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October 2nd, 2012, 03:22 AM
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#61 |
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NEW ZEALAND
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Facebook billionaire Thiel looking for larger Auckland home
Cashed-up Facebook billionaire and venture capitalist Peter Thiel is selling his Parnell house and is now understood to be searching for a much bigger Auckland place. Auckland real estate agent Graham Wall has just listed the American's Alberon Place house, promoting the minimalist architecturally-designed place as contemporary. A pool and palm-tree lined lawn are features of the two-bedroom two-level house, with a large open plan living, kitchen, dining area opening out onto a tiny section. The extremely private Thiel is now understood to be hunting for a house of at least four bedrooms within a few minute's drive of the CBD but this time with waterfront views and on a much larger piece of land. His Queenstown house has just had a big makeover after he flew his New York designer out to the South Island to bring a Manhattan flair to that place. No price tag is on the Parnell house which Thiel bought for $2.6 million. QV listed its capital value as $2.2 million, made up of a section worth $720,000 and a $1,480,000 house on a land area of 430sq m. The house has a floor area of 230sq m, QV said ... MORE |
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October 2nd, 2012, 05:55 AM
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#62 |
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NEW ZEALAND
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New Tool for Farmers to Manage Effluent Application
Farmhelp is a recently developed mobile farming app with powerful calculators to assist farmers in determining the effluent loading they apply to the land. There is mounting pressure internationally for farmers to effectively manage the application of farm effluent. Local governments are increasingly enforcing compliance and creating new policies for change. In New Zealand, one regional body is claiming 10% of farmers within the region are non compliant in nutrient management practices. Another states that 440 out of 900 farmers will be affected by newly introduced nutrient management levels within the region. This could mean costly court proceeding for farmers for non compliance. The Farmhelp smartphone application has a simple and effective tool that manages the complex mathematical calculations needed while farmers are out on the farm. They are designed to reduce errors and deal with non compliance issues. Specifically for nutrient management, the Farmhelp app allow farmers and farm workers to calibrate the spray irrigator while determining NPK levels being applied on an annual basis. The app is free to download and available on almost any Android smartphone. |
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October 3rd, 2012, 05:38 AM
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#63 |
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NEW ZEALAND
Join Date: Nov 2003
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Tegel's investment a vote of confidence
Tegel Food’s new $20 million chicken processing line in Auckland is a vote of confidence in both the New Zealand food industry and the economy, Food & Grocery Council CEO Katherine Rich says. The processing line at Henderson was opened today by Prime Minister John Key. “This is a major investment and Tegel is to be congratulated for making it at a time when there is such uncertainty in the world economy. “The hi-tech plant is another example of Kiwis taking on the world, and will contribute greatly to the company’s push into the expanding and vital markets of Asia and the Middle East. “The economy needs the 300 new jobs and the extra export receipts this will bring, as well as the 600-700 jobs that Tegel is forecasting across its three plants over the next few years. “Tegel plays a key role in the food industry and the economy, and its dedication to producing high quality, healthy products puts it up there with the best this country has to offer and further enhances New Zealand’s reputation as a reliable producer of high quality food to the world.” |
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October 3rd, 2012, 09:21 PM
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#64 |
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NEW ZEALAND
Join Date: Nov 2003
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NZ schnapps hailed at Chinese awards
High-end Upper Hutt liquor Zumwohl has won three accolades at the China Spirits Awards for schnapps tailored to the Chinese market. Aotearoa Distillers has been creating European-style schnapps, highly refined and less syrupy than sweet American-style schnapps typically sold in New Zealand, since 2008. German-born Ulf Fuhrer started the business after a 14-year career in advertising and design, driven by a penchant for the liquor he enjoyed when visiting Europe but struggled to find in the Antipodes. He partnered up with 42 Below vodka's original recipe creator, Tony Green, who became a director in Aotearoa Distillers, and the pair spent six months perfecting the recipe for Zumwohl. The name means "a toast to good health and wealth". Its four flavours, including corn-based Natural schnapps, fruit-based Plum and Feijoa schnapps, and a cherry Kirsch, are sold throughout New Zealand and in Sydney and Melbourne. In Hong Kong last week, just a few months after it hit the shelves in China, it won silver and gold medals and the Eau-de-vie Trophy at the China Spirits Awards ... MORE |
