Founded by Max Farndale 1947 - 2018
The Commerce Commission has published one-page summaries of key performance measures for each of New Zealand’s 29 electricity lines companies.
The summaries are designed to promote a better understanding of each lines company’s performance by providing high-level statistics such as profitability, capital and operating expenditure, asset condition, revenue and network reliability.
Commissioner Dr Stephen Gale said that the Commission has pulled together the data to make it easily accessible for industry, Government agencies and consumers, and to enable comparison across lines companies. The statistics are sourced from more detailed public disclosures.
“Electricity companies reach every New Zealand household and business so over time we want to make it easier for consumers to understand how their own lines company is performing year-on-year. The information in the summaries is still quite technical in nature, but we expect this kind of exposure will in itself help improve lines companies’ overall performance,” Dr Gale said.
“The summaries are a high-level snapshot of the lines companies and are not intended to represent a thoroughly detailed picture of performance. However, they suggest some differences between the performances of different lines companies, such as the health of assets including poles, lines and substation equipment. In cases of apparent poor performance, we will follow up with the companies to better understand their circumstances. We will also undertake further analysis in the future.”
The performance summaries are available on the Commission’s website.
Background
Where did the data for these summaries come from?
The summaries are based on the most recent information that was publicly disclosed by each electricity lines company under our information disclosure requirements (covering the year ended 31 March 2016). Most of the data has either been audited and/or certified by the directors of the businesses. However, we cannot guarantee that there are no errors in the data provided. We have not included Transpower, the national electricity transmission business.
What is the Commission doing to address potential issues of concern?
Lines companies themselves are ultimately responsible for managing their own networks. The Commission cannot get involved in the operational decisions each company makes. However, these summaries are part of a wider programme of performance analysis, which can shed light on the decisions of lines companies and any consequences.
Of the 29 lines companies in New Zealand subject to information disclosure regulation, 17 are also subject to price-quality regulation. If a regulated company breaches quality standards - or example if asset degradation leads to more outages on its network than is allowed - it may face prosecution under the Commerce Act. The remaining 12 lines companies are consumer-owned and are not subject to price-quality regulation.
For more information on our role in the electricity sector see our website.
| A Commerce Commission release || June 9, 2017 |||
Transport Minister Simon Bridges says Auckland’s Waterview Tunnel will open to traffic in early July, marking the biggest milestone in the city’s transport network in more than half a century.
The $1.4 billion Waterview Connection is New Zealand’s biggest and most complex roading project, including twin 2.4km-long three-lane tunnels.
“Once open, it will transform the way people and freight move around Auckland, and will represent the biggest change in travel patterns since the opening of the Auckland Harbour Bridge in 1959,” Mr Bridges says.
A ceremonial opening on Sunday, 18 June will be followed by public open day’s to allow people the chance to experience the tunnel up close before opening to traffic.
“The Waterview Connection is New Zealand’s largest ever roading project and is a significant part of the strong investment the Government is putting into Auckland. This investment in the strategic motorway system will help support Auckland’s increasing population and economic growth,” Mr Bridges says.
“It largely completes the Western Ring Route, a new 48km route linking the west of Auckland, Manukau, the city and the North Shore.
“Together, the Waterview Tunnel and wider Western Ring Route will give more options to people and freight moving around and through Auckland, creating a more efficient, resilient and reliable network,” Mr Bridges says.
A series of public open day events will be held in the lead up to the operational opening of the tunnel to traffic. The events will be free but people will need to book their place online by visiting www.nzta.govt.nz/waterview| A release from the Beehive || June 12, 2017 |||
Emirates has partnered with BMW Group to provide a fleet of luxury automobiles for its complimentary Chauffeur-drive service for Business Class passengers in the UAE.
The new fleet, featuring BMW 520i Touring cars, is being rolled out progressively from now until the end of the year, as the previous fleet of cars is retired.
This fleet upgrade is part of Emirates’ ongoing investment in product and service both on the ground and on board. Emirates’ Chauffeur-drive service is a complimentary ground transfer service available to customers travelling in First or Business class, whisking customers to and from the airport for a seamless travel experience. The service is available in over 75 Emirates destinations worldwide.
The service complements Emirates’ worldwide lounge offering with seven located in Dubai International Airport’s concourses A, B and C, and 34 dedicated Emirates Lounges in other major airports across the globe. The airline recently introduced “pay-per-visit” lounge access, enabling Emirates Skywards members and their guests travelling on Emirates to enjoy the airline’s First and Business Class lounges at Dubai International Airport and abroad.
To complete the Emirates premium travel experience, new features have also been introduced on board. This includes the world’s first moisturising lounge wear in First Class, luxury blankets, skincare from organic brand VOYA and a new range of amenity kits from Bulgari.
| An Emirates release || June 9, 2017 ||||
The national society representing maintenance engineering has waded into the recent substandard steel mesh debate with a call for the government to show leadership before a tragedy occurs.
