Founded by Max Farndale 1947 - 2018
Water may cover the majority of the planet's surface, but thanks to a huge helping of salt, it's hard to tap into as a source of drinking water. Once again, graphene could come to the rescue. Researchers at the University of Manchester have developed a graphene-oxide membrane with a scalable, uniform pore size that can filter out even the smallest salts, without affecting the flow of water too much.
Desalination plants already use a variety of techniques to produce safe drinking water, including shocking the salt and water into separating, using salt-attracting membranes, or harnessing the power of ocean waves to purify water and pump it back to shore. Graphene has already lent a hand before, too, acting like a big sponge that sits on the water's surface, drawing water up through it and cleaning it in the process.
The wonder material has also been put to work as a water filtering membrane that performed well at removing some particles, organic molecules and salts, but according to the Manchester researchers, it couldn't catch the smallest common salt ions. That's thanks to the fact that these membranes tend to swell up when submerged in water, which messes with the spacing between the graphene-oxide layers and lets the salt molecules slip through with the water.
The Manchester researchers claim they've found a way to limit how much the membranes swell in water, by physically confining the material. That allows them to precisely tune the size of the pores, and keep out the unwanted salts, particles and molecules by simply making them smaller than the diameter of the common salt ions. The team reports that 97 percent of sodium chloride ions are rejected by the membrane, while still allowing water to flow through fairly freely.
Scalability is one of the big factors in how viable the method is, and the researchers believe that their graphene-oxide membrane could comfortably scale both up and down. Upwards, and the method could help improve the efficiency of desalination plants. Scaling down, the filters themselves could be used as inexpensive water purifiers for developing countries with limited access to clean water or large-scale desalination plants.
"Realization of scalable membranes with uniform pore size down to atomic scale is a significant step forward and will open new possibilities for improving the efficiency of desalination technology," says Professor Rahul Nair, co-author of the study. "This is the first clear-cut experiment in this regime. We also demonstrate that there are realistic possibilities to scale up the described approach and mass produce graphene-based membranes with required sieve sizes."
Longer term, the team points out that the basic idea of tuning the pore sizes to filter out specific ions could be applied to different membranes, for different purposes.
"The developed membranes are not only useful for desalination, but the atomic scale tunability of the pore size also opens new opportunity to fabricate membranes with on-demand filtration capable of filtering out ions according to their sizes," says Jijo Abraham, co-lead author of the study.
| The research was published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. \ April 5, 2017 |||
Major Chinese banks operating in New Zealand continued to make significant inroads last year, with a strong rise in overall assets across all three as they look to cash in on the growing trade ties between the two nations.
Trade between China and New Zealand has tripled to $23 billion since the free trade agreement between the two nations came into force in 2008.
The money flow looks set to continue after New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English and China Premier Li Keqiang last week signed off a series of co-operation deals spanning trade, customs, travel and climate change and agreed official talks to upgrade the existing FTA between the nations will start on April 25.
However, while all three banks have primarily targeted corporate clients since setting up shop here, they are also gradually increasing their residential mortgage portfolios, benefiting from a massive housing boom.
China Construction Bank of New Zealand reported total assets of $887.8 million in the year to December 31, up from $401.9m in the prior year.
It also reported a net profit of $1.8m, up from a net loss of $4.7m in the prior year.
The bank significantly increased its residential mortgage portfolio, which jumped to $381.6m versus $72m in the prior year. Its corporate loan portfolio was $363.6m versus $235m in the year to December 31, 2015.
Bank of China New Zealand reported total assets of $514.5m, up from $208.4m in the prior 12 months.
BOC NZ set up shop in November 2014. Corporate loans jumped to $309.4m from $144.5m. It also turned to the housing market with loans of $33.8m at the balance date versus none in the prior year.