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October 3rd, 2012, 11:55 PM
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#65 |
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NEW ZEALAND
Join Date: Nov 2003
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Council + Community + Farmers = Better Lake Rotorua
Federated Farmers Rotorua-Taupo is applauding the work of farmers and the wider community, which has seen Lake Rotorua improve beyond the target set by Bay of Plenty Regional Council in its regional water and land plan. “We are not going to take all of the credit here because farming was never the entire problem. It is however a triumph for the whole community,” says Neil Heather, Federated Farmers Rotorua-Taupo provincial president. “The latest water testing of Lake Rotorua shows the Trophic Level Index (TLI), which measures the amount of nutrients in the lake, has fallen to 4.1. This means Lake Rotorua has average water quality but in the time it has taken, average, is in fact, excellent. “We started out with a lake that had poor water quality so we are trending in the right direction. The lake is now below the 4.2 target the regional council had set for it. “The regional council’s original modelling said things were going to get worse before they got better. That’s the concern I have for other areas going down this track. Despite what the model said we knew things were improving but farmers still caught flack in the media. “As part of the learnings, we now know gorse leaches some 50 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare and that is more than a dairy farm. Even pine plantations generate four kilograms per hectare each year and these show how varied the effects on water can be ... MORE |
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October 4th, 2012, 01:27 AM
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#66 |
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NEW ZEALAND
Join Date: Nov 2003
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UC student gains award in Australasian business final
University of Canterbury student Pip Widdon won the creativity and innovation award representing New Zealand in the $100,000 CPA Big Break Dragon’s Den style tertiary business competition final in Melbourne last night. Judges said she delivered a slick presentation that was well researched and addressed the key issues. `It was an amazing experience and great to be recognised. I’ve learnt a lot,’’ Widdon said from Melbourne today. Widdon won the NZ event from 144 teams. UC accounting lecturer and MBA director Tony Mortensen said Widdon had put in a tremendous amount of work. The competition was organised by one of the world’s largest accounting bodies CPA Australia and was run for the first time in New Zealand this year and included many Australia entrants. The event challenges undergraduates to get a head-start in their careers. Widdon said presented her case to judges last night to allow the Make-A-Wish Foundation to become a sustainable not-for profit organisation. She said the CPA Big Break project gave her a chance to solve real world business problems that might be facing not-for profit organisations. |
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October 4th, 2012, 01:47 AM
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#67 |
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NEW ZEALAND
Join Date: Nov 2003
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Deal done for Indonesian students
A boom in joint agricultural research is tipped to result from a higher education handshake between Jakarta and New Zealand, with agreements signed off by both countries, heralding a flood of cashed-up Indonesian exchange students here. Massey and Victoria universities were selected as "preferred partners" in higher education in agreements signed this week with the Indonesian government and four universities, with plans to spend heavily over several years, providing scholarships for its brightest to study here. Massey University vice-chancellor Steve Maharey said his five-day trip had "piggy-backed" on Prime Minister John Key and Trade Minister Tim Groser's visit to Jakarta this year. Over the next five years the Indonesian government, through the directorate-general, will provide scholarships for up to 10 PhD or masters students and Massey will provide up to 10 English language study awards for PhD students. Research co-operation between Massey and Indonesian universities is also planned. Maharey said the opportunity to focus joint research on agriculture and food production was clear ... MORE |
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October 4th, 2012, 04:45 AM
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#68 |
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NEW ZEALAND
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Chief Executive takes on new challenge at Waikato Innovation
After nine years at the helm of New Zealand’s only agri-focused technology park, the chief executive of the Waikato Innovation Park is taking on his biggest challenge yet. Derek Fairweather is leaving his chief executive seat at the Park to head up Dairy SolutioNZ full time. Dairy SolutioNZ was the brainchild of Fairweather and was established six years ago, born out of the desire to take the world’s best farming technologies and practices - many of them from New Zealand - to regions experiencing food crises. Dairy SolutioNZ was formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of the Park. However, the business has been spun out as a stand-alone entity. Waikato Innovation Park retains 25% ownership, while Mr Fairweather has also stumped up with a 25% personal investment. Fifty percent ownership of Dairy SolutioNZ is being held in trust, awaiting a major investor whom Fairweather is tasked with courting and securing. Chairman of Waikato Innovation Park, Michael Spaans, says there’s no one better suited than Mr Fairweather for taking on the challenging role ... MORE |