Maintenance Engineering Society of New Zealand (MESNZ) Chairman Barry Robinson says his society engaged with the government 7 years ago, highlighting the potential dangers of counterfeit materials. In Mr Robinson’s words, “The problem is endemic across the supply chain from steels and construction materials to stressed engineering elements. We are not talking single tragedies here, but the potential for a significant event taking out multiple lives.”
The Maintenance Engineering society has for several years gathered evidence of substandard steel, ball bearings, bolts, nuts, plumbing fittings, and others. “We are talking about vast quantities of very sub-standard materials and products infiltrating our society at every imaginable level, including automobile brake hoses, lubricants, food, health supplements, medicines, drugs and alcohol”.
The MESNZ points to potential issues with leaking houses, the reconstruction of Christchurch and significant infrastructure, and advocates among industry for awareness around false material certificates. “Most people don’t think of it, but these things form the very core of our society’s ability to function”.
“While the recent cases against Steel & Tube and Timber King highlight internal supply issues for New Zealand, soft trade barriers make us an attractive target for dumping substandard materials and the government appears frozen in the headlights when it comes to providing a solution that does not compromise our free market ethos. Practical and effective supply chain solutions are possible, along the lines of the Qualitymark model created by the Beef and Lamb Marketing Board. The government needs to show leadership in seeding such a solution before tragedy strikes or our international reputation is degraded.”
The QualityMark model works by accrediting suppliers who meet stringent product testing requirements. Testing is backed up with regular random sampling, giving continuous assurance to clients. The model was successfully introduced in the 1990’s to combat issues that included counterfeit meat. Such a model applied to the general supply chain would provide elective assurance for the market at minimal compliance cost.
The Maintenance Engineering Society’s members represent manufacturers and industries right across New Zealand industry and regularly report potential issues discovered with counterfeit materials, false certification and incorrect certification.
| An MESNZ release || June 9, 2017 |||
A 70-year-old international aviation law could save Qatar Airways from being completely grounded.
As reported by News Corp, Qatar Airways could save its international flights – that don’t include any of the countries its been banned by – thanks to one little loophole.
Earlier this week, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt all cut ties with Qatar, blocking movement between the countries, which included air transport. It also has prevented Qataris from transiting in airports of these nations.
As a result, Qatar Airways has suspended flights to these nations, while Etihad, flyDubai and Emirates have also stopped flights into Qatar. Yesterday, Qatar Airways responded to the ban in a statement provided to Travel Weekly and other media outlets.
The bans have resulted in the axing of about 100 flights a day, and the grounding of several aircraft.
Continue to read full article |||June 9, 2017 |||
They foolishly counseled the sidestepping of domestic issues especially the one of the crazed assassins active on UK streets
From the MSCNewsWire European Correspondent- Jun 10: Failure to identify priority issues has sunk UK premier Theresa May’s objective of attaining a decisive Parliamentary majority. Chief among them was a startling inability to confront the religious fanatic murders of passers-by in British cities.
This was covered by a wooden de-personalisation spectacular even by English bureaucratic standards.
It was officially delegated to the abstract as “attacks on democracy.”
Unbelievably these assassinations invoked a policy decision by the Conservatives to cut back on the police. No compensating investment for beefing up border or IT surveillance was given. Instead the Conservatives outlined a nebulous campaign to face-down Facebook.
Knowing that its constituency is composed of those of mature years, the Conservatives backed and filled on social spending notably in regard to the housebound infirm thus easily laying themselves open to cries of imposing a dementia tax.
Much the same thing happened to the school age generation where cuts were announced and again without any balancing counter-investments. This cup-half-empty exercise was repeated throughout the campaign, writes our European correspondent.
When these election-losing examples of social spending cuts at the poles of the age spectrum were drawn to the attention of Conservative policy makers, they simply U-turned, leaving their original errors unacknowledged.
It was the most bizarre Conservative Party election campaign in living memory. Mrs May came across as more elite and out of touch than any of the Euro-loving elites so spectacularly swept away in Brexit.
In contrast Labour’s leader Jeremy Corbyn, dismissed just a few weeks before as a looney-lefty, ambled donnishly and amiably around in an everyman manner conveying an impression of informed and sympathetic populism.
Mrs May meanwhile came across as the prissy headmistress of a posh boarding school trying to explain why she felt it necessary to use the cane quite so often.
All might still have been well if most of the votes from the imploding UKIP flowed on their anticipated course which was into the Conservatives.
Instead the UKIP votes flowed into Labour.
Mrs May’s snap general election was designed to give the conservatives a Parliamentary majority of sufficient size to hammer through Brexit without let or hindrance.
Instead quite the opposite happened – a hung Parliament which will be a breeding ground for boondoggling, and compromise.
Mrs May was decisive though over the SNP’s demand for another revolving door referendum on Scotland’s independence She gave a clear cut and unequivocal no with the result that the SNP seats were recovered by the Tories.
Elsewhere the signal was anything but clear.
Whether Mrs May remains or goes as premier now becomes the dangling conversation of Westminster
There is though one certainty.
Pedestrians slaughtered by crazed assassins might be categorised as unit casualties in an “attack on democracy”.
