Items filtered by date: Tuesday, 02 December 2014

June 27, 2016 - A three-member team of Pacific Islands Trade & Invest (PT&I) NZ and a seasoned trade consultant will accompany nearly two dozen New Zealand businesspeople to Fiji this week as part of a business mission, to build on growing trade and investment between the two countries.

One of the largest ever business missions from New Zealand, the delegation includes a cross-section of SMEs to some of New Zealand’s largest public listed companies. It will travel to Fiji between June 27 and July 1. It comes just weeks after New Zealand Prime Minister John Key visited Suva –the first time an NZ prime minister visited the island nation in nearly a decade.

The PT&I NZ team, led by Trade Commissioner Michael Greenslade, is hosting two workshops of the PT&I Path to Market (P2M) Programme in Nadi and Suva. P2M is an 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. More than 60 countries have registered to attend the workshops.

The content of the workshops is specifically targeted at existing and new exporters giving further insights and overviews of getting products to market.

“The programme is an extended business model that covers six methodical steps that are delivered in partnership by PT&I NZ and an Economic Development Agency in each country,” Greenslade says. The Fiji Export Council is co-hosting the workshops.

“The workshops are the first of a series of steps,” Greenslade explains. “The key to the P2M programme is that it does not end with the workshop. In many ways, it just begins. The overall aim of the workshops and their success would be measured in terms of actual deals made. These are the very definition of sustainability in the context of economic development.”

The steps include a practical assessment of export capability vis-à-vis requirements of the New Zealand market; building a strategic link to the local economic development partner; organising a sales mission to New Zealand; documenting learning from the sales mission; introducing exporters to buyers and distributors in New Zealand; and feedback analyses, quantification of deals and follow up to B2B meetings.

Similar workshops have previously been run in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu which resulted in 21 companies from these countries including five from Fiji attending the Pasifika Festival earlier this year in Auckland. As well as displaying their products at the Pacific region’s largest Polynesian festival, participating export companies had a range of B2B meetings with potential buyers and distributors with several positive outcomes for export sales.

The PT&I team has also chalked out an exhaustive programme of business-to-business interactions, and meetings with senior government and public sector officials. The high profile business mission is led by the New Zealand Fiji Business Council (NZFBC). “To support the objectives of the mission, Fiji’s High Commissioner in New Zealand Filimone Waqabaca is accompanying the delegation – a first for such a mission,” NZFBC Chairman Chander Sen said.

SOURCE: PT&I/PACNEWS

Cycling New Zealand partners with world-leading carbon fibre specialist, New Zealand’s Southern Spars.

June 28,2016 - In a classic tale of Kiwi ingenuity, New Zealand’s Southern Spars – best known for designing and manufacturing masts and rigging for the world’s fastest race yachts and most luxurious superyachts – will be providing wheels to the 2016 New Zealand track cyclists at Rio Olympics in August.

Southern Spars, which was founded in 1990, is a long-time supplier to Team New Zealand. It has a well-established reputation as the best in the world for designing and manufacturing carbon fibre spars and rigging using superior technology.

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO HERE

Southern Spars’ director Mark Hauser said: “The collaboration with Cycling New Zealand has been about taking that expertise and applying it in a different context – working together to create a significant performance benefit.

“We have drawn on our years of experience in the design and manufacture of carbon fibre technology and components. This has led to high performance in yachting, as well as specialist knowledge of windage, stiffness, and strength. In doing this, we have designed a new, superior wheel, which we’re delighted to be supplying to the New Zealand track cyclists.

“We are very excited by the potential of the new wheels, and by the possibilities unleashed by this kind of collaboration and innovation – which is all about bringing together the best of New Zealand.”

Cycling New Zealand Director of High Performance, Mark Elliott, said the partnership with Southern Spars has brought together two unique parties, to produce a great outcome for the New Zealand Olympic track cycling team.

“The partnership with Southern Spars has been a unique opportunity to work with a team with world-leading knowledge of carbon fibre technology, and the drive to take on a totally new challenge, by testing their skills and applying this knowledge to designing track wheels.

“From the outset, we’ve seen Southern Spars’ passion for testing its capability and applying knowledge in new ways, but importantly for us – and our athletes – a drive to contribute to New Zealand’s sporting success on the Olympic stage.