Finally, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (NZ) also made a stronger foray into the residential market, with its residential loan portfolio increasing to $172.9m versus $102.4m in the prior year. Its corporate exposure jumped from $278.6m to $531.4m.
| An NZNewsWire release | April 03, 2017 |||
ji Fibre Solutions (OjiFS) has unveiled upgraded and expanded facilities at its Penrose paper bag manufacturing plant. The $30 million capital investment lifts production capacity and provides a world- class food safety environment that aims to future proof the business and continue to set the global standard in dairy bag production.
The new facilities were officially opened on Friday by the Minister for Economic Development, Hon Simon Bridges.
OjiFS chief executive Jon Ryder said the event marks one of the first milestones in an exciting new chapter in the company’s history.
“The decision to invest $30 million into this site was made in February 2015, within months of the purchase of our business (formerly CHH Pulp, Paper and Packaging) by Oji Holdings and Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) in November 2014. It is a strong sign of Oji’s commitment to New Zealand and our intent to grow the Oji Fibre Solutions business in NZ and Australia.”
Dr Ryder said the business has traditionally been a supplier of commodity products – the Penrose investment reflects its transition to become more of a solutions company for its customers.
“We are determined to develop a portfolio of value added products that address the sectors we support; in this case dairy, flour and sugar. Our investment provides a world- class food safety environment which is vital to ensure the integrity of the supply chain,” he said.
The investment project has seen the extension of the plant’s existing hygiene hall and upgrade of a conversion line that produces multi-walled bags for dairy and food powder packaging. It entailed upgrading of all aspects of critical hygiene, installation of state of the art bag-making equipment and construction of an additional 3,000m2 of onsite warehousing and associated facilities.
Purpose built and equipped to meet the Ministry of Primary Industries’ guidelines for the design and construction of dairy facilities, the facilities also comply with stringent customer engineering standards for food safety. The new conversion line produces 48 million 25kg dairy and food powder bags per year, bringing total production to around 100 million bags per annum.
Oji Fibre Solutions is a leading supplier of multi-ply paper bags in New Zealand. In addition to supplying the dairy and food bag market, its Penrose business also produces tens of millions of paper bags for a diverse range of market segments including cement, vegetables and food products. Its current market is primarily domestic however the business has rapidly growing export volumes to Australia, the Pacific Islands and South America. Key customers include major dairy processing companies in New Zealand, Australia and South America along with other large scale food product manufacturers.
This follows on from Oji Holdings Corporation (Oji Holdings), through its New Zealand subsidiary, Oji Fibre Solutions (OjiFS), investing A$72 million in a new corrugated box manufacturing facility in Queensland.
| An Oji Fibre Solutions releas || April 03, 2017 |||
New Zealand’s construction and building sector needs more recruits. The Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO) is launching a major campaign next week to attract new apprentices and demonstrate the possibilities of a career in the trades.
Kicking off on 10 April in Auckland, the Not Your Average Tradie Road Trip will see a group of talented BCITO apprentices spending four weeks visiting different regions, helping out community organisations, charities, and schools with building woes.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to show people what a career in the trades offers, while also supporting our local communities,” says BCITO Chief Executive Warwick Quinn.
“New Zealand is in the midst of a skills shortage,” says Quinn. “Our community groups, schools and charities are feeling this too – with many buildings desperately in need of maintenance and updating.
“With skills in high demand, the cost of construction can be out of reach for many community organisations. At BCITO we have a group of exceptionally skilled apprentices across multiple trades in the industry and this is a wonderful opportunity to showcase a range of careers in construction while also giving something back to communities.”
After leaving Auckland, the road trip will visit Tauranga, New Plymouth and Wanaka before heading back up to Auckland.
The tradies will be carrying out work at a number of locations including dedicated spaces for at-risk youth, a health and social services provider, a surf club, schools and will also be working with Habitat for Humanity.
“Everybody deserves a decent place to live”, says Habitat for Humanity New Zealand Executive Director Conrad LaPointe. “However, in New Zealand, and especially in Auckland, this is becoming increasingly hard.”
