Founded by Max Farndale 1947 - 2018
∩ Lydia Ko starts own golf apparel line, signs with Ecco
∩ Holden NZ announces global line up in Detroit
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∩ Chinese Chipmaker Plans Overseas Buying Spree to Get Mobile Tech
∩ While you were sleeping: Oil weighs on Dow
∩ Asteroid AG13 narrowly misses earth
∩ Fusion 360 Hands-On Introduction Course January 20
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∩ EU-New Zealand trade deal in ‘deep trouble’
∩ Fire engine's pump fails at Auckland house fire
Trade talks at risk because of European sensitivities on agriculture, a populist Kiwi lawmaker says.
Trade talks between New Zealand and Europe risk being shot down by national or regional parliaments in the EU and should be shelved to prioritize a deal with the U.K., a populist Kiwi lawmaker has said.
Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting in Brussels between New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who are expected to discuss bilateral trade negotiations that could start in the upcoming months, trade spokesperson Fletcher Tabuteau from the populist New Zealand First party warned of “deep trouble” due to European sensitivities on agriculture.
“Given the all-powerful European farmer lobby likes New Zealand like a hole in the back of the head, our deal with the EU isn’t going to go very far, very fast,” said Tabuteau, whose party, although holding only 10 percent of the seats in Wellington’s parliament, is considered an influential kingmaker in national politics.
“The Irish, Polish and French, even the Germans have concerns about allowing [New Zealand] dairy into their free-trade deals,” Tabuteau continued, referring to a recent opinion by the European Court of Justice’s advocate general suggesting that EU trade deals need to be ratified by some 38 national and regional parliaments across the bloc. The court is likely to confirm this opinion in the coming months, which would increase the possibility of future trade deals being vetoed.
“We need to face facts and put our energies into a more likely trade deal with the United Kingdom” after its separation from the EU, Tabuteau said.
| A Politico release | January 9, 2017 |
Next week CentrePort will begin work to secure its gantry cranes, as it develops plans to resume modified container operations within four to six months.
The 14 November earthquake caused significant damage to the Port, especially to the container area. This made its two gantry cranes inoperable. Each crane is 86 metres high and weighs 720 tonnes.
“Over the coming weeks we will secure the cranes, as the first stage in our plan to develop operations for customers and build resilience in case of another significant event,” Chief Executive Derek Nind said.
“Meanwhile, we continue to work with shipping lines on options for using geared ships as an interim solution. We have already had two of these visit the Port since the earthquake.
“For the medium term we are developing a plan for interim works that could restore modified container operations within four to six months. This would immediately improve CentrePort’s capacity and productivity, allowing us to serve the needs of importers and exporters in the central region. We will be keeping our customers informed as these plans develop.
“We know how important container shipping is to the regional economy. That’s why we worked hard to quickly restore limited container movements using ships with their own cranes. We are now assessing longer term options, to keep freight costs low for Wellington’s businesses.
“Over the coming days CentrePort will also commence maintenance on the berth pockets alongside part of Aotea Quay wharf. This will increase the flexibility of operations at the Port, since the earthquake has damaged Aotea Quay 1 and Thorndon Container Wharf.
“CentrePort is grateful to its customers for their ongoing support and patience during the recovery process.”
CentrePort’s key trades of ferries, fuel, logs, cars, and cruise ships continue to operate normally.
| A Centreport release | January 10, 2017 |
Japanese scientists believe they have established the identity of a "missing element" within the Earth's core.
They have been searching for the element for decades, believing it makes up a significant proportion of our planet's centre, after iron and nickel.
Now by recreating the high temperatures and pressures found in the deep interior, experiments suggest the most likely candidate is silicon.
The discovery could help us to better understand how our world formed.
Lead researcher Eiji Ohtani from the University of Tokyo told BBC News: "We believe that silicon is a major element - about 5% [of the Earth's inner core] by weight could be silicon dissolved into the iron-nickel alloys."
Hard to reach
The innermost part of our Earth is thought to be a solid ball with a radius of about 1,200km.
It is far too deep to investigate directly, so instead scientists study how seismic waves pass through this region to tell them something of its make-up.
It is mainly composed of iron, which makes up . . . [Continue to full article]
| A goshe release | January 10, 2017 |
Kushner's lawyers skirted an anti-nepotism law, after it came out he's doing business with a foreign firm.
Ignoring federal nepotism rules, Jared Kushner — Donald Trump’s son-in-law — has been named a senior adviser to the president in the upcoming administration. Kushner had reportedly met with lawyers to devise a plan to circumvent a law that prohibits public officials from hiring family members, including son-in-laws, to an office over which that official has authority.
Shortly after the election, President-elect Trump hinted that Kushner was being groomed for an important role, saying that his son-in-law was so talented that he could help “do peace in the Middle East.” The president-elect reportedly requested that Kushner receive top secret clearance to join him for his daily briefings.
Kushner hired the law firm WilmerHale for counsel on how to comply with ethics legislation if he were to be appointed to a White House position.
The chief executive of a real estate empire that owns property around the globe, Kushner undoubtedly needs to brush up on ethical governing. Kushner has conferred with foreign leaders during the transition, reportedly representing his Kushner Companies. Kushner had dinner with Wu Xiaohui, the chairman of a powerful Chinese company, Anbang — which has close ties to the government of the People’s Republic of China — to discuss the redevelopment of 666 Fifth Avenue, one of the Kushner Companies’ flagship properties. The New York Times reported that these discussions started around the time that Trump won the Republican nomination.
| A SALON release | January 10, 2017 |
More local businesses looking to expand into Korea will benefit from the latest round of tariff reductions under the New Zealand-Korea Free Trade Agreement, Trade Minister Todd McClay says.