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October 4th, 2012, 08:49 PM
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#69 |
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NEW ZEALAND
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Merger bulks up Magritek
Magritek - the technology company founded by the late New Zealand physicist Sir Paul Callaghan - has merged with a German firm and almost doubled in size. Wellington-headquartered Magritek has joined forces with ACT, a company based in the German town of Aachen, close to the Belgium border. Like Magritek, ACT works with portable nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) instruments. These products are used in scientific laboratories but also the oil and gas industry. The merged company will remain based in Wellington and continue trading as Magritek but now has a combined staff of almost 30, said Magritek chief executive Andrew Coy. The merger allows the companies to co-ordinate their research and manufacturing and Coy said none of Magri-tek's existing work would shift overseas. He said the deal created "a formidable team" ... MORE |
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October 4th, 2012, 08:52 PM
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#70 |
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NEW ZEALAND
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LanzaTech lands $15m in new funding
New Zealand biofuels developer LanzaTech is celebrating after securing another US$15 million (NZD$18.3m) in funding from a Silicon Valley investment firm. LanzaTech announced today it had closed a debt financing deal with Western Technology Investment (WTI). The money would be put towards accelerating the company's research and development programme, LanzaTech said in a statement. In January, LanzaTech secured US$55.8 million in new capital from a combination of Malaysian funders, along with existing investors in the US, China, and New Zealand. With its scientific base in Auckland, but headquartered in the US, the company developed technology which converted industrial waste gases into valuable chemicals including ethanol, used to make biofuel. This $15 million in financing brought LanzaTech's total capital raised to date to more than US$100 million. WTI investment partner David Wanek said LanzaTech's team had developed an innovative approach to carbon capture and reuse that was already operating at scale ... MORE |
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October 4th, 2012, 08:54 PM
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#71 |
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NEW ZEALAND
Join Date: Nov 2003
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NZ tech sector can shine brightly
New Zealand has the potential to become a very important part of the global technology economy. That's the view of Kiwi entrepreneur and United States-based Group Commerce chief executive Jonty Kelt. Addressing about 500 people at the 2012 Canterbury Software Summit in Christchurch via video link from New York this afternoon, Hawke's Bay-born Kelt said the New Zealand technology sector did not "suffer from the tyranny of distance" like other sectors. While it might seem daunting for a Kiwi company to enter the global market, with the right product and the right approach there was no reason why it could not be done, he said. "People want to talk to smart people who have solutions." The technology sector in New Zealand accounted for about 4 per cent of GDP, compared to countries like Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Ireland and Singapore where it accounted for 10 per cent ... MORE |
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October 5th, 2012, 02:14 AM
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#72 |
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NEW ZEALAND
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As the first tenants of Christchurch's new technology hub prepare to move in, co-founder Wil McLellan is already preparing for stage two of the venture. About 17 quake-displaced companies have signed up as tenants of Epic Sanctuary, the first stage of the Enterprise Precinct and Innovation Campus. Christchurch City Council has granted Epic rent-free use of the old Para Rubber site on the corner of Manchester and Tuam streets for five years. The project was funded by two grants from the Science and Innovation Ministry and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise totalling $1.8 million, and a $3.5m loan from the Bank of New Zealand. The project has "stretched the dollar", said McLellan. "We did this for the cost of Portacabins." The building design was based on collaboration, after McLellan found that "proximity stimulated activity" when his own company, Stickmen Studios, was sharing office space with another firm after the quake. Features to encourage mingling include a full barista setup supplied by Google and a Trends-sponsored kitchen. "The challenge for New Zealand companies is isolation," McLellan said. "If I'm a VC [venture capitalist] in America I'm not going to come out here to see one or two companies. But if I can come out here and present to 50 or 100 companies, that's worth the flight." As tenants complete their fit-out and communal areas take shape, McLellan said the feeling was "like being three-quarters of the way through a marathon". However, this was just "Everest base camp" of Epic, McLellan said. "This [stage one]) will help 5 to 50-man companies. Stage two we will be bringing in some of the big multinationals. Stage one is like an aquarium, stage two is a coral reef." Andrew Hill, founder of information technology company Treshna Enterprises, is looking forward to moving into the Epic building, which he likened to Silicon Valley in California. "If you put a whole bunch of very smart people together . . . they'll create something great." |