“Because of demand, the cost of labour and materials are rising and many people are finding themselves needing some extra help – that’s where we come in,” says LaPointe.
“A simple, decent home is the foundation for a better life. We know the work we do makes a real difference. We are struggling to keep up with the demand for our services and it is wonderful to have some BCITO apprentices helping us out with our latest project.”
“Thousands more apprentices are needed to fill the demand in the building sector,” says Quinn. “According to Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment forecasts, one in five new jobs created between 2016 and 2019 will be in construction.
“These numbers show the building and construction sector is an excellent career option,” says Quinn.
“Today, many young New Zealanders expect more from their chosen career. They are looking for job security and for work with a purpose, something that offers a social good. The trades are a fantastic example of this – we build the environments our communities live, work, and play in, we are looking forward to making a difference on the road trip.”
Follow the action at BCITO.TV
| A BCITO releaese || April 03, 2017 |||
The 2017 PrefabNZ CoLab conference day took place at AUT in central Auckland on Tuesday 21 March. Amelia Melbourne-Hayward reports back.
The 2017 CoLab conference kicked off rather differently to previous years, with the launch of PrefabNZ’s new ‘logs4jobs’ initiative, which aims to encourage women to enter the construction industry and to help fill the skilled worker shortage we are currently battling in New Zealand. Warren Quinn, chief executive of BCITO, explained that only 237 women are being trained with the company at present – this equals a measly 2.35 per cent of trainees in construction.
Although the statistics may be grim, the logs4jobs video, which was produced in collaboration with Carter Holt Harvey Woodproducts, BCITO and CareersNZ, was one of positivity, with the goals of raising awareness of work opportunities, normalising females in the manufacturing, design and construction industries and demonstrating the realities about these roles. It is a much-needed and commendable call to action.
CoLab’s first international keynote speaker was Helena Lidelöw of Lindbäcks and the University of Luleå, Sweden, who gave a thorough and interesting presentation about the history and current state of design and construction in her home country, stating that “after the much-criticised Million Homes Programme, we had a shift from an architect-driven to a contractor-driven industry. The architect’s role in Sweden is now purely for aesthetics”.Tim Porter (co-chair, PrefabNZ Board) with keynote speaker Helena Lidelöw of Lindbäcks and the University of Luleå, Sweden. Image: courtesy PrefabNZ
Continue to read full article on ArchitectureNow released April 03, 2017 |||
Auckland – The Kiwi Connection Tech Hub is working with NZ businesses, industry and government across multiple initiatives to support 100 Kiwi entrepreneurs, managers and executives to visit major South East Asia markets this year to increase exports, access investment capital and tap into the talent pool that New Zealand lacks.
Hub director Mitchell Pham is working with organisers of the significant landmark business trip to Vietnam, Thailand and possibly Myanmar in a giant leap forward to boost New Zealand exports.In partnership with Augen
The tech hub is a partnership between Augen Software Group and New Zealand Trade & Enterprise (NZTE) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade (MFAT). It works in collaboration with businesses and industry associations in both countries.
Pham says the New Zealand mission to South East Asia will focus on businesses in various tech, food and beverages and retail sectors.
“The trail-blazing visit in August will be led by ASEAN-New Zealand Business Council in collaboration with ExportNZ, KEA and the Kiwi Connection Tech Hub and with support from NZTE, MFAT and the Asia New Zealand Foundation.
“In addition to that trip, at the same time, the University of Auckland Business School has 65 management and executive participants in this year’s MBA programme helping 11 Kiwi businesses develop market entry strategies, execution plans and local connections for the Vietnam market. This group will also be working in-market in August.Trade mission to Singapore and Vietnam
“Thirdly FinTechNZ will lead a trade mission to Singapore and Vietnam later this year involving Kiwi FinTech business leaders who will attend the regional FinTech conference in Singapore and connect with the rapidly growing Vietnam market in November. This FinTechNZ trip is in collaboration with the Kiwi Connection Tech Hub and with support from NZTech and NZTE.
