Editorial

NZ overdue for an open and honest debate about 21st-century trade relations

By Jane Kelsey, Professor of Law, University of Auckland. With more countries considering joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), New Zealand urgently needs a real public debate on the future of such trade and investment agreements. In February this year the UK formally applied to join as part of its quest for post-Brexit free trade agreements. Reportedly, Thailand, South Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan and even China are to varying degrees considering membership. Coverage of these developments is often overly simplistic, treating expansion as a notch in the belt for those who see the CPTPP as shaping the 21st century’s global trade rules. Behind the headlines, the reality is more complex. Given the CPTPP restricts governments’ ability to regulate their own economies in return for notional benefits, it warrants closer scrutiny from all sides. But the secrecy surrounding possible new memberships makes scrutiny difficult, just as it earlier hindered independent assessments of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) and subsequent CPTPP negotiations. Blueprint for a neoliberal trade agenda The original TPPA was always intended as a blueprint for future trade relations across the Asia-Pacific region (with the now-abandoned Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership proposing similar rules for US-EU trade). New Zealand was primarily committed to the TPPA as an opportunity to secure a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States, regardless of the costs. Despite vociferous public protest against its potential to erode national sovereignty, which forced discussion out of the shadows, the National government signed the TPPA anyway. The Labour, New Zealand First and Green parties all opposed its ratification in the select committee, as did Māori in the Waitangi Tribunal. National ignored them again, ratifying the text in May 2017. Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key after signing the Trans Pacific Partnership in Auckland in 2016. GettyImages […]

No positive outcomes from FPA proposal

The EMA says there will be no positive outcomes from the Fair Pay Agreement (FPA) proposal for businesses. Chief Executive Brett O’Riley says the effects of the proposal to Cabinet today on FPAs to standardise conditions across industries or occupations will make them less flexible, less resilient and ultimately less productive. The EMA is also concerned that only unions can initiate bargaining for an FPA in the proposal, which does not allow for voluntary negotiation and arbitration, which is currently a breach of international law. This has repeatedly been raised with the Government in the lead-up to this announcement. Mr O’Riley (pictured) says FPAs are equally disadvantageous to everyone – employers and employees – and will not achieve the highly-skilled, innovative workforce and economy with well-paid jobs that is needed. “Given there is no evidence that FPAs will increase productivity or reduce inequality – which have in fact both improved since company-level bargaining became permitted in 1991 – where are the benefits and why is the Government looking at this beyond copying what has happened unsuccessfully in Australia?” “Essentially, this would take us back to the past when we had industrial awards which saw workers’ share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) decline and more inequality in income than we have now. This is not the way to create a high performing competitive economy,” Mr O’Riley says. The EMA has no anecdotal evidence from its 7400 member businesses that employers are cutting down their costs to get contracts by paying people less, except where Government procurement has forced this outcome in areas like the provision of bus services. “Our concern is that FPAs will result in higher wages, and the solution for businesses will be to cut down their workforce, or in the case of already struggling manufacturers and SMEs, they […]

New appointments to KiwiNet board

Zoe Murphy Vignesh Kumar KiwiNet has appointed Vignesh Kumar to its board of directors as an additional independent board member. KiwiNet has also appointed Zoe Murphy as a board observer, a newly implemented role designed to foster capability and diversity within New Zealand’s research commercialisation governance and leadership. The Kiwi Innovation Network (KiwiNet) is a group of 18 universities, Crown Research Institutes, an Independent Research Organisation and a Crown Entity working together to transform scientific discoveries into new products and services. Together, KiwiNet members represent a total combined research expenditure of over $800 million and 80% of the publicly funded researchers in New Zealand. Engineering and technology professional Vignesh Kumar has over 12 years of experience in global technology design, manufacturing, and operations strategy across North America, East Asia, and the Asia Pacific. Before returning to New Zealand in mid-2018, he worked for Apple Inc. at its US headquarters as one of its Lead Enclosure Hardware Managers, actively sourcing and scaling science and engineering anchored innovations centred on improving the engineering and manufacturability of Apple’s consumer products. Prior experiences included business development at BHL Group in Papua New Guinea and product design in neonatal respiratory support at Fisher & Paykel Healthcare. Vignesh earned an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, as a Wharton and Kaiser Fellow and a Fulbright Science and Innovation Scholar, and a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) degree in Biomedical Engineering and a Master of Engineering Studies (Hons) in Medical Device Design and Technologies from the University of Auckland. Vignesh is deeply involved in the local early-stage ecosystem. He also sits on the Return on Science investment committees and is an active venture investor in hardware-enabled software, deep tech, and health technology companies, via his role as a Partner at venture capital firm Global from […]

