Tradestaff is celebrating the success of the Canterbury Trade Pilot Initiative Programme. Twenty-one graduates were recently awarded the certificate in New Zealand Level 4 Carpentry.
As part of a PACER Plus initiative Tradestaff partnered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) on the pilot scheme. PACER Plus is a trade and economic integration agreement between New Zealand and Pacific Island Governments that aims to create jobs, raise standards of living and encourage sustainable economic growth in the Pacific region.
The pilot project was designed to provide an opportunity for up to 24 skilled carpenters from the Pacific Islands to fill job shortages in the Christchurch rebuild.
Kevin Eder, Managing Director of Tradestaff, says the pilot project was a great success.
"This programme has been a win-win for all stakeholders. Tradestaff was able to ensure our Pasifika pilot workers remained in consistent work throughout the programme. Many of them were personally requested by our clients as they have become recognised as hard workers with great skills.
"Pacific nations are at regular risk of severe cyclones that cause widespread damage. With the support of their governments, we expect the graduates to return home with greater experience and skills from their time with us. We were able to expose them to a wide variety of work environments, providing learning experiences across construction techniques they would not otherwise had the chance to encounter."
Tradestaff ensured the recruits were taken through a specifically tailored induction programme. This covered everything from health and safety practices and expectations, site safe training, kiwi building jargon, and familiarisation with what to expect on a large commercial construction site. With support from ARA Institute of Canterbury the recruits were provided with onsite training and skills assessment throughout the pilot programme, culminating in them being awarded the certificate in New Zealand Level 4 Carpentry.
"We are confident the outcomes that we have achieved are in line with the spirit of the PACER Plus agreement and will raise the standard of living for those involved and encourage sustainable economic development for the Pacific nations included," Eder says.
Tradestaff was recently recognised for their work with the Pasifika migrant workers. It received the Award for Excellence in Candidate Care at the Recruitment and Consulting Services Association (RCSA) New Zealand Industry Awards.
Labour mobility schemes
The 2007-10 Gibson & McKenzie report on Vanuatu and Tonga found the following for countries involved in a labour mobility scheme:
The following applies to the receiving countries:
Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Jacqui Dean has today released the terms of reference for a review of the Copyright Act 1994.
“Copyright affects how people create, distribute and access information,” Ms Dean says.
“It is important we ensure our copyright regime is fit for purpose in today’s rapidly changing technological environment.
“Launching a review now will also build on the insights of the Government’s Study of the role of copyright and designs in the creative sector, completed last year.
“The Study highlighted a range of opportunities and challenges faced by users, creators and owners of digital content. This review will look into these opportunities and challenges to ensure we have the right settings in New Zealand.”
The terms of reference provide an outline of the objectives, context and process for the review and will be further refined with industry feedback on an issues paper.
“I want stakeholders to get involved in the early stages of the review. In the coming months we will develop the issues paper and will be looking to engage with the wider industry,” Ms Dean says.
The terms of reference and further information on the review and Study are available on the MBIE website: http://www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/business/intellectual-property/copyright/review-copyright-act-1994
| A Beehive release || June 29, 2017 |||
A new wheelchair prototype with an innovative propulsion system has been developed by Massey University engineers that attempts to minimise chronic shoulder and wrist problems for self-propelled wheelchair users, while making it easier for users to travel uphill.
The chair, named Ezy-wheels, employs an innovative propulsion method where the user pushes and pulls the chair forward without their hands ever having to leave the pushrim.
Dr Claire Flemmer of the School of Engineering and Advanced Technology says conventional manual wheelchairs have not changed in their essential design in over one hundred years and studies have shown that many people develop upper limb pain within a year of use.
“Manual wheelchairs require an inefficient push effort, where the user grips either the wheel or a slightly smaller rim on the outside, called the pushrim, and propels the chair forward by pushing the rim, until they are forced let go and repeat the action. This means only about 25 per cent of the action actually contributes to the chair going forward.”
