NZ | Technology + Innovation + Agriculture

[Svartmetall]

Originally Posted by SYDNEY

NZ tops OECD list for education spend

New Zealand has topped the list of 34 OECD countries for the amount of money spent on education. The OECD annual report on education was released overnight and said New Zealand directed 21.2 per cent of its public spending to education, Radio New Zealand reported. The data was from 2009 figures. New Zealand has overtaken the previous top country, Mexico, by nearly one percentage point. The OECD average was 13 per cent. The report also found New Zealand spent 7.2 per cent of its gross domestic product on education, with only Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland exceeding that amount.

Sorry, if I understand this correctly, then NZ spends the most as a percentage of government budget but not the most in terms of percentage GDP? I'm just trying to understand the article here as it seems to be worded in an odd way.

[SYDNEY]

Originally Posted by Svartmetall

Sorry, if I understand this correctly, then NZ spends the most as a percentage of government budget but not the most in terms of percentage GDP? I'm just trying to understand the article here as it seems to be worded in an odd way.

Not sure

[SYDNEY]

BP adopts 'tap and go' pay system

Many motorists will be able to "tap and go" to pay for fuel at BP petrol stations from today in a development the company hopes will cut queues at its counters. BP said it had upgraded the eftpos systems in all its service stations to accept new credit and debit cards that incorporate Mastercard PayPass and Visa payWave technology. These can be tapped against payment terminals rather than having to be inserted or swiped. If customers have those cards, they won't be required to enter a pin or sign for purchases under $80. Retailing manager Frank van Hattum said there were now more than a million Mastercard PayPass cards in circulation in New Zealand. Normal eftpos transactions would also be speedier, he said, with the time needed to confirm payment cut from about 10 seconds to just a couple of seconds ... MORE

[SYDNEY]

Slingshot Fibre connects Kiwis to Ultra-Fast Broadband

Slingshot is once again leading the telco industry as one of the first providers in New Zealand to connect customers to the new Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) network. Slingshot already offers its customers some of the biggest broadband data plans in the country, and is strengthening its offering with UFB internet speeds up to 10 times faster than that of traditional copper lines. Slingshot’s Chief Executive, Mark Callander, says that their commitment to providing high speed broadband to New Zealanders will forever change the way we use the internet. “We believe that high speed internet is a game changer in terms of the way we use the internet and the opportunities it opens up in both the personal and commercial space. For this reason, Slingshot will continue to invest heavily in the UFB network and the future of New Zealand’s broadband services. We want our customers to enjoy the benefits of high speed fibre without worrying about the cost.” ... MORE

[SYDNEY]

Kiwi Innovators: Taking heed of 'inner Lady Gaga'

New Zealand's stiff-collared business establishment is likely giving little thought to the online exploits of pop-queen Lady Gaga. But according to advertising entrepreneur Claudia Batten, New Zealand companies could learn a lot from the five-time Grammy winning artist. For the last year, the former Wellingtonian has been urging Kiwis to adopt their "inner Lady Gaga" and mirror the way the singer uses the internet and social media to engage with her audience and target market. "She built an empire from zero to $150 million in five years, which I think is extremely impressive especially in the extremely cluttered and competitive space that she's in. I don't think it's all down to the shoes she wears either," the 38-year-old said ... MORE

[SYDNEY]

New tuberculosis drug being developed

Medical researchers are upbeat over a new tuberculosis drug being developed in New Zealand. Scientists at the Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre (ACSRC) and Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery are working on a compound called TBA-354, which they have high hopes of advancing for clinical trials in the US in the near future. The drug is the newest hope in the fight against tuberculosis, and could provide the first major breakthrough in fighting the disease in the last 50 years. Experts in Auckland have worked in partnership with the TB Alliance and the University of Illinois at Chicago to help with the research ... MORE

[SYDNEY]

$4.6m fund to help NZ firms 'conquer the world'

A new $4.6 million investment fund is aiming to take Kiwi mobile, media and technology start-up companies to the world. The likes of Groupon and Facebook have become global success stories thanks to technology-based business models that know no geographical bounds. Theoretically there should be no impediment to growing a similarly world-beating technology company from New Zealand, apart from money. The ambitious new mission to provide that much-needed seed capital for about 20 Kiwi companies over the next four years is all there in the name - the Global from Day One Fund. Backed by $2.3m of private angel investment and a matching $2.3m contribution from the government's New Zealand Venture Investment Fund, the fund will be managed by venture investment adviser SparkBox ... MORE

[SYDNEY]

Silicon Valley backs Appsecute

Kiwi software entrepreneurs come away from whirlwind trip to US with investment from high-level backers. Two Christchurch software entrepreneurs have caught the eye of US investors after a week-long sojourn to Silicon Valley. Appsecute's Mark Cox and Tyler Power have spent the past year building tools for an emerging area of cloud computing, known as platform as a service, that they hope will get more traction with big companies. After dealing with overseas developers on Skype, the pair headed to California last month to see if there was a market for their product. They have returned buzzing about Appsecute's prospects after securing funding and getting support from the industry. "It was really fast-paced. The people over there, the people in San Francisco, in Silicon Valley, are our sort of people, they get what we're doing. It's tremendous," Cox said ... MORE