“We are delighted to be forming a partnership with Southern Spars, which we know will deliver an edge for us in Rio. This paves the way for further innovation to support our long-term performance objectives.”

The innovative new track wheels are the result of a three-way collaboration, bringing together Southern Spars’ engineering and carbon fibre production knowledge, Cycling New Zealand’s sport-specific knowledge and dedicated data technology support from High Performance Sport New Zealand.

New Zealand chef de mission, Rob Waddell, congratulated Southern Spars and Cycling New Zealand.

“To be the best in the world – to win Gold at the Olympic Games – requires us to bring everything we’ve got... to work together and leverage every ounce of know-how, technology and talent we can get our hands on. This kind of innovation is classic Kiwi can-do thinking. It’s the best of New Zealand.”

A Southern Spars press release

Auckland, 27 June 2016 - Air New Zealand has been named both International Airline of the Year and Domestic Airline of the Year at the fifth annual Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards.

The awards recognise businesses that lead their respective industries in customer satisfaction and are determined by the feedback of more than 13,000 New Zealand consumers through the Roy Morgan Single Source survey carried out throughout the year.

Air New Zealand General Manager Customer Experience Carrie Hurihanganui says the awards reaffirm the relentless focus the airline places on customer experience.

“We operate in one of the world’s most competitive industries and delivering a seamless experience to our customers, irrespective of where on our network they are travelling, is something we pride ourselves on.

“We have been very focused on enhancing our customers’ journeys, including making substantial investments in new aircraft, new and refreshed lounges, and innovative technology.

“It’s great to see these efforts being recognised by our customers.”

The awards were presented at a ceremony in Auckland last night.

An Air New Zealand press release

 Monday, 27 June 2016  - Surtees Boats has announced the appointment of Adam Dyck as the company’s used CEO.

The CEO position is a usedly created role, with Dyck taking over the day to day running of the company from current Managing Director Phil Sheaff who will move into a consulting role with the company, while still remaining a director.

Having been with the company for 18-months, Dyck previously held the position of Marketing Manager. Sheaff says that Dyck has made a significant contribution to the Surtees brand since joining the company. “Adam has not only sound marketing acumen but is also very apt in a business sense. Myself and the other directors firmly believe that in the day to day running of the company he will be able to guide it to its next level,” says Sheaff.

Dyck says that he is excited about the future of the Surtees brand and helping it to grow further. “The future ahead for the Surtees brand is very exciting. It’s a brand I’m passionate about, in fact I was a Surtees owner before starting working for the company last year,” says Dyck. “The brand is enjoying very strong sales at the moment across all of the markets in which we operate in, this has been aided by the revamp of all Surtees models last year.

The coming 12-months will have a focus on increasing our production and expanding into used sales markets.” Out of its Whakatane factory in used Zealand’s Bay of Plenty, Surtees Boats employs 57 people has 18 dealers globally and produces 400 boats a year.

Originally published in BYM Industry News January 27, 206

Wellington, Tuesday 27 June 2016 - The Government yesterday released tax expert John Shewan’s independent Inquiry into Foreign Trust Disclosure Rules, and the steps it is taking to strengthen tax rules as part of its work with the OECD to clamp down on base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS).

Mr Shewan’s inquiry noted that foreign trusts are legitimate vehicles and that New Zealand’s tax treatment of foreign trusts is appropriate. However, it also recommends disclosure arrangements should be strengthened, including by:

    *  Strengthening the initial registration requirements for foreign trusts, and allowing regulatory agencies to search the register.

    *  Requiring foreign trusts to file an annual return, including their financial statements and details of distributions.

It also recommended a number of changes to anti-money laundering rules.

“I want to thank Mr Shewan for conducting such a thorough investigation into foreign trusts. His recommendations look sensible and well-reasoned and, as we’ve always said, we are open to making improvements to New Zealand’s already strong tax settings,” Finance Minister Bill English says.

“The Government will look to implement the recommendations after officials have examined the inquiry in detail and reported back to Ministers. A formal response to the Inquiry will therefore be issued in the coming weeks.”

Revenue Minister Michael Woodhouse says that improvements to foreign trust disclosure rules are part of a significant work programme to strengthen New Zealand’s tax laws and keep them in line with international best practice.

“New Zealand has been working intensively with the OECD to develop a global response to BEPS tax strategies, which allow multi-nationals to pay little or no tax by exploiting discrepancies in different countries’ tax rules and shift profits to places where tax rates are lower.”

