Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research.
“New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and intensively with partners who share our values and our assessment of the strategic challenges facing the region,” Mr Peters says.
“The United States is one of our most important strategic partners in the Pacific, alongside Australia, Japan and European countries. We can achieve much more with and for the Pacific together than we can separately.”
Mr Peters, currently in Washington DC, discussed two practical projects in the Pacific with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, indicating that New Zealand would join the United States in financially supporting them.
They are:
“The Pacific Connect Cable, which is receiving funding from the United States, Australia and Japan, will boost the digital connectivity of a range of Pacific Island countries,” Mr Peters says.
“New Zealand is pleased to contribute US$5 million, at the request of Tuvalu, to deliver improved internet connectivity to the small, low-lying Pacific country.”
“The oceans and fisheries research vessel will deliver vital information to Pacific Island countries to help them better and more sustainably manage their valuable fisheries resources and safeguard their oceans,” Mr Peters says.
“New Zealand is pleased to announce that we will join the United States in contributing US$5 million for the construction of this vessel for the Pacific Community, for the benefit of all Pacific Island countries and territories. Australia is the other major funder of this initiative. This is a great example of trilateral cooperation by Australia, New Zealand, and the United States in the Pacific.”
While in Washington DC, Mr Peters also discussed broader collaboration with the United States in the Pacific, a region where both countries share deep and longstanding ties.
“New Zealand welcomes our cooperation with the United States in the Pacific including as members of the Partners in the Blue Pacific (PBP),” Mr Peters says.
“Through the PBP, the United States and New Zealand have championed initiatives that can help deliver on the issues that matter most to the Pacific Islands region.”
The Retail Crime Intelligence movement is excited to welcome Axon, the public safety technology leader, as our newest product integration partner and part of Auror’s Connected Ecosystem that is keeping retailers and their frontline workers safe. Working together to standardize data and evidence-sharing workflows, we’ll continue to empower retailers and law enforcement to make our communities safer.
Body worn Cameras: Many organizations are now rolling out body worn cameras to frontline team members to help capture incidents and evidence of violence, aggression, and criminal actions. These videos become important evidence and assist in the investigation process. Now, when videos are captured on Axon body worn cameras, there will be the ability for these videos to be exported into the Auror platform and linked to the relevant incident or investigation.
Transfer to Evidence.com: Retailers are doing an incredible job of gathering evidence and building investigations within Auror on organized retail crime groups targeting their stores. This often involves working with multiple industry partners and law enforcement agencies, spanning tens or hundreds of linked events. Traditionally, evidence and information have been given to law enforcement through manual and physical methods (such as paper, CDs, and USB sticks). However, with this new integration, once an investigation is at the hand-off point, law enforcement are able to export and securely transfer a full evidence package from Auror Investigate to Axon’s Evidence.com.
With this integration, Axon becomes a part of Auror’s growing connected ecosystem, where we partner with the world’s leading tools, technologies, and task forces to stop crime together.
There’s a long list of detection and prevention technologies available to retail AP/LP leaders. Traditionally, all of these tools have operated in silos. Without a connected ecosystem, incident data and evidence is fragmented in multiple places with no threads to tie it together.
Our vision is a future where all of these tools work together to unlock the power of their respective data, empowering each other to form a full picture of the incident and totality of offending.
Over the past six months, Auror and Axon have been partnering with the Retail Industry Leaders’ Association (RILA) on the Vibrant Communities Initiative.
The collaboration has yielded impactful outcomes for retailers, law enforcement, and the communities they serve together. For example, a repeat offender connected to over $500,000 in loss across 70+ reported events was recently identified and arrested through collaboration among six retail organizations involved in the Vibrant Communities Initiative. In conjunction with the Vibrant Communities Initiative, these retailers continue to work with local law enforcement and district attorneys on this case closure.
If you’re interested in hearing more about the above integrations, or if you are ready to connect your Axon products to Auror, please reach out directly to your Auror partnership manager or send a message to support@auror.co.
Or if you’re interested in connecting your other technologies into the Connected Ecosystem, please reach out us.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
“I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work together to navigate global economic challenges our nations are all facing. I am also looking forward to discussing our approach to rebuilding New Zealand’s economy, including through free and open trade.
“As a small advanced economy, engaging in-person with our close partners is critical for strengthening economic co-operation,” Nicola Willis says.
