the Hospitality Championships. “We are very happy with the depth of talent attending this year’s international skills competition,” says Harris. “I believe these young, talented New Zealanders will encourage others to take up skills careers and develop their skills through WorldSkills competitions.”
He adds that “We will also be supported by a delegation from NZ Industry Training Organisations and Institutes of Technology, who will attend the competition and the WorldSkills Conference, which will focus on ‘Skills Strategies for a Globalised World’, as well as take advantage of the significant networking opportunities.”
| A World Skills New Zealand release || october 16, 2017 |||
A high-tech tent hospital has improved New Zealand’s ability to save lives and give emergency health care when disasters strike at home or in the wider South-West Pacific region.
The new portable medical facility has helped the New Zealand Medical Assistance Team (NZMAT) earn World Health Organization classification as a Type 1 Mobile and Fixed Outpatients Emergency Medical Team, becoming the 13th team worldwide to achieve the standard.
“We’re thrilled to gain WHO classification because it means our team meets international standards and we’re self-sufficient to provide emergency health care for at least 100 patients per day for 14 days, whether in this country or to support our Pacific neighbours,” says Ministry of Health emergency management director Charles Blanch.
“It’s vital we are able to increase our capability for disaster responsiveness for our region because we know early treatment in disasters saves lives.”
Last month, WHO representatives visited New Zealand to put the team through its paces, making sure it could safely and efficiently deploy to a disaster zone within 72 hours.
NZMAT’s new emergency tent features a series of interconnecting sections for triage, maternity, resuscitation, a 10-stretcher observation ward, and a pharmacy. There’s also storage, and an administrative command and control area. It carries sufficient equipment and medical supplies to treat 1400 people in two weeks, including making its own drinking water from raw or salt water.
Blanch says it can be swiftly erected in 90 minutes and arranged in different configurations depending on the space available and needs. It is easy to transport and gives great flexibility for the team to respond to different emergencies in remote locations.
“The tent hospital is essentially a mobile outpatients clinic and means the team can offer triage, first aid, stabilisation, referral of severe trauma, non-trauma emergencies, and care for minor trauma injuries.”
The World Health Organization has praised the Ministry of Health and the New Zealand Government for meeting its international standards.
“We congratulate the New Zealand Medical Assistance Team on its achievements and thank them for their commitment to this quality assurance process and their future assistance to those in need after disasters and emergencies,” its verification team told the Ministry.
BackgroundNZMAT is a civilian-based emergency medical team that can be deployed to support local health services in a major emergency or disaster in New Zealand or the South-West Pacific. The team includes doctors, nurses, paramedics, allied health and non-medical members, such as logisticians and emergency managers.
It has been developed over the last 6 years following the Samoan 2009 tsunami, and to date, has deployed to the Solomon Islands, Philippines, Vanuatu and Fiji.
NZMAT involves a partnership between the Ministry, Counties Manukau District Health Board, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and about 150 trained staff from across the health sector.
A four-day training course for new NZMAT members next month will include using part of the new tent hospital.
| A Ministry of Health release || October 16, 2017 |||
Multinational tech giants like Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon are taking a bigger slice of the New Zealand economy every day writes Rohan MacMahon in his article published on Newsroom:-
'Lack of IT skills adds to dismal productivity' As productivity flatlines, we need to help Kiwi businesses stay competitive in a global world, writes management consultant Rohan MacMahon
Whatever the make-up of the next Government, we can expect some major topics debated in the election campaign to get a lot of attention. Things like housing supply, mental health and water quality.
One fundamental challenge for New Zealand which received little attention in the campaign, but will need to be addressed, is productivity. The latest statistics paint a dismal picture (read a great summary by Michael Reddell here).
Basically, once you net out population growth, New Zealand's productivity is static or, if you choose the most optimistic measure, growing at less than one percent per annum.
This means workers need to work longer hours to have more money in their pockets. It means farmers must hope for better prices on commodity exports or an uptick in global demand to generate growth in profits.
Why is it so hard to, as they say, "work smarter, not harder"?
One area where New Zealanders are not "working smarter" at scale yet is in the use of ICT.
New Zealanders are enthusiastic consumers of technology. Kiwis love global technology brands like Apple, Facebook, Netflix, Amazon and Google, and are generally quick to take up attractive new technologies.