In October the OECD set out an international action plan to help address this.

“The Government is today releasing the changes New Zealand will make to address profit shifting, based on the OECD action plan, as well as the significant steps we have already taken as part of this global effort,” Mr English says.

Mr Woodhouse says a lot of work has already gone into strengthening New Zealand’s tax rules – meaning that many of the OECD’s recommendations are already implemented.

“Our tax settings are already sound, but there is always room to improve,” he says.

“We have already strengthened our controlled foreign company rules, thin capitalisation rules, bank minimum equity rules, and, more recently, I introduced legislation to improve our non-resident withholding tax rules.

“The next steps include stronger rules preventing excessive payments from a New Zealand company to its foreign parent, greater disclosure requirements for multi-nationals, and further sharing of tax data with foreign authorities.”

Mr English says stopping illegitimate profit shifting is a global issue.

“The BEPS problem stems from mismatched legislation between countries – which is why we are working with the OECD towards a coordinated, global solution,” he says.

The Shewan Inquiry into Foreign Trust Disclosure Rules can be found at www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/reviews-consultation/foreign-trust-disclosure-rules

The Government’s BEPS action plan can be found at www.taxpolicy.ird.govt.nz

Pending US Presidential will confirm politician's Weltanschauung and give him the trifecta

Gizmag, June 26, 2016 - Two autonomous buses will follow a route along the edge of the city of 33,000 residents and pass through pedestrian areas (Credit: Car Postal)

Switzerland has joined a growing number of places around the world exploring the potential of electric autonomous buses, with a pair of driverless shuttles now ferrying passengers around the city of Sion as part of a two-year trial.

Other autonomous buses being tested out across the globe include the EZ10 in California and Singapore, the Navia also in Singapore, and the IBM-powered Olli in Washington DC that can even talk to its passengers en route.

Much like these projects, Switzerland's buses will take to public roads with local regulators eying a wider deployment of low-carbon, autonomous mass transport. The vehicles will be operated by Switzerland's leading public bus operator, PostBus, and will navigate Sion's city streets using software developed by startup BestMile, which spin out of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL).

The buses have been fitted with air conditioning, a backup battery, an access ramp for the disabled and are capable of carrying 11 passengers at a time, who will ride free of charge. The two vehicles will follow a route along the edge of the city of 33,000 residents and pass through pedestrian areas, but they won't exactly be humming along, traveling only at a top speed of 20 km/h (12 mph).

An attendant will go along for the ride in the interests of safety, but the buses will be controlled remotely by an operator using BestMile's autonomous driving software. Researchers from the EPFL's Urban Transport Systems Laboratory are collaborating on the two-year project, with the aim of building a system that manages fleets of autonomous vehicles.

This will involve developing algorithms that enable the buses to communicate with one another and other vehicles on the road, along with accomodating the needs of passengers through on-demand services, such as booking rides in advance and adjusting for flexible routes. Eventually, the researchers say the technology will need to be able to handle these tasks in real time.

Source: EPFL

GHD, 27 June 2016 - Auckland’s new landmark Te Ara I Whiti (Lightpath) cycleway has been recognised as one of New Zealand’s best public works projects.

The project team of New Zealand Transport Agency, GHD, Novare Design, Monk Mackenzie and Hawkins has received the Excellence Award in the category Best Public Works Project > $5M from the New Zealand division of the Institute of Public Works Australasia.

These prestigious awards showcase projects that are not only completed on time and on budget, but also achieve clearly defined community outcomes.

The Lightpath project converted the unused Nelson Street Off Ramp into a vital 1 km long link for cyclists and pedestrians around the Auckland CBD. According to the judges, it’s a ‘spectacular response’ to NZ Transport Agency’s vision for developing world-class cycling infrastructure throughout each major city and town.

The project also includes a 160 m steel bridge that snakes over New Zealand’s busiest highway junction. It was constructed entirely off site and lifted into place during overnight closures.

The project created an iconic piece of Auckland infrastructure famous for its magenta surface, Maori artwork and 290 interactive LED lights.

With an extremely positive response from the public and cycling groups, and an average of 935 cycle trips per day, the NZ Transport Agency is confident that the project is already providing a drawcard for businesses in the local area.

The design was developed with the safety and efficiency of the state highway, local road network and pedestrians/cyclists in mind.