This is the second in-person meeting of the Five Finance Ministers, after the first took place in Washington DC last year.
While in Washington, Nicola Willis will also attend the Spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
The annual meetings gather worldwide finance ministers, treasurers, central bankers and relevant stakeholders to discuss the global economy, development, and shared challenges and opportunities.
“The Spring meetings are a great opportunity for New Zealand to demonstrate its engagement in international institutions, advance our finance objectives, and share views on global and domestic issues,” Nicola Willis says.
Nicola Willis will also engage in bilateral meetings with ministers from South East Asia and small advanced economies, before returning to New Zealand on 21 April.
The mission will be Rocket Lab’s third for the U.S. Space Force, further strengthening Electron’s position as the leading small launch vehicle delivering reliable and responsive launch to the DoD.
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”) today announced it has been awarded a $14.49 million task order by the U.S. Space Force (USSF) to launch an Electron mission from Launch Complex 2. The mission, called Space Test Program-30 (STP-S30) falls under the Space Systems Command (SSC) Assured Access to Space organization and is part of Orbital Services Program-4 (OSP-4).
The dedicated Electron launch is scheduled to take place within 24 months from contract award and will lift off from Launch Complex 2, a dedicated pad for the Electron rocket at Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport within the NASA Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. STP-S30 is a complex mission that will deliver research experiments and technology demonstrations to orbit for the DoD and contribute to future space systems development. The projected primary payload, DISKSat, will demonstrate sustained very low earth orbit (VLEO) flight and test a unique, 1-meter diameter, disk-shaped satellite bus that is designed to increase on-orbit persistence.
"Flexible, responsive, and reliable launch is critical to ensuring resilient space capabilities for the nation and we’re proud to deliver it to the Space Force once again with Electron,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck. “After more than 40 successful launches from pads spanning both hemispheres, we’ve delivered time and time again for DoD, national security, and commercial space users alike, cementing Electron’s position as the leading small launch solution globally. We’re excited to demonstrate this unique combination of mature proven execution, speed, and agility for STP-S30.”
Rocket Lab has a long track record of delivering mission success for the USSF on Electron, including the successful launch of an Air Force Research Laboratory-sponsored demonstration satellite called Monolith in 2021, and the successful launch of the STP-27RD mission research and development satellites for the DoD in 2019. Rocket Lab is also working closely with the USSF for the development of the Company’s new medium-lift vehicle Neutron through a $24.35 million contract with SSC to support development of Neutron's upper stage.
About Rocket Lab
Founded in 2006, Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company with an established track record of mission success. We deliver reliable launch services, satellite manufacture, spacecraft components, and on-orbit management solutions that make it faster, easier, and more affordable to access space. Headquartered in Long Beach, California, Rocket Lab designs and manufactures the Electron small orbital launch vehicle, the Photon satellite platform, and the Company is developing the large Neutron launch vehicle for constellation deployment. Since its first orbital launch in January 2018, Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle has become the second most frequently launched U.S. rocket annually and has delivered 180+ satellites to orbit for private and public sector organizations, enabling operations in national security, scientific research, space debris mitigation, Earth observation, climate monitoring, and communications. Rocket Lab’s Photon spacecraft platform has been selected to support NASA missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as the first private commercial mission to Venus. Rocket Lab has three launch pads at two launch sites, including two launch pads at a private orbital launch site located in New Zealand and a third launch pad in Virginia. To learn more, visit www.rocketlabusa.com.
Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters
We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule of law, democracy, human rights, trade and investment, and strong people-to-people connections. At a moment when our nations face shared challenges—including the climate crisis, strategic competition, and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine—we are working more closely than ever to tackle them together and champion our shared values and interests.
Our countries are united by our enduring stake in an open, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. We are resolved to uphold the conditions that have seen the region thrive, including freedom of navigation, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and respect for sovereignty and internationally agreed-upon rules and norms. These are the principles that will continue to guide our partnership into the future, supported by diplomacy, development, defence, economy, and intelligence, the latter enhanced by our long-standing Five Eyes partnership. ;
To advance this shared vision, we commit today to working even more closely together not only with each other, but also with our like-minded regional partners, especially our mutual ally Australia. We see great potential for collaboration in frameworks and architectures that reflect our shared vision. We share the view that arrangements such as the Quad, AUKUS, and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity contribute to peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and see powerful reasons for New Zealand engaging practically with them, as and when all parties deem it appropriate.
