A leading Chinese commentator has suggested the time is right for China, the world’s second largest economy, to join the Trans-Pacific free trade agreement along with New Zealand and 10 other countries. Isolation is not the solution and China should be open towards high-standard trade pacts such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Caixin Media founder …
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2020 – Agribusiness: Heroes of the Covid-19 Crisis
In the 2020 Agribusiness report we delved into how the primary sector fared under the national lockdown due to the Covid-19 global pandemic. The industry continued to thrive thanks to its ‘essential service’ status and the many, many key players ensuring a smooth transition into new processes and procedures. We look at how giants Fonterra and Zespri excelled, meat firms …
Read More »2 new COVID-19 cases in New Zealand, but elimination of community transmission still stands
Shaun Hendy; Alex James, University of Canterbury; Audrey Lustig, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research; Michael Plank, University of Canterbury; Nicholas Steyn, and Rachelle Binny, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research New Zealand is one of a handful of countries where community transmission of COVID-19 has been eliminated. But with two new cases announced on June 16, we have learned that elimination …
Read More »The next pandemic is coming sooner than you think – but COVID-19 can help us get ready
David Murdoch, University of Otago COVID-19 is being referred to as a “once in a century event” – but the next pandemic is likely to hit sooner than you think. In the next few decades, we will likely see other pandemics. We can predict that with reasonable confidence because of the recent increased frequency of major epidemics (such as SARS …
Read More »Visionweek day five – What Next NZ: future thinking
Today is the fifth and final day the online event Visionweek NZ 2020, the virtual summit asking ‘What next for New Zealand?’ in the wake of the biggest pandemic in our lifetime. All week a myriad of New Zealand’s finest minds in business have been offering their thoughts on the future of New Zealand in the wake of the biggest …
Read More »Visionweek day four – Quality Living NZ: meeting community needs, housing & health
Today is the fourth of five days of Visionweek NZ 2020, the virtual event asking ‘What next for New Zealand?’ in the wake of the biggest pandemic in our lifetime. The week-long summit hosts some of the country’s most well-known names across a variety of topics key to New Zealand’s future, including business, infrastructure, housing, science, tourism, technology, transport, health …
Read More »By sacking staff and closing stores, big businesses like The Warehouse could hurt their own long-term interests
Jonathan Baker, Auckland University of Technology To paraphrase Winston Churchill, it is curious to see The Warehouse Group (TWG) not letting a good crisis go to waste. Despite recently receiving NZ$68 million in government wage subsidies as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown, TWG has now proposed store closures and more than 1000 staff layoffs across its Warehouse, Noel Leeming …
Read More »An election like no other: with 100 days to go, can Jacinda Ardern maintain her extraordinary popularity?
Jack Vowles, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington New Zealand’s 2020 general election will be like no other in our history. It comes in the wake of a remarkable government-led act of collective solidarity that has sacrificed businesses and livelihoods in the cause of protecting those who would have been most vulnerable to COVID-19: the old, those with …
Read More »Visionweek day three – Sustaining NZ: sustainable agriculture, water, energy, efficiency
Visionweek NZ 2020 is on its third day of its week-long virtual summit exploring the question ‘What next for New Zealand?’ following the recent Covid-19 pandemic. The event shares thoughts from many of New Zealand’s most prominent people in innovation looking at a collection of topics including tourism, technology, transport, business, infrastructure, housing, science, health and education. Guest speakers include …
Read More »Visionweek day two – Connecting NZ: transport, tourism, technology
Visionweek NZ 2020 continued today, its second day in a week-long virtual event focused on the question ‘What next for New Zealand?’. The event features some of New Zealand’s most prominent figures in innovation looking at topics including business, infrastructure, housing, science, health and education. The summit features visionary New Zealanders, including Sustainable Business Council Executive Director Mike Burrell, Transpower …
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