New Zealand

The long goodbye to Bo Xilai continues as Chongqing Governor Zhang Dejiang, current leader of the southwestern Chinese city, seeks to bury the legacy of its disgraced former top official Bo Xilai. Bo arrived in Chongqing in 2007, pumping money into social housing schemes and advanced infrastructure. It became a bold, alternative mode of growth for China known as the …

F0rmer National Party leader Don Brash’s chief of staff Richard Long has been appointed to the Television New Zealand board. Long has a career in journalism spanning more than thirty years. He has been elected to various newspaper industry roles, including chair of the NZ Press Association editors’ liaison committee. “Long’s media career will enable him to contribute his lengthy …

Auckland has put in a great showing at the 2012 International Sports Event Management (ISEM) Awards, finishing in an amazing second place in the prestigious Sport City Award. Held annually and now in its sixth year, the ISEM Awards are the only international awards to recognise excellence in the global sports event management industry. Auckland claimed second place behind London …

Industry leaders from across the Pacific and New Zealand are set to come together on 14th November for a one-day fisheries forum to discuss partnership opportunities for the future in an increasingly competitive region. The Pacific provides half of the world’s tuna catch, and the Pacific Islands nations’ have massive economic zones as does New Zealand, but how do they protect …

Auckland Chamber of Commerce CEO Michael Barnett was awarded the Supreme Award at the 2012 AUT Excellence in Business Support Awards. Barnett has been the “face of the chamber” for 21 years leading the talented chamber team  as it works to enable business members (large and small) to thrive. Under his leadership the chamber has been to the fore in …

Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Rhys Jones and US Pacific Commander, Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III have signed an open-dated logistics agreement which will provide significant benefits for both countries. The Treaty-level Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA) will continue the interoperability, readiness, and effectiveness of NZ and US military forces through increased logistic cooperation. The agreement is designed …

Youth organisation Generation Zero is urging Peter Dunne to use his one-vote majority to be a climate hero when the Government’s Bill to amend the Emissions Trading Scheme has its last session of Parliamentary debate this evening. The lobby group claims the “world is watching and they are not impressed”! Generation Zero is calling for him to at least support …

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully announced the completion of a third New Zealand-funded solar power system in Tokelau – meaning almost 100 per cent of the territory’s electricity needs are met through solar generation. “The Tokelau Renewable Energy Project is a world first. Tokelau’s three main atolls now have enough solar capacity, on average, to meet electricity needs,” McCully says. …

GLOBAL MARKETS: US bond and equity market remained in shutdown mode as post-tropical cyclone Sandy slammed into New Jersey , with a reported 13-foot storm surge inundating low lying areas including New York ’s subway system (see below). In Europe , markets were quiet and rangy, although sentiment remained positive on solid earnings reports from BP and Deutsche Bank AG. …

The NZ Government issued its response to the Productivity Commission’s report on housing affordability. “High house prices matter because many New Zealanders spend a large portion of their incomes on housing and that has helped fuel household debt and contribute to damaging imbalances in the economy,” Finance Minister Bill English says. “In particular, high housing debt diverts money from more …