Our nations share deep ties with—and commitment to—the Pacific Islands. New Zealand warmly welcomes the United States’ comprehensive program of engagement with the Pacific, which provides a strong platform for working together for a more prosperous and resilient region. The United States applauds New Zealand’s commitment to the Pacific Islands, including the announcement of a substantial investment to provide critical internet connectivity. Our continued work in the Pacific will be guided by the centrality of the Pacific Islands Forum and the region’s priorities, consistent with the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. We will continue to prioritize working with others to amplify Pacific priorities globally, including through the Partners in the Blue Pacific.
The principles we support in the Indo-Pacific are universal. They drive what we seek to achieve elsewhere in the world, whether through NATO and its partnership with the four Indo-Pacific democracies of New Zealand, Australia, Japan and the Republic of Korea, or through other regional and global mechanisms.
For the past decade and more, the vital U.S.-New Zealand relationship has been guided by the Wellington and Washington Declarations. Today we re-commit ourselves to these documents—but we also recognize that the most challenging strategic environment in decades requires us to do more together. We resolved today to seek to meet annually at the Secretary of State and Foreign Minister level. We reaffirmed the vital role played by the foreign policy, defence, intelligence, economic, space and tech partnerships between our two countries. These mechanisms actuate our relationship and our unwavering commitment to the values that we prize. Source: https://www.beehive.govt.nz/
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.
“The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more challenging now than even a decade ago and demands that we work together more urgently and concertedly,” Mr Peters says.
Mr Peters met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken today and they released a joint declaration which sets out the principles and priorities underpinning the strategic partnership between the two countries.
“As we face a range of common challenges, globally and in the Indo-Pacific region, it’s more important than ever that New Zealand and the United States find common cause in defence of shared values and interests,” Mr Peters says.
“New Zealand also wishes to advance its trade and economic relationship with the United States.”
During their discussions today, Mr Peters and Secretary Blinken also discussed priority foreign policy issues, including Gaza and Ukraine, and the role of New Zealand and the United States in responding to both conflicts.
“We discussed how the United States continues to play a crucial and urgent role in Gaza as it works to try to help end the suffering there by facilitating an immediate ceasefire,” Mr Peters says.
“On Ukraine, we noted the importance New Zealand attaches to Ukraine being provided with the military support it needs to combat Russia’s war of aggression.”
During his visit to the United States, Mr Peters engaged with a broad range of political actors, including on Capitol Hill.
“New Zealand and the United States are two of the world’s oldest, longest-running, continuous democracies,” Mr Peters says. “The New Zealand-United States strategic partnership is underpinned by broad, bipartisan support in both countries.
That is why New Zealand engages with a wide range of Americans from right across the political divide about how our strategic partnership can evolve and thrive in the years ahead for the mutual benefit of the New Zealand and American people.”
The joint Declaration can be found here.
Mr Peters returns to New Zealand this weekend.
Source: https://www.beehive.govt.nz/
The distaste for trade deals in the nation's capital is leading Colorado to forge its own path on an agreement with New Zealand, a move leaders on both sides say will boost economic investment.
State of play: Gov. Jared Polis and New Zealand minister Judith Collins disclosed the ongoing negotiations Tuesday at an event touting the expanding connections and commonalities. More than 30 Kiwi companies have headquarters or offices in Denver.
What they're saying: Polis lamented the failure of the federal Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which he supported while in Congress.
The intrigue: A direct flight between Denver and Auckland, New Zealand, is being discussed alongside the agreement, Polis and Collins said, which drew support from Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington who attended the event at New Zealand-based Xero's headquarters in Denver.
The big picture: Colorado is moving ahead with similar deals with other nations, including the U.K and the Netherlands.
Warner Bros. Discovery today announced a new business model for its free-to-air operations in New Zealand. The restructure means the closure of all Newshub’s multi-platform news operations and output, including the Newshub website, AM, and the 6pm TV bulletin. Three and ThreeNow will stay a key part of Warner Bros. Discovery’s local offerings. The content will be a mix of local programming in conjunction with funding partners, acquisitions across drama, comedy, sport, reality and factual, and key titles from WBD’s extensive library. Bravo, Eden, Rush and HGTV will remain as they are. The new structure will see the business reduced by 294 roles to 120.