“While Augen and the tech hub focus on assisting tech businesses, technology is not a silo sector but rather a part of the bigger picture that is NZ Inc and the NZ story.
“This is further affirmed by the government’s inclusion of tech sector and digital exports in the recently released NZ Trade Agenda 2030, as ways to both grow and diversify export. It is why our Kiwi tech hub is working with a wide range of collaborating partners and engage in many initiatives.
“We are providing a vital bridge for Kiwi tech businesses to speed-up entry and business growth in South East Asia, where there is a huge and rapidly growing pool of talent, capital, customers as well as massive digital economy and consumption appetite,” Pham says.
The hub was opened by minister Steven Joyce in June last year to ensure the Kiwi tech sector could engage with Vietnam and provide a base to support business activities across the ASEAN region.
| A Make Lemonade release || April 3, 2017 |||
The New Zealand distributor of Solar Gard windowfilm is pleased to announce that Solar Gard is now a member of the New Zealand Green Building Council
Globally Solar Gard Window Film and its parent company Saint-Gobain manufacture products that are friendly to the environment and have a high level of sustainability.
In 2014, Solar Gard achieved an EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) certification from UL Environment, encompassing 41 architectural window film products. The EPD is based on a life cycle analysis of the cradle-to-grave impacts of Solar Gard’s products and fulfils the requirements of an ISO-compliant product category rule.
“The decision to become a member of the NZGBC builds on these global strategies and is a logical move in regard to the NZ market. It gives us the opportunity to put the various products and benefits in front of decision makers in a way that gives them confidence that Solar Gard window film can be a solution to a problem for them while also making them aware of the environmental benefits that the product brings” says Mr Ross Eathorne Director of Specialty Window Films, the New Zealand distributor of Solar Gard window films.
Further information can be obtained from the links below and by contacting Eathorne.
http://www.solargard.com/au/energy-efficiency-and-sustainability/
| A Solar Gard release || March 31, 2017 |||
Ground floor opening for the state to back IT manufacturing lost. Progeni’s Perce Harpham explains what went wrong...
During the 1980s Australasia’s version of Silicon Valley was New Zealand’s Hutt Valley. Here, a coalition of public and private enterprises had anticipated the screen graphic presentation techniques that would later become standard fixtures. At the forefront of these developers was Progeni led by Perce Harpham (above). Progeni had developed its desk top computer for the global marketplace. It needed just one thing which was a local user base in education. But Apple, whose Steve Wozniak was a constant presence in the Hutt Valley of that era, was also knocking on the class-room door...........Five questions now for Perce Harpham....
As you look now at the immense scattering of public funds in the general direction of encouraging technological innovation, you must feel increasingly disappointed at the failure of the government to encourage your educational application desk top computer, leaving the field open to Apple among others?
The development of the Poly computer system was disappointing on many fronts. The idea for a special purpose computer was conceived by two gifted lecturers in Wellington Polytech. It was accepted by the Education Department. The Government's Development Finance Corporation was charged with doing the sort of job that NASA does with space travel - namely bringing together New Zealand resources to make it happen. Just for once it appeared that NZ was going to do something right in the technology field by taking a problem which we had here and developing a solution for the world market.
The Development Finance Corporation invited us to form a joint venture with them to do the job. The idea was that the Joint Venture would develop the systems software and the hardware, the Education Department would develop the courses and use them in NZ while the JV would make the computers and market them with the courses overseas. DFC said they had cast iron arrangements with Government to buy 1000 machines per year for five years if they met the practical requirements of the Department.
My company, Progeni, then provided highly capable professionals to develop the system including all sorts of innovations, some 30 companies supplied parts and manufactured circuit boards, and the specially designed the moulded cases and the like. Some 60 teachers gave up their Christmas holidays to develop demonstration courses for mathematics, music and all sorts of things where there was a need. We made some 70 machines which were trialled in class rooms. Massey University evaluated the results. They were highly successful and more than met the conditions set down by the Department. The Government then welshed on the deal.