Gansen Govender, GHD’s Design Manager and Engineer’s Representative, says, ”Normally, a project of this complexity would take well over two years to deliver, but the team worked collaboratively to deliver this cycleway in only 14 months from scheme to completion”.

“The tight timeframe and budget for the works might have encouraged the delivery of a completely practical solution. Instead, the project team evolved the design into an iconic urban structure that’s used and appreciated by many Aucklanders.”

Wellington, June 26, 2016 - Trade Minister Todd McClay says he is seeking meetings with trade ministers from the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) to discuss the UK’s decision to leave the EU.

“I expect to meet with many of my European counterparts at the G20 meeting in Shanghai, 9-10 July, and I have already requested meetings with key ministers and the EU Trade Commissioner to discuss New Zealand’s best way forward, in light of the referendum result,” says Mr McClay.

“In the meantime, it is important for exporters to be assured that our economic relationship with the UK and Europe will remain the same for the foreseeable future.”

Mr McClay says the process of discussions between the UK and EU Member States is likely to take up to two years, once negotiations begin - with commentators suggesting that a final Brexit could be five or six years away.

“I have already begun talks with exporters and will continue to engage with the sectors most affected including our meat, dairy, and horticulture industries. It is important that they are fully informed, and fully engaged in the process as it develops.

“Even before Friday’s referendum, we had sought assurances from UK and EU officials that the rules around New Zealand access would not change until they have negotiated new ones with us. We have received those assurances,” says Mr McClay.

“And we will continue to talk to both sides, with the aim of ensuring that the quality and the value of our access to both the EU and UK markets is retained.

Mr McClay says he does not expect the timelines around a possible NZ-EU FTA discussion to be significantly affected.

"A lot of important work has been put in by both sides over the past 12 months. New Zealand has a significant number of supporters in the EU and we retain a strong relationship with the UK.

"The work we have done over the past few years will be important as we, over the coming months, discuss an orderly way forward for our trading relationship.

“We will be taking a calm and considered approach to this discussion, while using the two-year negotiating period to New Zealand exporters best advantage,” says Mr McClay.

NZMEA, Monday 27 June 2016 - Networked manufacturing, otherwise known as Industry 4.0, is the next revolution in manufacturing, offering higher productivity and more adaptable and intelligent systems.

The New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association (NZMEA), in association with Callaghan Innovation, welcome a leading expert in the field, Dr Frank Wagner, to share his insights and observations on Industry 4.0 in Christchurch and Auckland this week. Manufacturers attending will hear how this technology is being used in Germany and Australia, and how New Zealand manufacturers can harness digitisation, say the NZMEA.

“Industry 4.0, or networked manufacturing, involves the digitisation of industrial supply chains, using automation and advanced computing and big data to connect all parts of production and supply, allowing real-time analysis and management of systems, with intelligent integration of people, machines and products.” says Dr Frank Wagner, Professor, Queensland University of Technology.

NZMEA Chief Executive Dieter Adam says, “Global interest in Industry 4.0 is gaining traction fast, and it is changing how many manufacturers worldwide operate.

“It is allowing manufacturers to better understand and optimise their systems and supply chains, adapt to customer needs through increased customisation within production lines and efficiently combine automation with skilled workers.

“Networked manufacturing is opening up new business models as well as continuing the trend of combining advanced manufactured products with new service solutions. It also carries the potential for dramatic productivity increases in short-run manufacturing, which is more and more becoming the home base of New Zealand manufacturing.”

“Given that perspective, being leading adopters of this technology and the thinking behind it is really the only way to go for our manufacturers if they want to remain globally competitive.

“It is also vital that government is aware and stays ahead of these changes with any policy response to help Kiwi manufacturers adapt, innovate and invest in the R&D needed to compete.

“We greatly appreciate the support of Callaghan Innovation to make these presentations and interactive workshops for manufacturers possible,” says Mr Adam.

“Finally – the question that comes with every new technology is “will it destroy jobs?” One of the aims of networked manufacturing is to remove unnecessary steps in manufacturing processes. That can result in higher output with the same number of people. It can also empower businesses to employ more people, due to increased productivity over the competition and ability to offer new products and services to customers. That is certainly what we see in the leading adopters of this technology in Germany.

“History shows that being leading adopters is the best approach to preserving and growing jobs and the output of the manufacturing sector.” says Mr Adam.