“This method causes an imbalanced repetitive strain on the shoulders and wrists that can lead to chronic pain - the longer a person uses the manual wheelchair, the worse it gets until they have to change to a powered wheelchair.”The new system is able to improve upon the stroke efficiency by keeping the hands on the push rim and utilising 100 per cent of the arm movement.
Dr Flemmer says this will reduce the impact on the shoulders and wrists and delay or prevent pain as the load on the joints is now balanced.
This new system is employed in one of the chair’s two modes, called Run mode. Run mode is designed for use on longer journeys and more challenging terrain. It also employs the second innovation, a three-gear system.
“The gearing system is similar to a bicycle. High gear is used when the path is easy, such as a flat or downward sloping, smooth surface and low gear when the path is harder, such as up a ramp or tarred path. Run mode does not allow the user to reverse, preventing the user from rolling backwards down a slope.
“A standard chair performs poorly on even a mild upward slope and when you add age and physical ability into the mix it can be a real challenge,” says Dr Flemmer.
In standard mode, the chair operates just like any other manual wheelchair, allowing indoor manoeuvrability, but with the addition of three gears.
Dr Flemmer’s husband, Dr Rory Flemmer has collaborated on the project with her from the outset.
“It all started around 30 years ago when Rory and I were watching a lady struggle to get up a wheelchair ramp because of the slope. We spent many years barking up the wrong tree with other ideas to make four-wheel drive type chairs, but I think we have it now.”
“This work is so important when you look at it from the point of view of someone in a wheelchair. When movement causes you pain over long distances, your world shrinks to how far you can go and if you are able to drive or have someone drive you. It’s not just the physical pain as it reduces social interaction, which can lead to depression, anxiety and poorer quality of life.”
The chair is still a prototype but the Dr Flemmer says that plans have already been drawn up to use lighter materials to make the chair more user friendly for the final production model.
| A Massey University release || June 28, 2017 |||
Exploding Glass can equal Serious Injury
This young child was badly injured due to an invisible contamination that could be lurking inside ANY piece of toughened glass in. It can cause the whole pane to explode without warning. Luckily installing clear safety window film to the glass can minimise the risk if it breaks as the film will hold the glass shards and stop the lacerating risk.
Click here to read more and view the TV clip
| A Solar Gard release | Thursday 29, June 2017 |||
Palmerston North City is the quintessential university town. It is the second youngest city in New Zealand per capita with an average age of 33, due to its large student population of nearly 20,000 tertiary students, Grant Smith, the Mayor of Palmerston North City, tells GovInsider.
The city has plans to attract young people not just to study, but to live in the city. “We’ll grow by another 20-30,000 people in the next twenty years,” says Smith. For a city with a population of 90,000, that is a substantial 30% increase.
But Smith notes that the council “[needs] to be mindful that just being a good city to live in will not retain young talent or attract investment”. In the coming years, Palmerston North will embrace technology, improve sustainability and create jobs to attract millennials to the city.
Going digital
With a great number of young people, Smith says, “you get take-up of technology [that is] greater than you would in an older demographic, or even in a metropolitan city”. “We have a great uptake of ultra-fast broadband here, one of the highest in New Zealand,” he notes.
The city council is going paperless in a number of ways, according to Smith. Firstly, similar to Tauranga City Council, building consent documentation will be done digitally from this week, on a cloud-based system. “The system enables building consent to be tracked from when they’re launched through to when they’re completed. That’s quite a big thing for us internally,” Smith explains. He adds that the council itself is going paperless too: “We conduct all our meetings electronically.”
The city also has a big focus on agricultural technology. Building on a “good agricultural reputation”—70% of the world’s sheep meat comes from within two hours of Palmerston North—the council is now in negotiations with Microsoft to establish an agritech centre in the city, he shares.
“They have honed in on New Zealand because of our good agricultural reputation and footprint. I’ve looked at different regions and we’ve probably got the most diverse agricultural sector here,” says Smith, adding that besides sheep meat, the city produces dairy, beef, produce, venison and deer.
