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Opening Ceremony Li Xiangyang, Director General of the National Institute of International Strategy (CASS) welcomed participants and the audience to the event and opened the day’s proceedings. The first keynote speaker was Huang Haotao, Secretary General of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Prof Huang focussed on the many achievements over the past 40 years of diplomatic relations and the …

Wellington-based Alex Gordon was one of 2,000 entries to the World Financial Modelling Championship. After three rounds, he was one of the world’s top-16 financial modelling minds to attend the New York live finals this past weekend. The competition was fierce and finalists came from all the corners of the globe – from New Zealand, Australia, the USA, Britain, Russia, …

Prime Minister John Key says he was delighted to hear the news that Their Royal Highnesses, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, are expecting a baby. “This is fabulous news for Prince William and Catherine, and I know the Queen and Prince Phillip will be extremely pleased. “It is an important day in any young couple’s life when a baby is …

TPP critic Jane Kelsey  has alleged the NZ Government has imposed unprecedented restrictions on registered stakeholders as it hosts the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations in Auckland this week. “We turned up this morning and found we are locked out of the entire Sky City Convention Centre for all 10 days except the so-called stakeholder day on Friday,” according to Professor Jane …

Senior  business leaders have signed an open letter to Prime Minister John Key in support of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations which get underway again in Auckland today.  See – TPP – Open Letter The TPP negotiations have been under attack within New Zealand over their lack of transparency, sovereignty concerns and impact on intellectual property platforms. But the business …

Negotiators from 11 countries gather in Auckland today at Sky City Convention Centre for the 15th round of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks. Outside the door are activists of all persuasion – human rights campaigners, anti-free traders, and consumer protection campaigners – who don’t like what is happening what happening behind closed doors. TV3 reports the NZ government has been …

Anzco Foods chairman Sir Graeme Harrison says the NZ beef trade has been impeded by the Indonesian Government’s decision to introduce quotas. “My own company Anzco Foods is New Zealand’s second largest beef exporter,” Sir Graeme told the Indonesia Forum. “We, along with others in the meat industry, have benefitted from rapid growth in shipments to Indonesia during the decade to …

PricewaterhouseCoopers have released the released the results from their 2013 survey on the Global State of Information Security. Information security is a real challenge to businesses operating in the contemporary technological environment where staying ahead of the game is more challenging than ever. Hear from more than 9,000 executives worldwide – including 180 from New Zealand, as they discuss threats to …

Fitch Ratings has affirmed New Zealand Local Government Funding Agency Limited’s (LGFA) Long-Term Local-Currency Rating at ‘AA+’ and Long-Term Foreign-Currency Rating at ‘AA’. Fitch has also affirmed its Short-Term Foreign- and Local-Currency Ratings at ‘F1+’. The Outlook on the Long-Term Ratings is Stable. At the same time, Fitch has affirmed the senior unsecured bonds at AA+. The affirmation reflects the …

Foreign Minister Murray McCully confirmed  New Zealand will vote in favour of the resolution on the status of Palestine, due to go before the United Nations General Assembly this morning. But McCully says a UN resolution is “a poor substitute for direct negotiations between the two parties”. He says the primary reason for voting in favour of the resolution is …