Items filtered by date: Tuesday, 02 December 2014

HAMILTON, NEW ZEALAND – Gallagher today announced it has been named one of seven finalists in the 2016 AmCham-DHL Express Success and Innovation Awards for the Exporter of the Year to the USA (over $10 million) category.

The awards, which are run by The American Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand, seek to celebrate success and entrepreneurial innovation in the export, import and investment sectors between New Zealand and its third-largest trading partner, the United States.

The short-listed companies were evaluated on a variety of actual market performance indicators which include revenue growth; market share and growth in market share; leadership in product innovation; marketing strategy and business development strategy.

Gallagher’s Deputy CEO and Executive Director, Steve Tucker, comments “At Gallagher, we are constantly striving to achieve excellence in all areas of our business, and are delighted to be named a contender as it recognises the difference we are making in the delivery of innovative technology solutions for customers across the United States, and the hard work and ingenuity of the entire Gallagher team. We feel honored to be recognised alongside many other extremely successful and innovative New Zealand-based companies”.

In 2012, Gallagher indicated its long-term commitment to the US economy with the opening of a purpose-built regional headquarters in Kansas City. A substantial team operates from the central facility which includes customer service, sales, marketing, technical support, distribution, administration, and warehousing operations – serving the company’s Animal Management and Security customers based in the United States. In 2014, the office celebrated a nomination for the ‘Best Places to Work’.

For Gallagher’s Security and Animal Management business units the United States continues to represent the largest potential growth market and the global team demonstrate continued commitment to delivering on that objective. The leadership group dedicate considerable amount of time and effort physically in the United States, working alongside the local team to understand the customer base and market drivers and honing global strategies accordingly.

The awards will be presented at a black tie gala dinner at the Pullman Hotel Auckland on August 18, 2016.

Previous winners include Zespri International, Peace Software, Airways Corporation, HumanWare, Tenon, Orion Health, Zeacom, SMI Group, Fonterra, Buckley Systems, Greenshell New Zealand, Vista Entertainment and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare.

A Gallaghers press release

AFS is a consumer show that connects a large number of exhibitors with thousands of dedicated food lovers in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.Eight Pacific Island F&B companies and their products will be featured at PT&I's special ‘Pacific Hub’ stand at the show, which is being held at Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane from 28 – 31 July.Eight Pacific Island F&B companies and their products will be featured at PT&I’s special ‘Pacific Hub’ stand at the show, which is being held at Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane from 28 – 31 July.

AFS comes close on the heels of Fine Food New Zealand 2016, in which PT&I featured merchandise from twelve Pacific Island companies.

“This is the second food show that PT&I has supported this year as part of our food and beverage strategy,” PT&I NZ Trade Commissioner Michael Greenslade said. “AFS is for Pacific Island companies that are established and seeking to strengthen their consumer presence in New Zealand; it’s predominantly a brand building exercise for Pacific Island companies.”

PT&I’s experience at the Fine Food NZ 2016 show was encouraging, Trade Development Manager Joe Fuavao said. “We had positive response to the promotion undertaken in partnership between PT&I and The Produce Company Ltd.”

Explaining the difference in PT&I’s approach between the two shows, Mr Fuavao says, “While our focus [at Fine Food NZ] was to establish a new channel to market for Pacific Island companies, the upcoming AFS has a different focus. Our aim is to help Pacific Island companies brands grow and sell more products by partnering with their New Zealand distributors.”

With some 300 stands and more than 35,000 expected visitors, the AFS plays a key role in the growing consumer trend toward buying fresh ingredients, trying new flavours from around the world, sourcing top recipes, and cooking at home for friends and family. The estimated total spend at the four-day show is $6.3 million.

Trade Commissioner Greenslade said the participants will be selling products at the stand, which will be provided by EFTPOS machines to process card payments.

The eight participating Pacific Island companies are Papua New Guinea’s Banz Kofi; Niue Vanilla from Niue; C-Corp’s Solomons Gold chocolate and cacao nibs and from the Solomon Islands; Samoa Breweries’ Vailima Beer and Pacific Oil’s CocoSina coconut oil from Samoa; three companies from Fiji: J Punja NZ Ltd with bottled water, wraps, biscuits and other products; Carpenters Fiji with bottled water and FMF Foods Ltd with a range of biscuits.