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October 5th, 2012, 08:56 PM
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#73 |
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NEW ZEALAND
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New Zealand design honoured
A smarter way to lift weights, breathing devices for critically ill babies and a downtown Auckland refurbishment were among the designs that took out this year's New Zealand Best Design awards in Auckland. At the awards ceremony held at Auckland's Viaduct Centre tonight, hundreds of industry hopefuls gathered to see who would take out the top awards across categories spanning product, interactive, spatial and graphic design. A staggering 760 entries were received for the awards, which in their 24th year, have been described as "the Oscars" of New Zealand industrial design. Judging panels for each category had the unenviable task of whittling those down to 300 finalists. Two new awards were also introduced this year: the Ngā Aho Award for excellence in Maori and Aotearoa design, and the Best Effect Award, which were both presented by Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce. The coveted "Purple Pins" were awarded to the supreme winners of each category. Two of the first awards of the night went to Les Mills and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare for their respective entries - an ergonomic set of dumbbells, and a machine that delivers oxygen to infants in respiratory distress ... MORE |
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October 6th, 2012, 09:41 PM
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#74 |
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NEW ZEALAND
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Auckland University raises $200m
Auckland University has raised more than $200 million in an ambitious philanthropic fundraising campaign. The "Leading the Way Campaign” was launched in 2006 to raise funds to support research and teaching that would boost the wellbeing of people in New Zealand and throughout the world. A black tie dinner tonight marked its conclusion, with $202.9 million raised. "Our aim was to attract support for people – scholarships, fellowships and funded staff positions – and for research, rather than for buildings, and that is precisely the activities that have been supported,” Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stuart McCutcheon said. About $40 million will be invested in endowments. The balance will support projects, especially in the faculties of medical and health sciences and business. Large gifts will also made to most of the other faculties and big research institutes. The campaign focused on five key themes: the health of our nation; the development of our children; the growth of our economy; the future of our cities; and the expression of who we are – themes which engaged in all faculties and institutes across the University. A group of 23 leaders from the community and business, both local and expatriate New Zealanders, formed the Campaign Leadership Committee with Geoff Ricketts, a well-known company director, as Chair. By 2010, the original target of $100 million for the "Leading the Way Campaign” was reached ... MORE |
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October 7th, 2012, 08:42 AM
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#75 |
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NEW ZEALAND
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New Zealand’s first Sustainable City Showcase will pop up in November and will feature the latest products and technology to live and work sustainably. The sustainable pop-up city will feature the latest designs, products and technology that are making Kiwi companies world leaders in environmentally aware and sustainable business practice. The showcase city will feature displays from 110 handpicked sustainable solutions covering transport, fashion, beauty, food, clean tech, lifestyle and home. The Sustainable City Showcase incorporates both business and consumer exhibits, and includes seminars, workshops and dedicated stands for a delicious organic café and food purveyors. Sustainable fashion finds its own spotlight at the heart of the sustainable city. Visitors can buy the latest fashions for summer made with minimal impact on the environment using the latest organic textiles. Make-up on sale uses exclusively natural products. Exhibitors will happily sell their products through eftpos terminals on-site. Come and experience what it would be like to live in a truly sustainable house. Take a walk through the lounge and bedroom and be inspired by sustainable couches, beds, lights and other furnishings. Learn the best way to paint sustainably, how to source your own solar energy, and choose insulation options that will keep you warm and many more tips to create a more sustainable and smarter home to live in.