James Gibbons, President, Asia-Pacific, Warner Bros. Discovery says the restructure process has not been easy, but is necessary for the viability and success of Warner Bros. Discovery’s ongoing presence in New Zealand.
“When we announced the proposed restructure six weeks ago, we explained that there was nothing anyone in our New Zealand networks business could have done better – it was a combination of very strong economic headwinds both in New Zealand and the global market. As we said at the time, the downturn has been severe, and the bounce-back has not materialised as expected.”
“Just recently, it was revealed that in 2023 alone, $74 million disappeared from broadcast TV advertising in New Zealand. Apart from 2009, the year following the Global Financial Crisis, this was the single largest year-on-year drop in thirty years – a 14.3 per cent drop.
“Every business in its own market has to be financially sustainable, and we simply could not continue in our current form.”
Following close consideration of feedback from the people of Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ, some changes have been made to the new structure of the business that differed from the original proposal. These include reporting lines, different roles, new roles and changes in workflows and processes. Ultimately, approximately 10 more roles have been included in the final organisation structure than originally proposed.
“We committed to listening to our people and we have done that. While we were not able to accommodate everyone’s suggestions, we carefully reviewed and considered each and every piece of feedback we received. I want to thank everyone who engaged in good faith and I want them to know they were heard.”
“The new model is how we see Warner Bros. Discovery continuing to be a strong and long-term part of the media ecosystem in New Zealand. It will be a smaller operation, but we’re confident it will be a viable – and importantly, sustainable – business model in the New Zealand landscape.”
Glen Kyne, Senior Vice President, Head of Networks, Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ, said the confirmation of the new structure is a difficult day for everyone who works for WBD ANZ and the country.
“With the massive reduction in broadcast TV advertising revenue, our free-to-air and news operations were simply too expensive to run as they were. We are deeply aware of the effect this is likely to have on the plurality of media voices in New Zealand. Having just one TV news operation in New Zealand – that is state-owned – will be an ongoing issue until it is solved. But as we noted on the day, it is simply impossible to continue operating in our current form.
“As we said from the beginning, our door has been open to listening to all internal and external feedback and ideas, and we will continue to do so. However, as of now, no deal regarding news output has been made.”
“Warner Bros. Discovery is committed to maintaining a strong footprint in New Zealand presence, albeit with a different operating model and lower cost base.
“We also know that our archive has great historical significance and needs to be preserved. It is our intention to engage Nga Taonga to explore how that can happen. We envisage this will take some time to work through.”
Those who have been impacted will have their final day on July 5, that will also be the final day for the Newshub bulletin. The first day of the new Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ business model will be on July 6.
Westland Milk Products has delivered a strong profit result for the second successive year.
Westland announced an after-tax profit of $55.9million for 2023, more than double a targeted $20 million annual return. The 2023 profit is above 2022’s $38.9 million record-breaking result, a $120 million rebound on 2021.
Westland CEO Richard Wyeth said the company would maintain its push towards long-term profitability by continuing to divert more milk solids into higher-value products in 2024.
Westland recently committed to pay farmers the 10c premium above Fonterra’s Farm Gate Milk Price for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons, extending and improving on payment terms made under the original Scheme of Arrangement when the company was purchased.
“We’re proud of this result but we know we still have plenty of room for improvement,’’ Mr Wyeth said. “We’re tracking well to deliver on our five-year commitment to build sustainable growth year on year. A sustainable financial base means we can continue to offer farmers very competitive terms for their milk.’’
Mr Wyeth said revenue of $1.065 billion was slightly above last year’s result and very pleasing given the fall in global dairy prices.
“The advantage we have of course is the backing of one of the world’s largest dairy companies in Yili,’’ Mr Wyeth said. “Yili’s support has enabled us to invest heavily in infrastructure that will maximise revenue from high-margin products. But our ability to remain competitive on milk prices must rely on our ability to stand alone on financial performance.’’
A $70 million investment in a new lactoferrin plant at the company’s Hokitika plant supported by Yili is expected to continue to reduce reliance on traditional high-margin revenue sources such as infant formula for China, as import demand in that sector continues to soften.
Due for completion in the final quarter of 2024, first production at the plant will take place in quarter three. Commercial production is expected by the final quarter this year.
