Founded by Max Farndale 1947 - 2018
CADPRO Systems can help you make your design & drafting work just a little bit easier? Download the AutoCAD Shortcuts Guide and keep it next to your workstation for easy access to proven time-saving design shortcuts.
The guide includes:
Who doesn’t like a good shortcut every now and then? Download the Shortcut here
Buy Autodesk Software OnlineFrom CADPRO SYSTEMS your New Zealand Reseller and get local support !
Call us at +64 9 302 4028 to learn more
More than 100,000 employment agreements have been completed using an online tool refreshed by Business.govt.nz just over one year ago, says Small Business Minister Jacqui Dean.
“As a Government we are committed to helping New Zealand’s small businesses thrive, and the Employment Agreement Builder is just one way we’re helping small businesses get ahead,” Ms Dean says.
“Using the Employment Agreement Builder you can create employment agreements tailored to meet the needs of your business, with clauses clearly labelled mandatory, recommended, or voluntary.
“Accessible online, mobile-friendly, and with the ability to save users progress, this tool adds up to more time for business owners to work on their business, and less time on compliance.
“Since the tool was refreshed 127,671 people have visited the site to create employment agreements and learn about their rights and responsibilities, with the tool receiving a 95 per cent positive feedback rating.
“An employment agreement is the foundation of a good employment relationship, clearly setting out expectations for both employers and employees, and helping to avoid disputes.
“With the Employment Agreement Builder and other Business.govt.nz tools such as the Workplace Policy Builder we are making it easier for businesses to create positive and productive workplaces,” Ms Dean says.
| A beehive release | May 1, 2017 |||
Foreign Minister Murray McCully has appointed diplomat Jane Coombs as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to France.
“New Zealand’s relationship with France is one of our most long-standing and vibrant, and it remains an important partner within the European Union,” Mr McCully says.
“Since 2014, we have been jointly commemorating both the 100th anniversary of the First World War and the death of thousands of New Zealand soldiers on French soil.
“France is one of our major trading partners in Europe and our relationship will prove important in our forthcoming negotiations for an FTA with the EU.
“The Ambassador to France is also Permanent Representative to the OECD. Contributing to and drawing from the OECD economic assessments and peer review processes are a valuable way to benchmark New Zealand’s economic performance.”
Ms Coombs is currently Divisional Manager of the North Asian Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She has also served as Manager of the Americas Division, Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington DC and Ambassador to Korea in Seoul.
Ms Coombs has accreditations to the Principality of Monaco, Portugal and Senegal.
| A beehive release || April 28, 2017 |||
Ξ Employment agreement tool proving popular
Ξ The Overseas Investment Office has given approval for the sale of Sistema to Newell Brands.
Ξ Fire Service amalgamation means 40% increase in fire insurance levy
Ξ New Zealand's first 3D-printed electric car being built in Otara
Ξ Genesis buys Nova lpg business
Ξ John Key Joining the Board of Air New Zealand
For developing the Helix Dumper, an innovative wagon solution that is highly durable and far more efficient than other ore wagon offerings, Kiruna Wagon has been named a finalist for the Swedish Steel Prize 2017.
The Swedish Steel Prize is an international prize that honors the art of engineering and innovation in the steel industry. This year Kiruna Wagon from Sweden, is one of four finalists for this year’s prize, which will be awarded during a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden on May 11 a path that New Zealand's A-Ward Attachments trod on their journet to taking out the 2012 award with their flexible system for management and transportaion of metallic scrap using high-strength steel which compresses and packs the metallic scrap in containers.
“Our customer had found a small design that they wanted to make into a large dedicated wagon concept. There were many challenges to overcome, including how to achieve a carrying capacity of a 100-ton payload, while keeping the wagon light,” explains Fredrik Kangas, Managing Director at Kiruna Wagon.
The resulting Helix Dumper is a lightweight wagon structure with a high payload and an ingenious offloading solution that has an unloading speed of 25,000 tons per hour, which is twice that of other systems.
The design utilizes high-strength steel extensively in the structure of the wagon as well as for the stiffeners around the wagon body and for the top rail of the wagon. Wear-resistant steel is used in the two arches at the offloading site.
“The Helix Dumper is designed in a way that minimizes wear, which was one reason we believe that our choice of materials was optimized,” says Kangas.
When comparing with other systems, a complete unloading system for the Helix costs 1/7th of what a rotational wagon cost. Furthermore, the Helix uses parts of the potential energy of the ore to push the wagon forward as it unloads. This means no extra energy is required and there is much less dust with almost no noise.
The jury’s motivation for selecting Kiruna Wagon as a finalist for the Swedish Steel Prize 2017 is:
“Kiruna Wagon has developed an innovative dumper wagon system for long-haul rail transport and efficient unloading of minerals. Use of advanced high-strength structural and wear-resistant steels made it possible to design lightweight wagons combined with a stationary Helix terminal for on-the-fly rotary unloading. With its nearly doubled unloading rate, the Helix system is superior to all conventional solutions and solves many problems related to sticky aggregates. The terminal system is very cost effective, in terms of both investment and operation.”
For nearly 20 years, the Swedish Steel Prize has recognized and rewarded small and large companies as well as institutions and individuals who have developed a method or product that utilizes the full potential of high-strength steel. The winner will receive a statuette by the sculptor Jörg Jeschke and a cash prize of SEK 100,000 that SSAB encourages to be donated to a charity of the winner’s choice.
