Founded by Max Farndale 1947 - 2018
Has taken Napoleon’s Advice: Do not Interrupt your enemies while they are making a mistake
New Zealand First Party leader WInston Peters MP has re-drawn the map of the pending general election so that all roads lead to his own central issue which is immigration
Like the maestro his adherents believe him to be WInston Peters MP has choreographed the pending general election around this single issue.
No matter which route his competitors in campaigning actually wish to take, he has wired the general election so that they must converge on and arrive at immigration
All the other issues converge on the single theme of immigration and do so regardless of any face value variant. Here are the usual main ones that now end up at the immigration destination:-
This quartet of traditional issues has been boiled down to immigration.
Mr Peters’ focus on immigration now puts pressure on the area most affected by the influx which is the Auckland isthmus which the Labour Party regards as its electoral territory.
Having set the order of the election battle to chime with his own agenda Mr Peters gives the impression of heeding the advice of Napoleon who recommended that enemies should never be interrupted while they are making a mistake.
He has boxed in the Labour Party to the extent that it can only tinker with policy surrounding the language schools and their uncertain backdoor contribution to the inflow.
The Greens meanwhile are doctrinally obliged to call for the accommodation of more and still more refugees.
Then there is the National Party.
It has long seen a direct parallel with an immigration influx and industrial growth.
The extent to which it has been check-mated was revealed when New Zealand Business, nowadays the main industrial lobby, tried to refocus the issue on seasonal migrants on farms which has nothing to do with the type of immigration that Mr Peters is talking about.
Then there is Britain now so vividly portrayed in terms of the grotesque high rise, intensive, and now demonstrably unsafe accommodation required to house the recent arrivals.
Neither is this flood of experience in Europe likely to abate before the general election.
Mr Peters’ skill as a politician has been to define issues worrying to the electorate at large. He strips away the confusing ideological or doctrinal or simply fashionable camouflage that disguises them.
As the conductor now of his own electoral orchestra he is there on the rostrum in a position to direct his general election symphony without any distracting variants.
| From the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. || Wednesday 21 June 2017 |||
20 June 2017 – Wellington, New Zealand - New Zealand Energy Corp. (the “Company”) (TSX-V: NZ) announced today that it has appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers, Chartered Accountants, New Zealand as auditor of the Company effective 20 June 2017. Given the consolidation of the Company’s head office and administrative functions in New Zealand, it was deemed appropriate for the audit to be managed by an auditor based in New Zealand rather than Canada. The resignation of the Company’s former auditor, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Chartered Accountants, Vancouver, BC, was accepted by the Company effective 20 June 2017.
On behalf of the Board of Directors
“James Willis”
Chairman
| A New Zealand Energy corp release || June 20, 2017 |||
It is becoming more and more evident that airlines must embrace technological innovations and digital channels to better communicate with their customers, and also to increase their onboard ancillary revenues.
One airline that is clearly committed to boosting its ancillary revenues, while taking advantage of the opportunities provided by digital developments, is Air New Zealand.
In an interview with FTE, Dianne Parry-Ernst, Manager Direct Ancillary Revenue, Commercial, Air New Zealand, outlines the airline’s proactive attempts to integrate the digital world into its ancillary and passenger communication strategy. “We have been examining the customer journey to identify stages where ancillary products have a limited presence and strengthening the retailing approach at these key points in order to increase customer awareness and offer customers the right product at the right time, via their preferred platform,” says Parry-Ernst.
For instance, in February the airline launched its own artificial intelligence-powered chatbot, Bravo Oscar Tango – Oscar for short – to improve customer communication. “We are also reviewing our customer communications, including content or help-based communications such as Oscar our bot, and when appropriate providing a path to purchase ancillaries,” Parry-Ernst adds.Connectivity, pricing, distribution platforms and personalisation
While more traditional onboard sales channels hold little growth potential, Air New Zealand truly realises the benefits of a more digital approach. Ernst explains: “Connectivity, pricing and distribution platforms, along with personalisation, will be key to optimising in-flight ancillary sales. Digital developments enable customers to take advantage of the on-demand economy. Uber has a host of products developed to cater to this increasing societal trend.