The companies and their products will all be featured at the special ‘Pacific Hub’ stand at the show, which is being held at Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane from 28 – 31 July, next week.

Mr Greenslade said some of the participating companies were graduates of the PT&I Path to Market Programme which is PT&I’s export capability building programme that combines the range of export facilitation services and expertise provided by PT&I to help export ready and export capable businesses enter new export markets. He also revealed that PT&I would be participating in the Fine Food Australia show later this year.

While the show features a number of cooking demonstration sessions from chefs around New Zealand, a special attraction will be award winning Pacific-origin chef Robert Oliver who will cook up rare Pacific delicacies using Pacific ingredients from around the islands region.

Adding some great Pacific atmosphere to chef Oliver’s culinary presentations will be entertainment provided by the fabulous Cindy of Samoa, the internationally acclaimed ‘fa’afafine’ singing sensation, renowned for her impersonations of Shirley Bassey, Whitney Houston, and Tina Turner. Her revue-style show is considered one of the top 10 things to do in Samoa and she’s a regular performer at SkyCity Casino and corporate and charity events all around New Zealand.

For more information, please email Joe Fuavao, PT&I Trade Development Manager at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Pro Golfer Bubba Watson, Oakley and Martin Aircraft have teamed up to create the Golf Cart Jetpack.

The humble golf cart is not very slick, but it gets the job done. So is there a better way to get from tee to green? In 2013, pro golfer Bubba Watson, along with Oakley and Neoteric Hovercraft, posed this question with a Golf Cart Hovercraft. Now, with the help of Martin Aircraft, the team has taken to the skies with the Golf Cart Jetpack.

Based on Martin's current pre-production prototypes, the Golf Cart Jetpack can fly as high as 3,000 feet (914 m) and as fast as 46 mph (74 km/h), thanks to a 210 horsepower engine powering two ducted fans. So basically, it's a standard Martin Jetpack with some extra space for clubs and sand bottles.

As fun as it would be to get a bird's eye view of the course and watch your golf buddies' shots from on high, practical considerations might keep this concept on the ground. Bubba insists the Jetpack will speed up play, but in the time it takes to strap in, fly down the fairway, land and take your shot, your friends – who can't join you in your single-pilot craft – could well be a few holes ahead. And if you're the kind of golfer who spends a chunk of their game time hunting for balls among the trees, well, the Jetpack will be no help there.

Add to this the 95 dB din, plus the fact that those fans will likely play havoc with any balls the contraption passes over, and suddenly the humble electric cart, or dare we say it –walking, doesn't seem so bad after all.

But as far as a publicity stunt goes, Bubba's Jetpack does look impressive, even if Bubba himself isn't yet allowed to fly it. That's Martin Aircraft's VP of Flight Operations, Mike Read, in the video below – Bubba himself is third on the waiting list for pilot training, once the certifications and market release goes ahead.

That goal is another step closer, with the Martin Jetpack announcing in June that prototypes have received Experimental Airworthiness certificates from the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority. The company says that First Responder Jetpacks will begin shipping later this year, with personal versions to follow in December 2017. Both require proper training and certification – and carry a US$200,000 price tag.

Source: Martin Aircraft

Watch the video here

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has today announced the Prime Minister’s Scholarship programme for international study with be extended to Latin America, as well as Asia.

The Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Latin America will complement the successful Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia initiative. Under that programme 751 scholarships for Kiwi students to study in Asia have been awarded since it was implemented in 2013.

“The Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia have seen New Zealand students gain valuable study and business experience offshore, learn about some of New Zealand’s most important trade partners, and bring back valuable skills to New Zealand.

The Latin American scholarships will give kiwi students much greater exposure to another part of the Asia-Pacific region that will become increasingly important to New Zealand in the years ahead.

“The scholarships will mean more young Kiwis are exposed to Latin American countries and cultures, and this will strengthen New Zealand’s ability to engage with key Latin American trading partners in the future,” Mr Joyce says.

“The expanded scholarships programme will strengthen international linkages with an area of the world which is becoming increasingly important for New Zealand trade and business. Latin American and Asian destinations are all just one direct flight away, making them easier to work with than ever.”

“The Scholarships are part of our $761.4 million ‘Innovative New Zealand’ budget package, $43.5 million of that is to develop stronger international connections for tertiary students. This includes the introduction of the Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Latin America, the expansion of the Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia and the introduction of three Centres of Asia Pacific Excellence at universities.”