The start of 2017 saw two thirds of New Zealand’s exports to Korea become duty free, up from 46 per cent in 2016.
“Thanks to this continued progress under the FTA, even more New Zealand businesses can compete favourably in the Korean market,” Mr McClay says.
New Zealand and Korea celebrated the first anniversary of the agreement in December 2016. Since the FTA’s entry into force in December 2015, New Zealand has experienced strong results particularly in the food and beverage sector where exports to Korea have increased by over 16%.
“Korea is New Zealand’s 6th largest goods export market, worth NZ$1.5 billion in the year ending September 2016, but this isn’t just about productive businesses wanting to sell into Korea,” Mr McClay says.
“The FTA also gives New Zealand consumers better access to high quality Korean goods like electronics, cars and machinery.”
Fifteen years after the FTA’s entry into force, 97.8 per cent of New Zealand’s total current exports to Korea will enter duty and quota free.
“New Zealanders are benefiting from the Government’s positive, outward looking relationship with our global partners, and this includes constantly progressing more Free Trade Agreements,” Mr McClay says.
“Tomorrow I will accompany the Prime Minister’s delegation to Brussels and look forward to discussing further trade opportunities with the European Union with my Ministerial counterparts.”
Mr McClay will meet with European Union Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström and Christian Cardona, Malta’s Minister for the Economy, Investment and Small Business. Malta currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Further Information on trade progress with Korea:
Craig Zoberis, 48, started his career at his father’s contract engineering business where he says he experienced a workplace culture he didn’t like.
So, in 2002, after getting an MBA from St. Xavier University in Chicago, he started Fusion OEM and focused not just on getting the product right but on creating a company where people want to work.
Today, the company, based in Burr Ridge, Ill., just west of Chicago, is a contract manufacturer of mechanical and electrical machines and components. It did $12 million in sales last year and made a profit. While lots of other manufacturers have moved operations to China or Mexico, Zoberis has kept his plant in the United States – and considers it a point of pride to pay his 55 workers above-market rates.
| Continue to the full Forbes article | January 8, 2017 |
Welcome to the first CADPRO Systems Design Challenge – Fusion Fishing.
The idea is to design the best fishing lure you can using Autodesk Fusion 360 and the supplied hook model.
An example lure, model created by Korbász Krisztián, is shown here.
The rules are simple:
Designs should include:
Some nice extras:
How To Enter?
To enter this competition, you’ll just need to follow these steps:
Step 1: Download the FusionFishingHook .F3D archive that is supplied in this project in the Fusion 360 gallery.
Step 2: Create a new Fusion 360 project and upload the hook model to the project.
Step 3: Create a new design in Fusion360, and design your lure, utilising the standard hook model.
Step 4: Export your finished hook model as an .F3D archive.
Step 5: Create a new project in the Fusion 360 gallery, and upload your archive file.
Step 6: Add some notes and info about the process you went through, and your design ideas.
Step 7: Let us know where to find your entry by sending us a tweet @CADPROSystems or a message on Instagram @cadpro_systemsDon’t forget to add #CadproFusionFishing
Key Dates
Competition is from 15th December 2016 to 31st January 2017 at 12:00PM NZST.The winners will be announced on Thursday 2nd February 2017.
Good luck and get designing!
| A CADPROSystems release | December 15, 2016 |
The start of 2017 saw two thirds of New Zealand’s exports to Korea become duty free, up from 46% in 2016.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says more local food businesses looking to expand into Korea will benefit from the latest round of tariff reductions under the New Zealand-Korea Free Trade Agreement, signed December 2015.
New Zealand has experienced strong results particularly in the food and beverage sector where exports to Korea have increased by over 16%. Korea is New Zealand’s 6th largest goods export market, worth NZ$1.5 billion in the year ending September 2016. Meat, dairy, fruit and seafood exports have all enjoyed growth of over 20%.
The value of New Zealand’s Kiwifruit exports to Korea grew nearly 20% in 2016 with further progress expected as the 30% tariff on Kiwifruit has now reduced to 22.5% per cent (half of what exporters were paying before the FTA). While New Zealand is ranked as Korea’s 10th-largest wine importer, we are emerging as a source of high quality wine among early adopters in the market.
The $2.7 million in New Zealand wine sales to Korea in 2015 represented an 18% increase from a year earlier. Following the removal of tariffs at the end of 2015, New Zealand wine exports increased a further 29% in the first half of 2016 compared to a year earlier. Exports of processed deer velvet have also increased by over 80%. From 1 January 2017, the list of products that can be exported duty free will expand to include products such as frozen fish fillets, prepared or preserved frozen potatoes and asparagus.
| RuralNews | January 9, 2017 |
∩ Cut-price air fares to Asia and other destinations go on sale today
∩ The former chief executive of Wellington company Steel & Tube loses life in cycling accident.
∩ Containers popping up all over
∩ Samoa PM touts NZ seasonal jobs
∩ CBL Corp buys biggest client for $142.6 million
∩ Unintended side effects from Trump
∩ PM to travel to Brussels, London and Berlin
∩ NZ dollar drops from 3-week high as rising US wages stoke optimism
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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