PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

APRIL CHAMBER NETWORKING EVENTS

The event kindly sponsored by Grant Thornton  will also include presentation on the contents of the recently concluded ASEAN- Australia-NZ Free Trade Agreement and its impact for NZ businesses operating in the Asean region.

KIWIS IN THE NEWS

NZ's Clark brings political skills to top UN post
Helen Clark will bring well-honed political skills to her new job as the U.N.'s global development network chief — and will need them to persuade countries not to cut their international aid donations because of the global financial crisis, officials said Friday.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced Friday that the former New Zealand prime minister was nominated for the job, possibly delivering the South Pacific nation its highest-ever post in international diplomacy. The nomination as head the U.N. Development Program must be approved by the 192-nation General Assembly.

An adroit political manager, Clark ran a trio of minority governments over nine years with the support of a clutch of minor parties — building and supporting coalitions that ensured all three administrations survived their full term. She was ousted at elections last November by conservative leader John Key amid a severe economic slump and perceptions that her government was out of ideas.

A committed social democrat, Clark has an austere image and a tough, non-nonsense approach that is widely respected internationally and at home.

Former New Zealand ambassador to the U.N. Colin Keating said Clark would likely spend a lot of time consensus-building to end the separate "silo" operations of U.N. agencies across the world. "Helen Clark has been chosen for this position because she's not a pure development expert. She ... brings a whole-of-government perspective and that's what Ban Ki-moon is trying to achieve in his efforts toward reform," Keating told New Zealand's National Radio.

Another former New Zealand U.N. ambassador, Terence O'Brien, said Ban "may have come to the conclusion that what he needs is a political figure at the head of the U.N.'s main aid agency in order to be able to speak directly to governments and political leaders." "The likelihood that aid budgets are going to diminish is a real one" because of the global economic downturn, he said.

Clark will oversee an estimated $13 billion in U.N. resources.

U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas said Ban selected Clark because of her "exceptional" qualifications and commitment to multilateral approaches to global financial and development challenges. As prime minister, Clark boosted economic growth, cut government debt and stacked up huge budget surpluses before the economy slumped into recession in 2008. She helped cut child poverty in New Zealand by some 30 percent during her nine years in power by introducing tax breaks and income support programs for lower paid workers.

Well respected for her knowledge of and skills in foreign affairs, she has a long-standing commitment to the U.N. and to multinationalism — one of the reasons Clark strongly opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, but sent troops to help reconstruction there and in Afghanistan.

Her political career was not without stumbles. In one famous gaffe she said the United States would not have gone to war in Iraq if former Democratic contender Al Gore had won the 2000 election. She apologized in writing to incumbent President George W. Bush. Clark has advocated strongly for economic and social development in the small states of the South Pacific, as well as anti-corruption and governance-strengthening measures. Lisa Cescon, chief executive of nongovernment aid agency World Vision, said "New Zealand's reputation as a neutral country that is firm but fair will assist her in working in the best interests of those facing huge challenges in developing countries."

Kiwi wins world cycling gold 

New Zealand cyclist Alison Shanks said she never lost faith in her race plan as she had to fight back from a significant early deficit to claim the gold medal in the individual pursuit on the opening night of finals at the UCI World Track Cycling Championships in Poland.

Kiwi MP makes 'most beautiful' list 

Being named one of the world's most beautiful politicians has turned true-blue National MP Melissa Lee bright red. The first-term MP was ranked No 52 in a list of attractive female politicos in an online poll run by Spanish newspaper 20 Minutos. The list, which features some politicians in airbrushed studio pictures, includes women from Iceland to Singapore and from Afghanistan to Angola. She collected nearly 3000 votes in the poll but had not had a chance to look at it online because of meetings yesterday.

KIWI CORNER 

Aucklanders attempt to smash water pistol world record for UNICEF NZ TAP project.

Aucklanders attempted to get into the Guinness Book of World Records for a good cause on Sunday 5th April. 

Hundreds made an attempt at Lakeside Park in Western Springs to stage the world's largest water pistol fight. The organisers were able to raise money from the event, which was meant to highlight the plight of children who don't have access to clean water.

The free flowing water at the event was designed to highlight the difference in access from a country like New Zealand to other countries in the world where good clean water is in short supply. UNICEF spokeswoman Carolyn Shivanandan says it's a bit of fun to highlight a more serious issue. "About a billion people around the world don't have access to water that we have," says Shivanandan.

Sunday's record breaking event was an attempt to blow the current world record out of the water - 2761 people participated in a mass water fight in Spain in 2007. The money raised though will go to Laos, where 80% of population don't have access to clean water and sanitation. "There's something like 400 children dying everyday from diseases we don't even hear about in New Zealand," says Shivanandan. Diseases like cholera and typhoid that could be prevented.  So what's an everyday privilege here could make the most extraordinary difference in the lives of millions of children worldwide.