Warren Cooper later told me that he and his colleagues in the cabinet had decided that, and here I quote, " there was no point in spending Government money so that teachers could do even less work".
We bought out DFCs interest in the Joint Venture and tried to carry on. A number of schools then raised money and bought machines. I have been told that another cabinet minister had an investment in the Apple agency in NZ. Apple then was allowed to dump, and I use the word in its formal legal sense, its computers in NZ at about one quarter of their retail price. They targeted precisely our market and destroyed it for us.
We went to China and sold a few machines then built a new model handling Chinese characters. We were on the verge of some major sales when the Tiananmen Square incidents occurred and all the bankers suddenly thought anything to do with China was valueless. Our bank, the Bank of New Zealand, then twice had to be rescued from bankruptcy by the Government. We were the collateral damage. Almost a year after the receivers were appointed we had a major order from the Agricultural Bank of China. It had been delayed by Tiananmen and the company had been destroyed. But I managed to deliver part of the order from stocks that had been stored in China and purchased back from the universities we had given them to. But we were already dead.
Had the Government honoured its commitments New Zealand would have been a world leader in computer-based learning.
To what extent did the death of your chief technology officer Jean Claude de Verrier in the same Chicago DC10 disaster that took the life of Roger Estridge, point man for IBM’s pc development, harm the future of the Progeni desk top development?
Jean Claude de Verrier's (pictured below) death was a huge blow. It did not affect the development of the Poly computers. But it set back our US venture dramatically. Nonetheless it was going well before the receivers sold it to the management for a pittance. It has gone on to prosper as Progeni Inc with headquarters in Dallas. All of the people we transferred to the US who have not retired are still with it. See its website.
After your bid to persuade the Department of Education here to buy the Progeni desk-top, you turned to China. Were you worried at the time and subsequently about (a) copying, and (b) getting paid?
I can only add that one is always vulnerable to copying and you rely on staying ahead of the game so that your new innovations make the copies obsolete. There was never a problem about getting paid. When we went into receivership it was claimed in the press that it was because we had not been paid from China. This was completely untrue.
You pioneered in New Zealand the independent software development house, handling major governmental contracts along the way. How do you view nowadays public systems development and implementation?
I view Government handling of their computer developments as an unmitigated disaster. We formed a Joint venture with a US company to deliver the software for the Wanganui Computer System. We delivered it on time at the quoted fixed price, exceeded the specification, made a profit and paid tax on it. It lasted for 30 years.
In the meantime the Government let a contract to replace our law enforcement system. No NZ owned company made it onto the short list. It was let to IBM. The delivery was supposed to take about two years. After five years and $100,000,000 it was abandoned.
Many millions were spent having an American company develop a health system with no NZ input and it was then abandoned. I remember talking to the project manager nine months after they started. He had only just found out that we did not have the equivalent of the US Sprint telephone system in NZ and was having to redesign the communication system.
More recently Customs went to tender with a contract which essentially specifically excluded NZ companies. Companies like Orion have had to make major sales overseas before gaining any sales in NZ for their hospital systems. The payroll system let to an Australian company was a disaster. The IRD system, over $1,000,000, is being developed by an overseas company.
We are supposedly going to develop a high technology economy. Yeah right!
It is said within the IT industry that pioneers end up with arrows in their back. Is there anything you might have done differently, especially in regard to your international development which many, even at the time, regarded as audacious?
I would not chase Government work unless I was satisfied that we had a level playing field uncontaminated by a cringing belief that our New Zealand capabilities are necessarily inferior.
I would first work on local and overseas companies as well as overseas governments and state governments. The latter, like the NZ Government, want to know if you have delivered similar systems elsewhere but will look at your proposal in an unbiased fashion and the experience of your proposed project team. If this includes people (possibly one or two consultants) who have had the experience you lack as a company but are satisfied that your management is competent then you are in with a chance.
| From the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | Monday 3 April 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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