“The on-demand customer segment is growing and these customers are increasingly making travel choices closer to departure as the digital ecosystem enables them to do so. Onboard last minute, personalised ancillary sales meet this growing customer need and in-flight Wi-Fi provides connectivity to the airline’s pricing and distribution systems, enabling real-time sales and fulfilment of in-flight ancillary.”
With Wi-Fi being available onboard, this opens more opportunities for airlines to offer targeted content and products to passengers. Indeed, some airlines have even expressed a desire to become the “Amazon of air travel”, by creating a platform for passengers to book not only flights, but also hotels, onward travel tickets, destination experiences and more relevant services.
Ernst highlights three key components when speaking about what shapes a successful “Amazon of air travel” experience: “Customer awareness and the airline’s positioning in the market, the airline’s ability to personalise the booking process and access to capital, partnerships and the organisational structure, and capability required to launch and sustain such initiatives.” She adds: “A few airlines have strong regional travel ecosystems and are accomplished travel retailers, however in the case of an “Amazon of travel”, consideration should be given to the global marketplace where the principal competition is likely to be the likes of Google, Facebook, and Uber, which are already taking action as they know they have a competitive advantage with customer reach, data and trust.”
Naturally, platforms such as Airbnb and Google can be seen as potential competition to the airline industry. However, Ernst believes that “given Airbnb and Google’s global reach, existing customer data, customer trust, and capability to innovate and transform, smart partnership strategies where each party brings benefits to the table are likely to create the most successful, customer-focused outcomes”.
Air New Zealand, indeed, offers customers a travel experience beyond flight and in-flight ancillaries, which includes a mix of accommodation, ground transport and destination experiences.
| A FutureTravelExperience release || June 21, 2017 |||
Youth Minister Nikki Kaye tonight announced details of the $6 million investment over four years under Budget 2017 to fund more youth enterprise initiatives.
Ms Kaye made the announcement at Victoria University’s Rutherford Building in Wellington, where eight teams of young people had gathered to take part in the Greater Wellington Region finals of a ‘Dragons' Den’ competition, pitching their ideas for innovative companies to a panel of local business leaders for a share of $5000 of prize money.
“Youth enterprise funding is about supporting young people to develop entrepreneurial skills through a range of youth-focused business and enterprise initiatives,” says Ms Kaye.
“It was great to announce details of the funding at an event where the ingenuity and business acumen of young people was on show for all to see.
“In a rapidly changing global economy, young people with entrepreneurial knowledge, skills and aptitude are more likely to succeed in all areas of life, so this is about inspiring our next generation of potential leaders and innovators.”
The funding announced as part of Budget 2017 will include the following investments:
“Young Kiwi entrepreneurs are already developing new and exciting businesses that are succeeding here in New Zealand and overseas, some already worth millions of dollars,” says Ms Kaye.
“This funding is about inspiring and supporting more of our young people to develop the skills and confidence they need to take their innovative ideas to the next stage and turn them into reality.
“Through the initiatives the funding will support, young people will develop a range of transferable skills such as problem solving, communication, decision making, team work, financial acumen and leadership.
“I expect around 5,000 new opportunities will be created through this funding.
“The next big company to make waves on the international stage could be born out of one of the initiatives that will be supported, just as it could emerge from the young finalists gathered in Wellington tonight.”
| A Beehive release || June 20, 2017 |||
Rockwell Automation has appointed Scott Wooldridge as Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand.
In the role, Wooldridge will oversee sales and business operations in Australia and New Zealand and be responsible for the company’s Growth and Performance Strategy, involving the overarching responsibility for people and strategy in relation to sales, service, delivery, projects and customer care.
“I’m looking forward to working closely with our key distributors, system integrators, end users and OEMs to make sure they continue to be well supported with industry leading power, automation and data management solutions and services,” said Wooldridge. “These Rockwell Automation solutions provide key competitive advantages for our PartnerNetwork organisations, enabling them to be market leading entities in their own right.”
