Founded by Max Farndale 1947 - 2018
Kiwi companies are queueing up to do business with Vietnam and other similar sized Asian countries, a leading New Zealand tech businessman says.
Mitchell, chair of NZTech, FinTechNZ and a New Zealand Trade & Enterprise (NZTE) beachheads advisor in technology business for the ASEAN region, has just returned from a major Kiwi business exploration trip to Vietnam.
Pham has also been advising the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and the Asia New Zealand Foundation.
He says Kiwi tech sector must be an active part of the New Zealand story, presence and engagement in South East Asia to gain more brand awareness and business traction in the region.“We had huge engagement from the Vietnamese market. Everyone was interested in what New Zealand has to offer across the board,” he says
“But it is critical for Kiwi companies to follow-through after these visits to progress relationships into business. Sadly, not enough companies follow through in the past, which resulted in business contacts in the region who went all out to engage with visiting delegations ending up feeling let down by us afterwards.
“As far as Kiwi technology goes. We are not an island. It would be smart and important to be there alongside other NZ industry sectors which have been doing business development in Asia for much longer and therefore are bigger, stronger, better known, more visible, more active and more connected in the region.”
Pham says the Kiwi Connection Tech Hub in Ho Chi Minh City and Augen Software Group in New Zealand have been working with University of Auckland, the ASEAN-New Zealand Business Council (ANZBC), AUT university, KEA, Asia NZ Foundation, NZTE, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade, the NZ Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam and other businesses to grow trade in Vietnam.
“This latest trip which has only just ended was the largest ever NZ Inc. collaboration and contingent to the ASEAN region.
“This has resulted in more than 80 leading Kiwi business entrepreneurs, executives, managers and educators across different industry sectors visited and engaged with the Vietnam market, some also went on to Thailand.
“Businesses in the group included Augen, AUT, GlidePath and new entrants to the region such as MEO-Air and Fluent Scientific.
“Vietnam continues to grow in income and consumption appetite for food and beverages, fast-moving consumer goods. Other high-growth industries include traditional and high-tech manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, education, financial services, transport and logistics.
“All of these sectors require technology and know-how to support their rapid growth and advancement, so there are many opportunities for Kiwi tech businesses who serve these sectors back home or elsewhere.
“It is vital that Kiwi businesses do their market research and engage in rigorous on-the-ground validation of their target customers in the region,” Pham says.
Vietnam has a population of about 95 million and 60 percent of its people are younger than 30 years old. It has the fastest growth in internet connections and number of mobile users in the ASEAN region. Ho Chi Minh City is the geographic epicentre of the region’s centres of commerce and industry.
| From the MSCTravel reporters' desk with MakeLemonade and FinTechNZ || August 15, 2017 |||
An exciting new development in the fight against graffiti vandalism has hit Australian shores.
The brain child of Solar Gard Saint-Gobain Australia’s very own General Manager, Robert Hamilton, is a film that will not only potentially save tax payers millions of dollars each year in graffiti removal but is also safe to use around the family home to protect much loved table tops from “junior” mishaps.
Solar Gard GraffitiTidy is a durable protective film, that when applied to your smooth surfaces, will provide a durable non-stick barrier that is hydrophobic, in that it reacts by deterring liquids in a similar to the way to that of a non-stick pan. Its low surface energy means that even permanent marker pen can simply be wiped off with a dry cloth! According to the *Keep Australia Beautiful website, the estimated cost of graffiti and other forms of vandalism to the Australian community is a massive $2.7 billion a year.
In NSW alone, a total of 46, 404 incidents of graffiti were reported to Police in the five-year period from 2009-2014. One quarter (25.9%) of these offences were committed on residential dwellings, followed by public transport (18.4%), business/commercial (17.1 %) and outdoor/public places (14.9%).
As the film is clear, vandals won’t even know GraffitiTidy has been installed. The film allows their pen and paint graffiti to be applied, leaving hoons satisfied they have done their damage and move on.
