Topics

Following in the footsteps of US President Barack Obama, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce took to Twitter with his latest comments on policy. Joyce took aim at ex-Endace CEO Selwyn Pellett after he took the government to task on R&D grants, the same  program from which Endace received $11.1 million in funding. “I remain unhappy about taxpayers’ previous R&D investment …

State Councillor Liu Yandong will visit New Zealand next week as a guest of the Government – the first visit by a senior Communist Party figure since China’s November leadership transition. State Councillor Liu is a senior leader in China’s 2012-2017 hierarchy. Her portfolios include education, science, screen and television, and culture. Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce says he will …

The Teamsters Union’s Mike Nolan has lashed out at Fonterra saying the NZ dairy giant’s “virtual monopoly” must be diminished if the TPP is to go ahead. Nolan – who touched base with the US Dairy Council in Washington DC before coming down to Auckland for the 15th round of TPP negotiations – claimed that there would be $US20 billion …

Don Christie – founder of Catalyst IT and a leading New Zealand expert on open source software – said he was disappointed with the proposed effects for the technology industry under TPP at today’s stakeholder meeting in Auckland. “TPP is a big missed opportunity” said Christie citing an independent report out of the UK (available for download below) which called …

CTU official Bill Rosenberg has raised the spectre of Warner Brothers suing a future NZ Government if it tries to unwind “the Hobbit” law. At the TPP stakeholders day in Auckland this morning, Rosenberg said the CTU’s interest in the trade negotiations is not limited to labour rights. Rosenberg instanced the NZ Government’s decision to change labour laws to ensure …

Business representatives from four economies have met in Auckland to press for more urgency in concluding the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations currently underway. “In September business representatives from across the TPP member economies urged governments to conclude an ambitious, comprehensive and high standard outcome in 2013,” said Cal Cohen, President of the Emergency Committee for American Trade (ECAT) speaking …

The NZ Superannuation Fund has been named the world’s most innovative sovereign fund. The fund won the prestigious Sovereign Wealth Fund category in the 2012 aiCIO Industry Innovation Awards in New York. The other finalists were the Australian Future Fund; Singaporean fund GIC; Norges Bank Investment Management and the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan. Chairman Gavin Walker said the award …

The man who blew the whistle on American Bernie Madoff, and two Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigators of massive U.S. insider trading activities, are heading to New Zealand. They will be attending two inaugural events being hosted by the New Zealand Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in February 2013 – one of those, open to the business community. Simon McArley, …

Trade analysts and stakeholders in Auckland for the TPP talks have told newzealandinc.com not to expect any progress on “sensitive” issues – including agricultural access – during this the 15th round of negotiations. It’s all “too hard”; “too early” – which doesn’t really cut it if this deal is to be in sufficient shape for final-decision making by political players …

Celebrity American political consultant Karl Rove has reportedly been benched by Fox News after an abysmal performance at Election time. Rove was consistently wrong throughout the day in his predictions to the point where it may have cost him his job – for now at least.