However, it's businesses that drive productivity, not consumers - and here the story is less rosy.
| Continue to the full article on Newsroom here || October 17, 2017, |||
New Zealanders are buying into the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) as it is creeps into many walks of everyday life, an AI specialist says. New Zealand needs to actively embrace artificial intelligence at a faster rate as an extraordinary opportunity and challenge for New Zealand’s future, Artificial Intelligence Forum of New Zealand (AIFNZ) executive director Ben Reid says. AI has a growing impact on the daily lives of all New Zealanders. Its potential impacts are profound. In the near future, it is likely to accelerate – at an unprecedented pace – resulting in major changes to our economy, society, and institutions, Reid says. Key issues relating to accelerating AI developments across the country will be discussed at the AIFNZ event in Wellington tomorrow. Precision Driven Health (PDH) is one organisation spearheading AI changes across NZ in the health sector. PDH is a seven-year $38million academic research group aimed at improving health outcomes through data science and is a finalist at the NZ Innovation Awards to be announced in Auckland on Thursday night. “Globally, hospitals have been slow to adopt robotics and artificial intelligence into patient care, although both have been widely used and tested in other industries. Internationally, surgeons are already using intelligent robots in the operating theatre to assist with surgery,” Reid says. Reid says that in the business world, examples include the Xtracta App uses machine learning to read documents such as invoices, receipts and sales orders to insert data directly into accounting software. “Soul Machines latest project with Air New Zealand is another great example of the potential of AI or digital humans in customer service,” Reid says. “Soul Machine’s robot, Sophie, the digital human, has advanced emotional intelligence and responsiveness and can answer questions about New Zealand as a tourist destination and the airline’s products and services. Soul Machines is creating some of the world’s first emotionally responsive and interactive digital humans. “Another cool AI advance for the environment is artificial intelligence software based upon Google’s TensorFlow framework that has been trained to recognise the different calls of threatened native birds. “In banking, many banks are planning to use chatbots to provide robo-advisor to customers. In transport, New Zealand firm HMI Technologies’ self-driving buses are being trialled in Christchurch. Ohmio Automation, a subsidiary of HMI Technologies, will soon start manufacturing self-driving electric shuttles from New Zealand which use artificial intelligence to navigate. “The shuttles may not be used on city roads for many years but would be for more controlled environments like retirement villages, airports, or the campus of a business or educational facility. “However, corporate New Zealand and government have yet to engage significantly and start building in-house capability to develop AI tech. Boards and senior management teams are still needing to get to grips with the major impacts that AI presents as part of their organisation's strategy. “The use of AI technologies could lead to greater productivity, enhanced social good and the creation of new fields of work. But AI also presents risks. These could include greater inequality and unemployment from disrupted industries and professions. “We have a duty to seek a deeper understanding of New Zealand’s potential as an AI-assisted economy and society, to ensure AI is a positive part of New Zealand’s future. The AI Forum brings together business, academia and the government connecting, promoting and advancing the AI ecosystem to help ensure a thriving New Zealand underpinned by technology.” For further information contact AIFNZ executive director Ben Reid on 027 3446808 or Make Lemonade editor-in-chief Kip Brook on 0275 030188
| A AIFNZ | MakeLemonade release || October 17, 2017 |||
Hilton Food Group plc (“Hilton”), the leading specialist international meat packing business, is pleased to announce it is to proceed with plans to expand its packing capability to New Zealand.
Hilton will construct a new meat processing facility in Auckland and supply Progressive Enterprises Ltd (“Progressive”), New Zealand’s leading retailer, trading as Countdown Supermarkets. As Progressive Enterprises LTD is also part of the Woolworths Ltd this development further strengthens Hilton’s existing relationship with Woolworths Ltd.
The development will take place as an extension of the existing site, and is subject to government approvals and the negotiation and finalisation of construction and tenure agreements. It is proposed that Hilton’s newly formed subsidiary, Hilton Foods New Zealand, will finance the new food packing facility, with commencement of production targeted for 2020.
The new facility will be capable of supplying Progressive stores in New Zealand with a range of beef, lamb, pork, chicken and added- value products. It is expected that Hilton’s investment in plant and equipment will be approximately NZ $ 54 m.
This announcement contains inside information which is disclosed in accordance with the Market Abuse Regulation.
| A Hilton Food Group release || October 16, 2017 |||
Palace of the Alhambra, Spain
By: Charles Nathaniel Worsley (1862-1923)
From the collection of Sir Heaton Rhodes
Oil on canvas - 118cm x 162cm
Valued $12,000 - $18,000
Offers invited over $9,000
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
Mount Egmont with Lake
By: John Philemon Backhouse (1845-1908)
Oil on Sea Shell - 13cm x 14cm
Valued $2,000-$3,000
Offers invited over $1,500
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
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