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October 7th, 2012, 12:22 PM
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#76 |
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Ordo Ab Chao
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Past: Northampton, UK (19 years), Auckland NZ (7 years), Now: Stockholm, Sweden
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 Are they going to showcase key sustainability drivers that aren't necessarily as sexy such as the passivhaus and photovoltaic cells on the roof? How about championing green roofs for buildings? I only ask this as I tend to sniff green wash when sustainability is championed so much without full, proper measures. It's great these businesses are sourcing as sustainably as possible and that their products are sustainable, but it doesn't lead to a sustainable life necessarily without wholescale change. Sorry, I'll switch off my cynic mode now. 
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"Alle Ding sind Gift, und nichts ohn Gift; allein die Dosis macht, daß ein Ding kein Gift ist." Paracelsus 1493-1541 |
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October 7th, 2012, 09:15 PM
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#77 | |
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NEW ZEALAND
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October 7th, 2012, 09:16 PM
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#78 |
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NEW ZEALAND
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NZ leading light with big screens
New Zealand isn't just joining the digital revolution, it's helping create it. Auckland-based company ICE AV, has spent the past 11 years pushing the boundary in audio visual technology. Founder Kevin Andreassend said one of his projects was mounting a large LED screen next to a indoor swimming pool in Invercargill. Swimmers will be able to watch videos, and pretend to swim with fish or be chased by pictures of sharks. "The deep south is very innovative. I take my hat off to them." Andreassend is currently working on building two large LED screens to be attached to two buildings, one in Waikato, the other in Wellington. He said these projects were still in the early stages. "It's early days in New Zealand. There's not a lot of this technology yet, apart from the screens in rugby stadiums," he said. However, there is a large demand from overseas clients for his technology. A client in the Middle East has requested an LED screen to be attached to the centre of a building. Made entirely of glass, the building is shaped like a doughnut with a flat base ... MORE |
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October 7th, 2012, 09:26 PM
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#79 |
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NEW ZEALAND
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Iwi pushes plan for eel farming
An initiative by a Bay of Plenty iwi aims to secure the future of the eel industry by bringing commercial and customary fishers together for the first time. After two years of discussions both Maori and commercial eel harvesters have given a cautionary green light to establishing a National Eel Association. The plan is that by joining forces and co-ordinating research the sustainability of the nation's eel fishery can be secured. Whakatane-based Ngati Awa's ultimate hope is that the sought-after creatures can be farmed, leaving eel in the wild to the customary fishers. "It's going to take a bit of magic to get this over the line . . . [but] I'm pretty clear there isn't another model," said spokesman John Hohapata-Oke. With eel stocks plummeting and conflict between customary and commercial fishers, Ngati Awa decided to take action. In 2010 it called 120 industry players to a national eel summit, and the idea of a body uniting all interests was born. The project has Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment funding, and Maori freshwater agency Te Wai Maori has agreed to trial the model. New Zealand is one of the last places in the world where eel is harvested from the wild, and research on the state of the fishery had been patchy, Hohapata-Oke said ... MORE |
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October 8th, 2012, 03:51 AM
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#80 |
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NEW ZEALAND
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Kiwi Umbrella Company Conquers Global Market
New Zealand's most wind-resistant outdoor umbrella range has taken the global market by storm with exports to 35 countries. The newest product, which was designed locally and tested by scientists at the University of Auckland in the country's strongest wind tunnel was able to withstand wind speeds of up to 40km/ph. The managing director of Shade7 Michael Pearce, says he is thrilled with the wind test results of the 3.5m wide cantilevered umbrella - which he believes will help to grow exports in other markets. "It's taken us nearly three years to complete the design and testing of the Riviera, which we believe to be the strongest cantilever umbrella in the southern hemisphere right now. "We took this umbrella for a test drive at The University of Auckland wind tunnel - which is the largest wind tunnel in the country, and the umbrella handled the maximum wind speed without any problems," says Pearce. "The Riviera umbrella is also much larger than most umbrellas ranging from 3x3m square right up to 4.0m wide octagonal. It's made from marine grade aluminium, stainless steel and plastic resin parts making it ideal for coastal environments common in NZ. "We designed it with NZ conditions in mind and as we all know, there are some places in the country that can get pretty wild and windy, so we know if it can withstand our weather patterns then it's going to do well overseas," he says ... MORE |
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