But those who were responsible for the Conservative campaign are due to have their heads displayed on the pikes on the bounds of Westminster.
They will include the obvious and visible candidates.
Also one highly decorated and much fawned over Austro-British back-room eminence who has learned as all showboating gamblers inevitably learn that pride does go before a fall however overdue the fall. .
| From This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. || Saturday 10 June 2017 |||
Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) still expects to receive its first Airbus A350 XWB by the end of this year, but is no longer planning to put the widebody on Kuala Lumpur-Auckland routes, the carrier’s CEO said this week.
Talking with ATW on the sidelines of the IATA AGM in Cancun, MAB CEO Peter Bellew said the first A350 was supposed to be delivered in October. But the aircraft has seen some delivery delays because of supply chain issues, particularly with seats and cabin equipment. Bellew joked that he still expected a 2017 delivery, but it would probably be “just as we pop the champagne at midnight on Dec. 31.”
MAB will initially put the A350 on London routes. By the end of April, the plan is to have four aircraft delivered and MAB will make a decision by end of June on new long-haul routes. Auckland was considered, but Emirates Airline and Qatar Airways now both operate to the New Zealand city. “Yields have gone to the dogs, so we are looking at Europe, the Middle East or Asia for the A350,” Bellew said.
Bellew noted that load factors on its London service—currently operated with the Airbus A380—consistently averaged 80% this May versus about 40% for the same month last year.
“We lowered fares a bit, but we also did a sponsorship deal with [English soccer team] Liverpool FC,” he said. “We needed to make an impact on our international brand. Football is very popular in Asia and Liverpool FC is the number one or number two supported team in Asia.”
The sponsorship, which Bellew said was “not as expensive as you’d think,” scrolls current fare prices in Thai, Mandarin and other languages around the soccer field during premium league games. Bellew said the uptake of those fares has been well worth the sponsorship.
| A Malaysian Airlines release || June 8, 2017 |||
Five Questions for Mayfair arbiter of Fine Living
From MSCNewsWire's European Corespondent: Laurence Davis is a by-word in London for fine living and his dealings with Cuba have bestowed on him an aura in the UK redolent of that conjured up by fellow Briton the novelist Graham Greene. The façade of Sautter of Mount Street remains among London’s most famous hallmark store-fronts. For cigar afficionados the Mayfair store is the ultimate destination of any vintage pilgrimage. MSC Newswire entered this high temple of connoisseurship and posed Five Questions to Mr Davis who is pictured outside his store. .
You were among the first to import regularly from Cuba?
We have been dealing with Cuba on and off for 60 years, importing directly certain things but mainly through an importer. We import cigars and rum.
How effective do you believe now were the various US embargoes against the Castro regime?
The US inspired embargo led to a big grey market trade and the quality buyers from the USA have been coming to my stores for years.
As an eyewitness how do you rate the changes since the death of Fidel Castro?
Since the death of Fidel the promise of closer relationships with Cuba has already cooled with President Trump. The effects though are that there is a huge influx of Middle America visiting Cuba. I have to say that though that the quality for visitors of the cigars brought through the shops out there is inferior to the English market selection.
Cuba is still an exotic port of call for tourists?
Cuba is a fantastic tourist destination with many facets of culture communism and some of the most beautiful architecture anyone can hope to see anywhere and which the population enjoys as part of its daily life rather than as set aside monuments and other such museum-pieces of the past. I suggest that Cuba is visited now before globalisation destroys it in the form of the introduction of Starbucks, McDonalds and the numerous American hotel chains.
Do you envisage Cuba as a worthwhile target for intensive New Zealand trade promotion, development?
In practical terms, I think it is very difficult for smaller economies like Cuba to develop anything beyond niche product trade with any nation so far removed from its trade routes.
| From the MSCNewsWire European correspondent || Friday 9 June 2017 |||
Goodman Fielder plans to close two factories in Auckland, consolidating their production to a single site and shifting its pie-making operation to Palmerston North as part of an ongoing efficiency drive in what it calls "a very competitive market".
The diversified manufacturer owned by Singapore-based Wilmar International and Hong Kong-listed investment firm First Pacific Co will close its Irvines bakery at Wiri and its Hot Plate bakery in East Tamaki.
The Irvines line will relocate to Palmerston North while production at Hot Plate will be consolidated to Goodman's larger Quality Bakers Auckland facility.
Some 147 workers are affected by the company's plans, which include automating some warehousing functions in Auckland and Christchurch.
Goodman Fielder New Zealand managing director Tim Deane said the company's new owners "are taking a very long-term view" investing in some plants and closing others.
The net impact on the workforce may be smaller because 60 new jobs would be created at its Ernest Adams plant in Palmerston North and 25 at the expanded Quality Bakers Auckland site, he said.
Goodman Fielder currently has 14 manufacturing sites in New Zealand and employs about 2,000 people, according to its website.
Its range of household brands include Meadowlea margarine, Meadow Fresh milk, Vogels, Molenberg, Tararua Dairy, Chesdale, Irvines, Ernest Adams, Olivani and Puhoi Valley.
| A GoodmanFielder release || June 8, 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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