[SYDNEY]

Asia 'can double NZ farm exports'

New Zealand could more than double the value of its agricultural exports by 2050 if it makes the most of the opportunities presented by growth in Asia, ANZ chief executive Mike Smith says. The Australian bank boss who spoke to a packed room of New Zealand business leaders yesterday, said since the year 2000 emerging economies had shifted from accounting for one third of the world's economic growth to two-thirds and China accounted for about half of that growth. "Around 45 million people each year in Asia are moving from rural areas to cities. By 2050, it is predicted that three-quarters of the world's population will urbanise and many people will be living in megacities. As this process of urbanisation and industrialisation continues, it will continue to drive growth in China." Smith said a shift in focus by the Chinese government meant its economic growth would likely be in the 7 to 8 per cent range compared to the more than 10 per cent growth seen in the last decade ... MORE

[SYDNEY]

Final Speakers Join TedxAuckland Line-up

TEDxAuckland is shaping up to be a complete sell-out with only a handful of tickets still available for the October event. With the event now just weeks away, TEDxAuckland is pleased to announce the names of the inspiring New Zealanders who complete this year’s impressive speaker line-up. Event organiser Elliott Blade believes the high calibre of this year’s speakers will not only see the event reach full-capacity, but also spark an inspiring relationship between New Zealanders and the TEDx platform. “It will be a great day of dynamite presentations from some of New Zealand’s brightest. The diverse mix of speakers is sure to ignite some great conversation and see the beginning of an inspiring and thought provoking relationship between New Zealanders and the TEDx platform.” The final group of speakers for this year’s event include renowned New Zealand poet Sam Hunt; passionate literacy advocate and CEO of Booktrack, Paul Cameron; and CEO of the Gibson Group Victoria Spackman ... MORE

[SYDNEY]

NZ startups can thrive, says Ransom

In the cut-throat world of Silicon Valley, Victoria Ransom says it's a blessing she came out on top. "There's a lot of great success stories that come out of tech startups and those success stories tend to get a lot of publicity but the norm is that businesses don't succeed," she told the Business Herald. "The majority of companies either don't succeed at all or have reasonably modest outcomes." Six weeks after Google gobbled up her company Wildfire for hundreds of millions of dollars, the 36-year-old said the buzz of the sale hasn't worn off. "We always had a big vision for Wildfire," said Ransom, who was born and raised in the central North Island. "We can have an even bigger one now and the challenge and excitement is figuring out how to do that." Despite being busier "than she even imagined" after moving to Google's head office in the heart of Silicon Valley, she does have a holiday on the horizon and will be returning home - to Scotts Ferry, near Bulls - for Christmas.

[SYDNEY]

Kiwi student invents fridge with no door

The days of discovering forgotten leftovers at the back of the fridge will be over if an industrial design student from Wellington has his way. Massey University third year undergraduate Ben de la Roche has come up with the idea for a quirky new refrigeration wall which has no door, all the contents on display and doesn't waste power when empty. The wall is made up of hexagonal chambers in a honeycomb configuration. Each is covered by a plate which gives way when an item is inserted. When it's pushed back the item is refrigerated by pins around it. The design - dubbed Impress - has earned Mr de la Roche a trip to Italy as one of 10 finalists in a worldwide competition run by Electrolux ... MORE

[SYDNEY]

Rural sector shows city slickers the way

A trip to Dunedin for the South African rugby test last weekend has reinforced the view that New Zealand is rapidly developing a two-tier economy. On one hand is the rural community which is increasingly inhabited by energetic and entrepreneurial farmers with a long-term perspective. At the other end of the scale are far too many lethargic and conservative city dwellers who are more interested in trim lattes and recent house price movement. Unfortunately the country's rural enterprise has bypassed the NZX because farmers are not convinced of the opportunities offered by our capital markets ... MORE

[SYDNEY]

Fonterra earnings expected to be strong

Fonterra's result for 2011-12, due on Wednesday, is expected to show the co-operative enjoyed another strong year of earnings, despite lower dairy prices. Economists expect increased production, thanks to favourable growing conditions, to partially offset weaker product prices for Fonterra. Farmers will be also looking for confirmation of the 2011-12 farmgate milk price after Fonterra cut the forecast payout by 30c to $6.05 per kg of milksolids in May. The co-operative delivered a strong performance in the first half, reporting a net profit after tax of $346 million, up 18 per cent on the previous corresponding period. Fonterra also showed confidence in its earnings by declaring a 12c per share dividend, up from 8c in the previous corresponding period ... MORE

[SYDNEY]