Clean up though, is where GraffitiTidy saves valuable time, expense and effort with easy graffiti removal. “GraffitiTidy provides the hassle free solution for tagging and spray painting that commercial building owners, councils, schools and other private enterprises have been waiting for” said Solar Gard Saint-Gobain Australasia’s General Manger, Robert Hamilton, “And we are really excited to be the very first country to receive this state of the art new product”.
It’s a cost effective solution that provides 24 hour protection to property such as, but not limited too, bus shelters, public transport, street signs, garage doors and retail store front”. Learn more at SolarGard.co.nz #solargard #graffititidy #specialtywindowfilms
Follow this link for more information on on this and the full range of Solar Gard products.
To discuss your requirements you can reach Ross Eathorne on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.or by phone on 09 441 0040 ||| August 14, 2017 |||
Auckland Airport has today announced a new partnership with AOE, a leading global technology service provider, to create a ‘multi-retailer mall’ which enables international travellers to purchase retail products and airport services via mobile and online.
Richard Barker, Auckland Airport’s general manager retail and commercial, says, “It is exciting to be able to partner with AOE to create an ‘omni-channel’ commerce platform that further improves our customer experience.”
“Expected to launch mid-2018, our new online ‘multi-retailer mall’ will enable international passengers to purchase from multiple airport retailers with a single transaction and then pick-up all their items from a single collection point, thanks to a sophisticated back-of-house operation. It’s the ultimate ‘click and collect’ shopping process.”
“The online platform also means that international passengers can shop at any stage of their travel journey, using their own devices, and at a time and place that is convenient for them - be it before they leave home, on-board their aircraft using in-flight Wi-Fi, or while sitting in any domestic or international airport.”
“The platform’s staged introduction will eventually see most airport retailers participating. All Auckland Airport products and services, including parking, loyalty and lounge access will also be integrated into the online mall, making it easier and more convenient for travellers to shop.”
“Frankfurt Airport has successfully introduced AOE’s omni-channel commerce platform and we understand there is also strong interest from a number of other leading airports around the world. We are excited that Auckland Airport’s introduction of the technology will be a first for any airport in Australasia. It will ensure that we deliver one of the most advanced digital airport retail experiences in the world and that we can significantly expand the range and type of products and services we offer to our customers.”
“Today’s partnership announcement continues the digital transformation of Auckland Airport. It supports our Faster, Higher, Stronger business strategy focus on strengthening our consumer business and builds on the recent launch of our mobile-first Strata loyalty programme. Importantly, it will help to provide our passengers with a one-of-a-kind personalised journey” says Mr Barker.
| An Auckland Airport release || August 14, 2017 |||
A Hong Kong-listed travel company has bought three parcels of land in Auckland for $9 million, where it plans to build accommodation units for Chinese tourists and to take advantage of the "critical housing shortage" in New Zealand's biggest city.
Orient Victory Travel Group Company, which is incorporated in the Cayman Islands, sells plane tickets, travel services, jewellery and financial services. The company has been "exploring opportunities to expand its travel related business in order to add momentum to the growth of the group", it said in a statement published to the Hong Kong stock exchange.
The three parcels of undeveloped land, totalling about 15,700 square metres, are adjacent to each other in Auckland's Silverdale, and the company said it is a good investment opportunity for it to boost revenue and increase profitability.
"The land is located in a tourism hub in North Auckland with close proximity to motorway, public transport, local amenities and popular tourist attractions," it said. "Identifying critical housing shortage in Auckland, the board believes that the property market of the nearby location where the land is situated has significant growth potential."
It intends to build self-serviced units on the land, with around 62 percent of the units to be used for accommodation for Chinese tour groups organised by the China Comfort Travel Group Company, of which Orient Victory Travel owns half.
"The acquisition will bring synergy effects to the travel business of the group's invested entity, and will also provide an additional source of income for the group through the daily operations as Auckland tourist boom rolls on, which is in line with the group's long-term strategy," it said.
| A BusinessDesk/Sharechat release || August 14, 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
|
|