Outset, NZ’s largest deep tech hub gets new name

New Zealand’s largest and fastest growing hub for deep tech startups is getting a new name, with LevelTwo becoming Outset Ventures. CEO Imche Fourie (pictured) says the new name reflects the evolution of Outset Ventures into the country’s largest company incubating and investing in early stage ventures founded on science and engineering breakthroughs addressing global challenges. “We’ve grown beyond being a shared space on the second floor of a building to a place where entrepreneurs can grow their groundbreaking science and engineering innovations with us ‘from the outset’,” says Ms Fourie. “The new name speaks to our commitment to grow New Zealand’s flourishing deep tech entrepreneurial community, where founders can find support to fuel their global ambitions of curing diseases, slowing climate change, reversing pollution; and producing sustainable foods, fuels and space flights.” Previously the birthplace of Rocket Lab, LanzaTech and Mint Innovation, which once all resided on ‘level two’ within the Outset Ventures building, the company now houses commercial laboratory and workshop facilities, a six-month pre-incubation ‘Launch Lab’ programme, and a $10 million deep tech fund raised with Icehouse Ventures that will back 20-30 ventures over the next three years. Outset Ventures welcomed the third startup into its new Launch Lab programme last month; Dennisson Technologies, which has also received investment from the deep tech fund. The company is developing a soft, clothing-like exosuit as a low-cost, lightweight alternative to traditional medical devices used to help people unable to move their limbs without assistance. “We are thrilled at the massive support from Outset Ventures,” says CEO of Dennisson Technologies Anvil Bañez, who founded the wearable technology company last year with the aim of helping people like his father, who suffered from the effects of Polio, walk again. “The funding, Launch Lab programme, and new connections we are […]

New Zealand in the grip of a major skills shortage (With a wide range of industries struggling to fill key roles.)

-editorial, April issue NZ Manufacturer. www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz This from the Lead Article (Page 1) by David Downs, Chairman of the High-Tech Trust. And now Trans-Tasman flights have resumed, we are in danger of losing people with key skills which piles on more pressure. Overseas fruit pickers who have been here since last year now have a way of leaving us behind and going offshore to Australia, which has suffered shortages just as we have. This issue is addressed by Ian Walsh in his article in Business News (Page 7) “over the last few months, we’ve been made aware of the impending crisis in the horticultural sector – a crushing volume of produce languishing on the vine (or branch) due to a shortage of pickers.” Can you imagine putting all your energy, labour, fertiliser, sprays, pruning and thinning practices over a whole year and then watching helplessly as some, or even worse, most of your crop ends up as worm food? What an incredible waste, and yet this is what the industry has faced. David Downs is particularly concerned for the large part of our population cut off from training and upskilling, at a time when we have a matched skills shortage of 5,000 jobs in the digital tech space, with similar shortages showing up across the advanced manufacturing sector. Post-Covid-19 we need access to the widest set of skills we can, to transform our country and maximise the country’s potential. D & H Steel managing director, Wayne Carson in Company Profile (Page 5) says his company had to change its recruitment model, which combined some local training with sourcing skilled staff from offshore. The company is now even more firmly focused on its apprenticeship training programme and upskilling local people. “It is extremely hard to find the right people, so we […]

Northland students embrace online learning

Launch of Kiwi Can Online proves vital to Covid19 response In the world of grownups engagement is critical to getting the most out of people. It provides organisations with understanding around what they can do to support workers in their mahi. It ensures consistency of effort and job satisfaction among other outcomes. As it turns out, reality isn’t too different in the world of our tamariki. When Covid19 sent schools into lockdown, keeping students motivated and their learning morale high much resembled the challenges workplaces faced. Remote learning required whānau, educators, community organisations and businesses to step up. Enter Kiwi Can Online, which the Graeme Dingle Foundation launched in 2017 with support from Moana New Zealand. Kiwi Can’s preferred delivery method of kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face) isn’t always feasible in schools located in more remote areas. The online learning portal was created to meet the needs of these tamariki. It now helps 961 students across 11 Northland schools and many more around Aotearoa. Kiwi Can promotes life skills, values and learning programmes which are about respect, resilience and fun. Tracy Walker, Graeme Dingle Foundation Regional Manager – Far North, says during lockdown focus shifted quickly to online delivery. “We rolled out weekly activity sheets and filmed video lessons around the theme of resilience, then sent these out to schools to include in online classroom platforms. Taipa Area School loved having online Zoom lessons during level two when we were unable to run Kiwi Can in person.” The success of Kiwi Can Online has led to innovation in how the Foundation’s programmes are delivered not only in schools but also within local communities to a wider range of age groups. One example is Stars, targeted at students aged between 13-18. Recent reports from the Education Review Office showed […]

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igus robolink IP44: a robot that defies wet elements

igus has developed a low cost automation solution made of polymer and stainless steel for environments with splashing water. Damp and wet environments can quickly degrade the mechanics of a robot. This prompted igus to launch a Low Cost Automation innovation on the market, which can easily and cost-effectively implement simple tasks and at the same time be allowed to come into contact with splash water. The new robolink, available from Treotham, makes use of the advantages of two materials: stainless steel and high-performance polymers. For the first time in an igus robot, the joining links are made of V2 or V4 stainless steel and the joints of the proven lubrication-free tribo-polymers. The user does not need an expensive additional covering, because the absence of lubrication in the joints means that no grease can be washed out and escape into the environment. The new robolink meets protection class IP44 at least, and is therefore resistant to splash water. It can carry up to three kilograms, has a range of 790 millimetres with five axes and can make 7 picks a minute. Thanks to the use of motors with encoders of protection class IP65, the robot can also be easily used for outdoor inspection. Further application scenarios are possible, for example, in the food and beverage industry, in the chemical and pharmaceutical sector, or even for tank and container cleaning operations.