Mr Wyeth said a $40 million investment in a new butter plant at Hokitika in 2022 had allowed Westland to expand strongly in the US market. Westgold butter is now stocked in more than 3000 grocery retail outlets in the US, including Walmart stores. Westland also produces Kirkland Signature New Zealand Grass-Fed Butter for Costco.
Costco reported in their 2022/23 financial results that Kirkland butter sales increased more than 160 per cent year on year and continue to show strong growth.
The Westland-produced butter is now stocked in almost every Costco store in the United States, as well as Costco global stores, including Korea, Taiwan and New Zealand; with more international regions in the pipeline.
Source: https://www.westland.co.nz/
New Zealand tech startup Kai’s Education continues to build its international reputation with its Kiwi-designed AI learning robot, Kaibot, and online platform Kaibot in Kainundrum being named as finalist in the Assistive Learning category in the EdTech Awards 2024. The EdTech Awards is a global competition established in 2010 to recognise, acknowledge, and celebrate the most exceptional innovators, leaders, and trendsetters in education technology. It’s another significant achievement for the small tech business which continues to punch well above its weight, with Kai’s Education learning programmes being adopted in educational institutions around the world.
“This is a huge achievement for Kai’s Education,” says co-founder Ronel Schodt. “It helps to raise our profile to educators and investors, especially for our accessible education tools. Each award or nomination helps to cement Kai’s Education as a contender in the global EdTech marketplace,” she says.
Kai’s Education was founded by entrepreneur Bruce Jackson who was seeking to develop a simple, fun device that could teach kids of all ages how to code. A key challenge was to create a system that didn’t require the use of a computer or tablet to teach coding. So, he developed Kaibot, a small AI-assisted robot with a deck of flashcards to teach the principles of coding in a fun and interactive way - supported by an online portal, Kainundrum that allows a student’s coding to be visualised on a computer or tablet, with all kinds of exciting integrations and advanced coding challenges. Last year after recognising the challenges faced by blind and partially sighted students, they developed braille and text-to-speech packages for Kaibot as well. Now, both Kaibot and the larger, more advanced Kai's Clan collaborative AR VR Robot systems are recognised by top education professionals, with advanced learning programmes developed to teach children of all ages and their teachers.
“The magic of Kaibot is in its simplicity,” says Schodt. “Children can master the basics of coding without being first challenged with learning how to use a computer, and then can apply their new skills to increasingly difficult challenges with confidence.
And teachers tell us that they themselves not only learned how to code from Kaibot, but have learned how to teach coding to their students as well,” she says.
Schodt says that the accessibility of Kai’s Education tools is generating strong interest from Special Needs teachers around the globe. “We have braille coding cards, but you can now also get Kainundrum in text-to-speech Spanish for the US market. And, for New Zealand, there are not only screen-free coding cards in English, Te Reo, and Spanish, we also have Te Reo in text using Kainundrum. “We’re also rolling out KaiBot in Swift Playgrounds which is specially developed for the Apple eco-system – a really exciting development,” she says. Success in the US has seen Kai’s Education open a US subsidiary based in Delaware with a dedicated US Sales team to cover the huge territory. Kaibot is now established in six universities in the US for teacher training and the company has just rolled out Canyon District School in Utah with KaiBots in all 28 of their Elementary schools, including their five special needs classes.
This rapid growth has also seen top Kiwi EdTech entrepreneur, Bob Drummond, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Kami join the Kai’s Education board, bringing significant experience in scaling tech startups and growing market share. Drummond was a Finalist in the New Zealander of the Year Awards 2021 and a finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2021, plus he’s been on boards, consultancies and think tanks throughout his 30 years in business. “I’m very excited to be supporting Kai’s Education,” says Drummond. “I’ve seen the company making an impact at the US education trade shows and have been impressed with their energy and their vision. I believe they have the fundamentals of a truly groundbreaking EdTech firm and I’m happy to lend my experience toward their success,” he says. Kai’s Education will be presenting at numerous trade events and workshops throughout the US this year and Ronel Schodt says that with computer science and digital technologies now becoming a compulsory part of the curriculum right around the world, the potential for KaiBot, and Kainundrum, is enormous. “We’re excited to be one of the first businesses in the world to combine robotics, AI and both physical and online tools to create a genuinely enjoyable learning experience for students of all abilities.
“We now have more than 50,000 students using our robots and that number is set to explode as these new contracts land. Watch this space!” Schodt says.
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