Creating jobs
The council plans to accommodate more people through “intensification”, rather than building suburbs outwards, in a phenomenon called ‘urban sprawl’. “In terms of the district plan which enables the growth to develop, we prefer to look at buildings and more CBD [Central Business District] living rather than just continuing to grow suburb after suburb,” Smith says.
And for this growth to be sustainable, creating and retaining jobs are big on the agenda for the council. To that end, Smith believes the city is “very well-positioned” to host big data centres. “It is something we’ve been talking to some of the major players about,” he says.
“They generally don’t go into big cities, because the power is too expensive. They need lots of water to cool their facility,” Smith adds. “If you look overseas in places such as Europe, they are traditionally based in a rural but well-connected area.” To illustrate, Palmerston North is strategically located on the central lower part of the North Island of New Zealand, allowing it to be the “logistics distribution hub that we’ve become known for”, he says. “Our geological location really helps us.”
Clean energy
Technology also enables the council to achieve its sustainability goals, which are a big priority for them. “We’ve embraced electric vehicles, we have a number of them in our fleet now,” Smith says. Building inspectors and general officers now use electric vehicles, and so does the council’s eco advisor, who helps the public and businesses make better use of energy within their homes and buildings.“We will be looking to going electric rather than petrol in the coming years,” he adds.
There is also a focus on clean energy and lowering carbon emissions; the council produces 30% of its own energy. “We like to see ourselves as a eco-city, and we are future-focused,” Grant shares.
And in the next ten years, there will be a “major wastewater plant upgrade”, which will move away from the traditional method of simply discharging wastewater into a waterway. “We’re looking at all sorts of different options,” Grant explains.
As Palmerston North gears up to welcome 30,000 new citizens into its fold, millennials studying there may one day want to live there, too.
|I nterview with Mayor Grant Smith, Palmerston North City Council by Nurfilzah Rohaidi, GovInsider || June 28, 2017 |||
Gull NZ will continue business as usual despite Caltex’s acquisition.
Australian fuel retailer Caltex is all set to take over New Zealand fuel retail chain Gull, as part of its plans to expand its retail business.
The deal, worth $325 million, is now expected to be completed by July 3, after it received regulatory approval from the New Zealand Overseas Investment Office.
Under the terms of an agreement entered into in December 2016, the transaction will result in Caltex acquiring Gull’s Mount Maunganui import fuel terminal and retail operating assets.
According to Caltex, the acquisition will optimise its infrastructure position, build trading and shipping capability, grow the supply base and enhance the company’s retail fuel offering through low risk entry into a new market.
As part of the agreed terms of the transaction, Caltex will retain Gull’s brand, management and employees across the current newtwork of 78 Gull stores, and the six currently under construction.
A spokesperson for Gull said the company would be running business as usual, without changes or interruption to service.
Gull sells around 300ML of petrol and diesel fuels per year, representing five per cent of the New Zealand market.
Earlier this year Caltex received approval to purchase Victorian petrol and convenience retailer Milemaker and its 46 operating sites.
The $95 million Milemaker deal was finalised in May, with Caltex entering into long-term leases with an opt-out to 30 years.
Caltex chief executive Julian Segal said the Milemaker and Gull acquisitions were part of the company’s plan to mitigate the impact of losing its 13-year alliance with Woolworths, incurred after BP struck a $1.79 billion deal with the supermarket giant.
Mr Segal said the purchases would help transform Caltex from simply being a transport fuels provider, to grow into a larger convenience retail offering.
| A C-store release || June 27, 2017 |||
Peter Beck, Rocket Lab founder, argues that the UK Government should abandon plans for launching rockets in Scotland. Anna Isaac from The Telegraph met with Peter and asked him a few questions:
What’s your business background?
I’m an engineer. Before I started Rocket Lab, I worked in a New Zealand Government lab, developing advanced materials, structures and superconductors. But even since I was a kid, I’ve built rockets. My very first one used hydrogen peroxide, which was very dodgy – very dodgy indeed.
How did you start the company?
I started the business about 10 years ago, because I wasn’t happy with how things were being done in the the space industry. The sector wasn’t looking at space with the right sense of scale. Space, so far, has been a domain for billionaires and Governments. I want to make it more accessible.