The International Connections Package also includes changes to student support settings (student loan and student allowance) and tuition funding subsidies to encourage more study overseas.

Nominations for the first round of Latin American scholarships will open in September 2016 and they will be awarded in November.

More information about the scholarships can be found at http://www.enz.govt.nz/our-services/scholarships

A press release from the Minister of Tertiary Education, Skills and Employmen Tuesday 19 Jully, 2016

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has today announced the Prime Minister’s Scholarship programme for international study with be extended to Latin America, as well as Asia.

The Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Latin America will complement the successful Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia initiative. Under that programme 751 scholarships for Kiwi students to study in Asia have been awarded since it was implemented in 2013.

“The Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia have seen New Zealand students gain valuable study and business experience offshore, learn about some of New Zealand’s most important trade partners, and bring back valuable skills to New Zealand.

The Latin American scholarships will give kiwi students much greater exposure to another part of the Asia-Pacific region that will become increasingly important to New Zealand in the years ahead.

“The scholarships will mean more young Kiwis are exposed to Latin American countries and cultures, and this will strengthen New Zealand’s ability to engage with key Latin American trading partners in the future,” Mr Joyce says.

“The expanded scholarships programme will strengthen international linkages with an area of the world which is becoming increasingly important for New Zealand trade and business. Latin American and Asian destinations are all just one direct flight away, making them easier to work with than ever.”

“The Scholarships are part of our $761.4 million ‘Innovative New Zealand’ budget package, $43.5 million of that is to develop stronger international connections for tertiary students. This includes the introduction of the Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Latin America, the expansion of the Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia and the introduction of three Centres of Asia Pacific Excellence at universities.”

The International Connections Package also includes changes to student support settings (student loan and student allowance) and tuition funding subsidies to encourage more study overseas.

Nominations for the first round of Latin American scholarships will open in September 2016 and they will be awarded in November.

More information about the scholarships can be found at http://www.enz.govt.nz/our-services/scholarships

A press release from the Minister of Tertiary Education, Skills and Employmen Tuesday 19 Jully, 2016

​Trusted Trans-Tasman exporters will be rewarded with fast-tracked customs processing at Australian and New Zealand borders under a new arrangement between the two countries.

The Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection and New Zealand Customs Service (NZ Customs) signed a Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) last Friday, to recognise the supply chain security programmes of both countries.

Australian Border Force (ABF) Commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg, and NZ Customs Comptroller, Carolyn Tremain, met at the World Customs Organization’s sessions in Brussels to sign the MRA.

Commissioner Quaedvlieg said the arrangement would benefit members of the Australian Trusted Trader (ATT) programme and the NZ Customs Secure Export Scheme (SES).

“It is anticipated that the MRA will allow $3 billion of New Zealand exports to Australia to be fast tracked,” Commissioner Quaedvlieg said.

“As we increase membership of the ATT programme, we expect that $7.5 billion of Australian exports to New Zealand will benefit from the MRA by 2020.

“The MRA provides benefits to trusted traders of both countries and provides border agencies greater end-to-end assurance of imports and exports.

“Reducing the regulatory duplication between the two schemes will make it easier for Australian and New Zealand businesses to trade with each other and boost the international competitiveness of both countries.”

NZ Customs Comptroller Carolyn Tremain said the two agencies already work closely together and this arrangement will provide further assurance over trans-Tasman trade for both countries.

“The MRA means New Zealand’s Secure Export Scheme members will benefit from a faster and smoother border experience with our closest neighbour, and gives traders on both side of the Tasman a competitive advantage,” Ms Tremain said.

A NZ Customs press release Tuesday 19 July 2016

​Trusted Trans-Tasman exporters will be rewarded with fast-tracked customs processing at Australian and New Zealand borders under a new arrangement between the two countries.

The Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection and New Zealand Customs Service (NZ Customs) signed a Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) last Friday, to recognise the supply chain security programmes of both countries.

Australian Border Force (ABF) Commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg, and NZ Customs Comptroller, Carolyn Tremain, met at the World Customs Organization’s sessions in Brussels to sign the MRA.

Commissioner Quaedvlieg said the arrangement would benefit members of the Australian Trusted Trader (ATT) programme and the NZ Customs Secure Export Scheme (SES).

“It is anticipated that the MRA will allow $3 billion of New Zealand exports to Australia to be fast tracked,” Commissioner Quaedvlieg said.