Wooldridge has attained engineering and sales experience in the automation and energy industries both within Australia and the United States. Most recently, the CEO officer of the ASX listed company, Energy Action.
“A key strength of Rockwell Automation is that it is the largest company dedicated to industrial automation, it lives and breathes automation,” said Wooldridge. “I’m looking forward to contributing to its future and helping our customers meet their operational and business objectives in the long term.”
| A Ferret release || June 20, 2017 |||
A leading New Zealand tech businessman and a former refugee, Mitchell Pham, will deliver a speech in Auckland tonight as part of World Refugee Day.
Pham runs the Augen Software Group and is chair of NZTech and Fintech NZ. He is a trustee of the Auckland Refugee Family Trust (ARFT) which has helped settle 116 people in Auckland over the last five years. The families have come from Afghanistan, Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Myanmar, Pakistan, Somalia and Uganda.
Pham will be a speaker at the ARFT and New Zealand Red Cross art exhibition and charity fundraising event in Devonport, Auckland, tonight.
“As a former refugee, this world refugee day has special significance to me personally. I will be speaking tonight about my refugee journey story.
“I was one of the small percentage of people who were fortunate enough to have successfully get out of Vietnam during the 1980s, survived several near-death experiences crossing the South China Sea and two perilous years in four refugee camps in Indonesia. I resettled in the best country on earth, received world-class education here and established my life in New Zealand.
“I have built a business career in an industry – technology - that is now the fastest growing globally. I have reconnected with my immediate family after 13 years apart. I have expanded my Kiwi technology group back into Vietnam to support the growth of New Zealand businesses and creation of opportunities for both countries. I have established my own family and reunited with my siblings in Auckland living apart for 30 years.
“That's a lot of lucky stars to count in a row. But 30 years is a very long time - way too long - to wait to reunite with one's immediate family. So, in 2012, I co-founded the Auckland Refugee Family Trust to help refugees who, out of circumstance, desperately need assistance in reuniting with their families in New Zealand.
“Worldwide, tens of millions of people have been displaced because of conflict, persecution, famine, economic or natural disasters. Many do not survive the journey to safety and resettlement.
“When refugees who have resettled in New Zealand are given entry visas for the remaining members of their immediate families to reunite with them, these one-time-only visas are valid for two years during which time their family members must arrive in the country.
“Many refugees who are newly resettled in Auckland cannot generate the financial means to fund the relocation of their loved ones who are still in refugee camps or danger zones. This is where ARFT plays a role in helping the most desperate families whose visas are soon to expire.
“When new Kiwis stop worrying desperately about family members still living in precarious situations overseas, we start contributing to New Zealand much sooner,” he says.
| A MakeLemonade release || June 20, 2017 |||
Prime Minister Bill English has announced funding to kickstart a major upgrade of the electricity network in the Tongan capital.
New Zealand’s early commitment is expected to assist Tonga to attract other investors for the project.
“Our $5 million support will help provide safe, reliable electricity to around 8,500 households and businesses in Nuku’alofa and save around $1.1 million a year through reduced line losses,” Mr English says.
“This builds on New Zealand’s previous energy investments in Tonga, which include Tonga’s first large-scale solar farm in 2012, and other significant network upgrades.
“Access to clean, reliable energy is essential for businesses to thrive and to reduce reliance on fossil fuels used by diesel generators.
“We recognise this, and we are working with Tonga to help it achieve its energy goals.”
The Prime Minister made the announcement while in Tonga as part of the 2017 Pacific Mission.
| A Beehive release || June 16, 2017 |||
NZManufacturer June 2017 Edition
Rockwell Automation announces new Managing Director – Australia and New Zealand
Scott Technology buys Dunedin engineering firm DC Ross out of receivership
NZ structural log prices hit highest level in more than two decades
Popular timber product doesn't meet strict rules imposed following leaky homes crisis
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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