I took a holiday in the US for a month, hoping that I would find like-minded people in the industry. It was there that I realised two things. First, no one wanted to do what I wanted to do; and second, the rockets that I was building in my garage weren’t that less complicated than the rockets being creating in commercial enterprises.
Continue to read the full article here || June 26, 2017 |||
Some helpful advice brought together by Peter Crawley who was asked recently if there was a method to notch, bend, and straighten hollow sections using Inventor. I’ve discovered a couple a couple of methods, both of which are shown below. There are probably more, but these two look worthy of sharing. If you have any feedback or want to suggest an alternative, please use the comments below. (Notch and bend description – see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notching)
Unfolding the part pictured above
Being a fan of Frame Generator, I was keen to see if I could find a method that could be used to unfold an existing frame. In conjunction with an unlikely partner (Sheet Metal) it can! See the second method below for details.
Method 1 – Notch and bend using the “Bend Part” feature
This method assumes you can straighten the design in your head before modelling it and bending it into shape. If you have the brain for that process, then this is the method for you because it’s quick and easy. If you’d prefer to model the final result and then “unfold” it, skip over to Method 2 below.
Depending on your preference for modelling steelwork, this might appeal because it uses standard sketch-based features on the part file itself. I like it for its simplicity, but for multiple bends, it can quickly become difficult to calculate exactly where the cuts should be made, especially if the part is bent in more than one plane.
Continue to read the the full article here | Monday June 26, 2017 |||
With Challenger and Defender intently going over their America's Cup campaigns and trying to evaluate the other's performances, there is a fair chance that they'll be looking at the latest content from a new 3D Video application which takes them aboard their rival's AC50 - sitting in the 'shotgun seat' wrote richard Gladwell earlier this week in sailingworld.com.
Earlier in the 35th America's Cup Regatta, Race Director Iain Murray confirmed that the teams would have full access to a suite of performance data from their competitors.
That is expected to include content that Oracle Team USA and Emirates Team New Zealand have recorded from an onboard camera stack to gather content for a new 3D Video viewing experience.
The application is the latest development from New Zealand-based Animation Research Limited or ARL who first made their mark 25 years ago with real-time graphic animation in the 1992 America's Cup in San Diego.
That product, now Virtual Eye, while originally designed for the TV broadcast has been extended into a multitude of platforms and devices from mobile phones to PC's smart TV's. ARL have used their market leader position to dominate the sports animation space - covering everything from gliding to cricket, motor racing and golf, as well as sailing.
Continue to the full article on sailingworld.com || June 22, 2017 |||
C-Tech began life in 1997 as a small back yard operation in co-founder Alex Valling’s shed writes Chris Kitchen for Sailworld.com
Fast forward 20 years and C-Tech has a lot to celebrate. Their composite technicians have produced over 50,000 custom designed carbon spars, and they’ve had a successful partnership with Emirates Team New Zealand for five consecutive America’s Cup campaigns.
C-Tech and Emirates Team New Zealand first worked together during their 2003 campaign to supply sail battens. Despite radical changes in America’s Cup classes, 15 years later C-Tech continues to supply wing components, rudders, dagger board cases, dagger board tips, fairings, lifting posts, accumulator tubes, struts, prods and ‘bike components’ for their 2017 challenge. C-Tech has also supplied most of the other America’s Cup teams with their prods and a number of compression struts.
Emirates Team New Zealand’s 2017 challenge has been one of the most dramatic in their history with C-Tech.
Days before America’s cup qualifying was due to start Emirates Team New Zealand damaged a rudder. C-Tech got the call to build an emergency replacement. The C-Tech crew pulled together and rostered a 24 hour shift to get two weeks work completed in five days.
Two weeks later just hours after Emirates Team New Zealand’s capsize on the Great Sound during qualifying meant another phone call to the C-Tech team. Within hours the emergency order order of fairings and struts were being built. They were completed and shipped to Bermuda in record time.
Continue to the full article here on sailingworld.com || June 24, 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