Future shock includes vision of nuclear power for NZ

Solar-powered hover cars, a smokefree and vegan population and a compulsory six-month stint in the bush are just a few of the ideas young New Zealanders are putting forward for their vision of the country in 2050. The 13 secondary school students are finalists in the Future U competition, an initiative by Massey University and Westpac to encourage youth to become "thought leaders". The group will meet in Auckland next month to hone their ideas, and the winner will be invited to address prominent leaders at the It's Our Future - the New New Zealand Symposium, in December. The students, all born between 1994 and 1997, submitted an online video explaining their vision of New Zealand in 38 years' time. Prerena Nair, 16, of Epsom Girls' Grammar School, said books would be a rarity in 2050 and children would learn from technology. There would be a need for solar-powered hover cars to minimise traffic jams and New Zealand would have to use nuclear power to keep up with its population growth, she said ... MORE

[SYDNEY]

Kiwi high tech for sale

In the past decade, 32 of our biggest and best high-tech companies have been acquired by overseas buyers, new data shows. The figures come from the Technology Investment Network which next month releases the TIN100 report - a snapshot of New Zealand's top technology companies. It shows an acceleration of foreign sales with the annual number rising since 2007. The report shows that last year saw another five high-tech companies fly the nest. Flo-dry Engineering (by-product processing systems), Sonar6 (online performance review software) and Energy Intellect (energy management) all came out of the TIN100+, and the two from the TIN100 were Zeacom (call centre applications), and 4RF (digital microwave radios). Xero founder Rod Drury, who in 2006 sold his Aftermail company for an estimated US$65 million ($78.4 million), said he regarded the growing number of sales as evidence of a healthy technology ecosystem; one of companies receiving angel investment and then venture capital, to finally result in exits and IPOs ... MORE

[SYDNEY]

US deal big boost to winery

NZ boutique winery SOHO Wine Co has signed a deal with an American distributor that will see the company's production increase by more than 250 per cent. The American company, Vici Wines and Spirits, run by Chuck Squires, will import half of the 60,000 cases SOHO expects to produce in 2014. "He would take everything if he could," say SOHO's founder Rachael Carter, who also supplies Bibendum Wine in the UK and other markets. A young French international trade student doing an internship at SOHO, Corentin Nevot, has been Carter's secret weapon - he found the American distributor. "Corentin, at the age of 21, has put us on the map," says Carter. SOHO Wine, a "virtual winery", has three winemakers, Marlborough's Dave Clouston, Central Otago's Grant Taylor and Pete Turner on Waiheke Island. "Growing our own grapes on family-owned vineyards and having three award-winning winemakers in the best New Zealand wine regions is part of our successful business model. This also means we have the grape capacity to meet the increased demand for our wine," says Carter.

[SYDNEY]

New chairs capturing worldwide market

Thousands of children may have better posture thanks to a new chair from a Hastings company. Furnware's Bodyfurn plastic chairs have been making classrooms more comfortable for learning since 2005. But now owner Hamish Whyte wants to see the chairs in children's bedrooms - perhaps sporting the colours of their favourite rugby team. Furnware dates back to 1934. Known then as Christie Industries it started business the same week as Wattie's and boasts the postal address of PO Box 1, Hastings. It is New Zealand's biggest and oldest manufacturer of school furniture. Whyte started at Furnware in 1993. He bought the business in 2001 and embarked on a massive project to redesign traditional school chairs. "We had to prove that we could add value to our customers because otherwise we were going to compete with Chinese furniture." The company's research team measured about 20,000 students by age, year level, sex, height and weight. "We basically went out and lived in classrooms to try and find out what was going on. It gave us a hell of a fright - it showed that about 30 per cent of children have headaches or back pain at school." ... MORE

[SYDNEY]

Grand plans for Dunedin software start-up

Dunedin businessman Jonathan Mirkin has grand plans for Nomos, his start-up company which is set to launch on October 1 with six New Zealand law firms as foundation clients. Mr Mirkin (26) and his team of software developers have created a commercial lease management program for law firms. The idea for the lease software came from one of the partners of Wilkinson Adams, where Mr Mirkin was working. The law firm's partners realised that when commercial rent or lease reviews were due, they never heard from their clients. "They had no idea how much it was costing them in business. The answer was to develop and build a software program that could track that." Mr Mirkin, a law graduate, decided to do an MBA, first at Otago and then at Duke University in North Carolina, where he worked through the business plan for his company Nomos ... MORE

[SYDNEY]

NZ Company Scales Dizzy Heights With Vertigo Project

Auckland-based Liquid Automation Ltd is riding on the crest of a wave after winning two industry ‘Oscars’ for the 220ft Vertigo – one of the largest and most technically advanced sailing yachts ever built. Liquid Automation, which specialises in automated entertainment, lighting and security systems, won a Global CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design Installation Association) award for best technical design, and an Australasian AVIA (Audio Visual Industry Awards) for best application of AV in a Commercial or Government Installation, over $500k. The company is the first Australasian business ever to win a Global CEDIA award. ‘As a New Zealand business it means a great deal to be recognised for our work on an international stage, especially as we were up against some pretty stiff global competition,” says Liquid Automation Director Stephan Goodhue. “This yacht is our largest marine system to date and features many of our new custom innovations. The end result is a very happy client and a system we are truly proud of.” ... MORE