“As we increase membership of the ATT programme, we expect that $7.5 billion of Australian exports to New Zealand will benefit from the MRA by 2020.

“The MRA provides benefits to trusted traders of both countries and provides border agencies greater end-to-end assurance of imports and exports.

“Reducing the regulatory duplication between the two schemes will make it easier for Australian and New Zealand businesses to trade with each other and boost the international competitiveness of both countries.”

NZ Customs Comptroller Carolyn Tremain said the two agencies already work closely together and this arrangement will provide further assurance over trans-Tasman trade for both countries.

“The MRA means New Zealand’s Secure Export Scheme members will benefit from a faster and smoother border experience with our closest neighbour, and gives traders on both side of the Tasman a competitive advantage,” Ms Tremain said.

A NZ Customs press release Tuesday 19 July 2016

A Reserve Bank Bulletin article published today looks at the risks to financial stability posed by boom and bust cycles that are prevalent features of housing markets in advanced and developing economies around the world. The article finds that macroprudential actions aimed at mitigating risks from housing market cycles may be justified to help preserve financial stability and long-run economic growth.

Read the article: Financial stability risks from housing market cycles

A RBNZ press release Tuesday 19 July 2016

Manufacturers and exporters welcome the Reserve bank of New Zealand’s (RBNZ) proposed expansion of existing Loan to Value Ratios (LVR) today – this should give them more freedom to address continued low inflation and an exchange rate that remains overvalued and challenging for exporters, say the New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association (NZMEA).

NZMEA Chief Executive Dieter Adam says, “We are pleased to see this action from the RBNZ to continue to sure up the financial system against stability risks in the housing sector. We also support their efforts to look into other measures, such as Debt to Income Ratios, as another tool to protect financial stability.”

“We hope this moves gives the RBNZ more certainty to push forward with cuts to our interest rates to better align them with those in the rest of the world. Inflation remains below target and our exchange rate continues to be overvalued, well above forecasts and the Bank’s own targets – prolonged currency pressure on exporters damages their competitiveness and reduces their ability to make much needed investments for the future.

“However, we know from recent experiences that LVR limits only have a limited and temporary effect on house prices. Rising house prices and rental costs are increasingly becoming an issue for employers, including manufacturers, especially in Auckland. We increasingly hear from our members about people looking at jobs in other cities where their salary would go a lot further – adding to an already serious problem of attracting and retaining skilled workers nationwide, but especially in Auckland.

“Keeping house prices and rents in check is first and foremost the responsibility of central and local government. Government needs to find ways to boost the supply of affordable housing in areas suitable for working people, as well as tackling migration-driven demand spikes and some of the longer term tax incentives that encourage investment in existing housing stock over more productive investment. We should let the Reserve Bank focus on getting inflation in line and ensuring financial stability in our banking system, rather than overloading it with demands and expectations to influence developments beyond its current mandate.” says Dieter.

An NZMEA press release Tuesday 19 July 2016

In a first for airlines in the South Pacific, Air New Zealand is giving customers the freedom to use Bluetooth devices ‘gate to gate’ across its entire fleet.

In line with the airline’s commitment to drive innovation, from Thursday customers flying on any service across the airline’s domestic and international network will be able to operate Bluetooth devices from the departure gate to the arrival gate, provided their devices are set to flight mode.

This means customers can remain connected with their wearable Bluetooth tech such as Fitbit devices, Apple watches and Bluetooth headsets, as well as operate a wireless mouse and wireless keyboard during cruise.

Air New Zealand’s General Manager Customer Experience, Carrie Hurihanganui says enabling Bluetooth powered electronic devices onboard is further evidence of the airline’s customer-centric thinking.

“We’re continually working to enhance our customers’ journeys in every way we can. Enabling customers to use their Bluetooth devices from the departure gate right through to arrivals is part of our dedicated focus to meet the needs of our travellers.”

Air New Zealand secured approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand for Bluetooth use onboard following comprehensive testing conducted across its fleet.

Use of Bluetooth devices gate to gate will be limited to common lightweight, handheld personal electronic devices (PEDs), or for large PED devices during cruise. High-power industrial devices are not permitted to be used on Air New Zealand aircraft.

Air New Zealand customers will be able to use Bluetooth devices onboard from Thursday July 21st.

An Air New Zealand press release Tuesday 19 July 2016