Sustainability tools for a circular economy

By Barbara Nebel and Caroline Noordijk, thinkstep-anz The business value of sustainability is well-known today, but the value of a circular economy is perhaps still less known and certainly less understood. Businesses can build resiliency against the volatility of raw material prices, supply chain risks, and changing legislation by creating circular products and services and moving towards a circular business model. The aim of the game is to move away from a linear economy to a circular one that ‘designs out’ waste and pollution — keeping materials in a continuous flow. A circular economy is designed to be restorative and regenerative. Following the strategic framework for a circular economy forces you to consider not just the impact of the product itself, but also the service it provides, the supply chain that enables that service, and even the broader economic, environmental, and social impacts of the whole system. Transforming the concept of circular economy into action can be achieved with help of circularity tools such as the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI), and complementary life cycle based approaches, including: Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). There are many tools and many approaches to assess the sustainability of your products — it can be overwhelming to know where to start. The good news is that many of the methods and tools out there are related and often inform each other. Fit for purpose — strategy first Before you engage with any of these methods or tools, it’s important to set out your objectives and have a sustainability strategy in place. Understanding what is important to your business and to your stakeholders is critical. You also need to think about what sustainability issues might affect your business and what your greatest risks are. This will help you build […]

Solving the tech sector skills shortage – How diversity and inclusion benefit industry and the N Z economy

By David Downs, Chairman of the Hi-Tech Trust New Zealand is in the grips of a major skills shortage with a wide variety of industries struggling to fill key roles. A recent report from NZ Tech (the technology industry group) shows the technology sector has a matched skills shortage of approximately 5,000 jobs in the digital tech space, with similar shortages showing up across the advanced manufacturing sector. Availability of skilled staff regularly features as one of the top growth constraints for New Zealand technology firms. But despite this dire predicament, a large part of our population remains cut off from training and upskilling as they are unable to access, or afford, the training ‘on-ramp’ to the high quality jobs the tech sector can offer. Regional New Zealand, lower socio-economic groups, and in particular, Māori, Pasifika and women are most affected. It’s shocking how few people from these cultural and demographic backgrounds are represented in the tech sector, despite years of handwringing and efforts to address the issue. As well as being socially just, increasing access and diversity is also economically smart. All the evidence shows that talent is evenly distributed across the population – but opportunity is not. We need to address the issues which stop full participation in technology careers and to maximise the talent pool. Imagine if we have our next Ernest Rutherford, Beatrice Tinsley or Peter Beck, living in New Zealand at the moment – but he or she is blocked from ever realising that potential because they can’t afford childcare, or the bus fare. Post-Covid-19 we need access to the widest set of skills we can, to help transform our economy and maximise the country’s potential. To this end the Hi-Tech Trust is putting its weight behind the effort to significantly boost inclusion and diversity, […]

D&H Steel – manufacturing in the construction game

-by Lisa van Beurden D&H Steel Construction is an Auckland-based structural steel contractor with its fingerprints over many of the largest structural steel projects nationwide. For almost 50 years it has led innovation in the steel industry, from being an early adopter of welded beams and on-the-ground erection techniques to, more recently, driving quality management systems in fabrication. The company straddles manufacturing and construction. “While we are a structural steel fabricator for the building industry, we consider ourselves a manufacturing operation as 70 percent of our work is undertaken in our workshop facilities,” says D&H Steel managing director Wayne Carson. Looking ahead at the next 12 months, D&H Steel has a very strong order book, of which some is a function of pent-up demand spilling over from COVID-related lockdowns and slowdowns, says Carson. Beyond that Carson says that there is less certainty but COVID and other market influences have led industry players to focus more on financial sustainability. “The industry is giving greater consideration to risk and making firmer decisions,” says Carson. “We have a more robust market as a result.” COVID has had other impacts. For the last few months, D&H Steel has been very disrupted by the effects of COVID, more than expected, especially around the shipping and supply of product, says Carson. As a result, the company has had to take a more conservative approach to procurement processes. “Just-in-time procurement has been shown to be very high risk across all industries so we’re having to carry higher stock levels, and having to allow for longer lead times to procure job-specific materials. “It means we need to get started on projects earlier than previously, which, in turn, means an earlier commitment from clients to get the procurement process underway.” D&H Steel has retail customers that are accelerating new […]

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