Read more about the Swedish Steel Prize on www.steelprize.com.
| A Swedish Steel prize release || May 02, 2017 |||
New Zealanders will have to pay an extra 40% in their insurance fire levy from July despite the key selling point of the Government’s amalgamation of fire services being ‘efficiency’ - according to a new report being published today by the Taxpayers' Union. The Government's reform package will result in an immediate cost increase of $80 million for little or no increase in services, despite claims by Peter Dunne, who has driven the reform, that the amalgamations will save money.
Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director Jordan Williams says, “Total fire services costs will shoot up by $80 million per year despite efficiency being the key promise by Mr Dunne of these reforms. What is worse, the Government has increased the economic burden on New Zealanders without any comparable increase in the level of service.”
“According to the Government's own figures, efficiency gains years down the track will not even recoup 12% of the forecast increase in costs due to the amalgamations.”
“Despite rhetoric by politicians that these reforms are about saving money, according to official estimates, the emperor has no clothes. The costs are forecast to skyrocket.”
The Fire and Emergency New Zealand Bill is in the final stages of passing in Parliament and will centralise both urban and rural fire services under the funding of the insurance levy on 1 July 2017.
Mr Williams says, “Currently, only New Zealand First are blowing the whistle on this issue. The question is, why haven’t the other parties done their homework and held Peter Dunne to account for what appears to be an enormous own goal? His reform, which he’s sold on the basis of ‘efficiency’ will, in fact, cost New Zealanders’ hundreds of millions over the next few years alone.”
The report's author, Mac Mckenna, says, “New Zealanders currently pay less than a third of the cost of Tasmania - which has a similar fire climate to New Zealand - where rural and urban fire services are centralised. Tasmanians pay $293 per person compared to only $86 in New Zealand. Despite that, the Government is adopting the Tasmanian business model.”
“Not only are the costs going up, but the reforms will mean insurance holders are unfairly targeted to fund the fire service. For example, foresters, who seldom insure, will now pay 38% less in protection whilst Mum and Dad households are paying 40% higher levies on their insurance. How is that fair?”
“The changes do nothing to incentivise self-insurance and actually rewards those who opt out of insurance altogether.”
The report “Bomb Fire; briefing paper on reforms to the fire service and the costs” is available at www.taxpayers.org.nz/bomb_fire.
| A Taxpayers Union release || May 01, 2017 |||
The Reserve Bank today published an issues paper that seeks views about the regulation of capital adequacy for banks.
The Bank is conducting a broad ranging capital review, as foreshadowed in a speech by Deputy Governor Grant Spencer in March.
The review aims to identify the most appropriate capital adequacy framework, taking into account experience with the current framework and international developments.
The review will consider the definition of regulatory capital, the measurement of risk-weighted exposures, and the minimum capital ratios that apply to locally incorporated banks.
The issues paper marks the first public consultation as part of the review. The Bank is seeking feedback about the topics covered by the issues paper. Responses for the consultation close on 9 June 2017.
More information: Review of the capital adequacy framework for registered banks
| A RBNZ release || May 01, 2017 |||
Ξ High-flying McCully prepares for life on firm ground
Ξ Trump's border tax would hit NZ exporters
Ξ Angel funds invest record $69m in 2016
Ξ Dunedin's Tuapeka Print expanding space
Ξ Northland iwi turns family pastime into multi-million dollar manuka honey operation
Ports of Auckland has bought out its joint venture partner in the Nexus Logistics entity set up just two-and-a-half years ago to provide logistics and distribution services around the country.
The Auckland Council-owned port operator today acquired the 50 percent stake in Nexus owned by the privately held transport and logistics firm Netlogix, it said in a statement. The company didn't disclose the price but the port valued its 50 percent share at $2.6 million as at June 30, 2016, and had extended a $2.7 million loan to the joint venture at the time. The acquisition brings the port operator's Wiri inland port manager Conlinxx back under its control, having poured the division into the joint venture when it was set up.
"We are grateful to Netlogix for working alongside us as we have developed our capability in this area," general manager supply chain Reinhold Goeschl said. "We are now at a point where we can take Nexus forward on our own while continuing to work in partnership with Netlogix to serve our existing joint customers and develop future opportunities."
Ports of Auckland's share of profits from the joint venture was $1.2 million in the 2016 financial year, down from $2 million a year earlier. It received $2.1 million in dividends that year but also recognised a $2.6 million impairment charge on the investment.
Netlogix chief executive Chin Abeywickrama said the sale lets both parties "accelerate the investment and growth in their targeted supply chain strategies" and they will keep working together in a "strategic alliance".
| A POL release || May 01, 2017 |||
Transport and logistics company, Mainfreight, has ranked at number eight on the New Zealand Annual Corporate Reputation Index, an annual listing produced by research consultancy, AMR.
The Index measures how New Zealanders view the nation’s top 25 companies across seven reputation drivers, and then ranks them according to people’s overall emotional reaction using more than 6,000 ratings.
The 25 companies included in the New Zealand Reputation Index are sourced from the Deloitte Top 200 list, which ranks companies by revenue.
"It is a great achievement for Mainfreight to be listed in the top 10 of the AMR NZ Annual Corporate Reputation Index in our first year of inclusion," Mainfreight said in a statement.
"Our culture has been key to this achievement shaping the way we operate. A 100 Year Vision keeps us focused on the company we want to be now and in the future."
Air New Zealand ranked first, while Toyota ranked second on the listing.
| A Trailer Magazine relese || May 01, 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
|
|