The discovery came during routine maintenance work, when conservation officer Bernard Smith found the 8cm-long hatchling in an area where nests had been discovered. The animal is thought to be around one month old and is likely to have hatched from eggs laid around 16 months ago. "This discovery is nothing short of incredible," Mr Perks says. "Where else in the world could you see the first wild birth of a 'living fossil' on the mainland for at least 200 years just minutes' away from the centre of a capital city?"

Tuatara are thought to have been extinct as a breeding population on the three main islands of New Zealand for around 200 years. They were wiped out primarily by the kiore (Pacific rat) which arrived with the first Polynesian settlers around 700 years ago. In 2005, 70 animals were transferred to the groundbreaking Wellington sanctuary from one of their last offshore island refuges - Takapourewa/Stephens Island in Cook Strait. A further 130 animals were transferred two years later.

No bull, thousands of sheep hit NZ town

Te Kuiti is cementing its name as the shearing capital of the country, with thousands of sheep pounding the pavement in the town. The Scanda New Zealand Shears Running of the Sheep has become the major drawcard of the annual Great NZ Muster in the Waikato town. About 7000 spectators flocked to Te Kuiti's main street when about 2000 sheep made the one kilometre-long dash down the longest sheep run in the world. Safety arrangements at New Zealand's answer to Spain's "Running of the Bulls" – the "Running of the Sheep" – are being reviewed after hundreds of the animals ran amok through Te Kuiti. They leapt over barriers designed to keep them on the main street and protect 7000 spectators who turned up to watch the annual event. All semblance of order completely broke down, the sheep crossing the main road and the rail track before heading into the hills.

LOWER HUTT FIRM TRACKS EUROPE'S LUGGAGE

Lower Hutt manufacturer Times-7’s radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is tracking luggage in some of Europe’s biggest airports. The company has teamed up with Danish logistics firm Lyngsoe Systems to install RFID systems in Milan’s Malpensa Airport and Lisbon Airport.

RFID baggage systems are an alternative to barcode systems. Luggage is tagged with RFID labels, which are read by antennas installed on conveyor belts and at various points throughout an airport. Times-7 chief executive Antony Dixon says Lyngsoe Systems selected the company’s RFID antennas for the airport projects.

Times-7’s antennas are ultra thin, meaning they can be easily slipped under conveyor belts. "Our competitors have products that are much bigger, and they have to remove a section of the conveyor belt to put the antenna underneath." Times-7’s antennas also have small read zones, which means they do not require expensive shielding, he says. "Antenna waves bounce around all over the place. If you have conveyor belts close to each other, you don’t want to be reading the bag on the adjacent belt."

Malpensa Airport in Milan is Italy’s busiest international airport, handling more than 24 million passengers a year. Dutch firm Vanderlande Industries, which specialises in automated handling systems, is also trialling the antennas at Schipol Airport, Holland’s main airport.

Another airport is using Times- 7 RFID technology to speed up biosecurity checks. Luggage entering a country is tagged with RFID labels and passed through an X-ray machine. Bags that are of interest are flagged in a database. Rather than queuing for the X-rays, travellers collect their bags and walk through a portal, which will alert officials if the bags have been flagged. "The majority of people obviously just freeflow out the building, reducing queues."

Air New Zealand uses Times-7 RFID technology to manage luggage. Times-7’s Wheel Time RFID product, used to time cyclists in a race, has also found success overseas and was recently picked up by Cycling Australia and Cycling New South Wales.

Times-7 has 15 staff and offices in Lower Hutt, Hastings and representatives in Sydney and Holland.

He shared his thoughts on New Zealand with YouTube viewers from Tourism New Zealand’s ‘Have Your Say’ mobile studio while in Queenstown last week. He describes New Zealand as one of the most amazing places he has ever been. "It’s like seeing the world in HD because everywhere you look when you’re out and about there are so many textures and colours and shapes. There are far too many to squeeze into your eyes. It’s amazing."

Almost 11,000 Twitter-users followed the Twitchhiker on his travels across the globe and many more heard about his exploits through the media. Coverage of the Twitchhiker’s adventure included interviews on ABC’s Good Morning America, the BBC, Sky News and TV3’s Campbell Live and stories in the Los Angeles Times, the Guardian (UK), www.msnbc.com, the Telegraph (UK - includes 'Have Your Say' YouTube video) and various New Zealand newspapers. 

Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive George Hickton says the Twitchhiker’s visit has been a big publicity boost for New Zealand. "This has been a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of New Zealand in some of our key markets, including the US and UK. The fact that New Zealanders were so keen to get behind the initiative is a credit to our generosity as Kiwis and certainly sent a strong message about our spirit of Manaakitanga, or hospitality"

The Twitchhiker’s video diary on Tourism New Zealand’s ‘Have Your Say’ YouTube channel has been viewed nearly 600 times. The ‘Have Your Say’ mobile studio is about to begin its final month on the road. So far, over 1,000 video messages from international visitors have been uploaded to YouTube and viewed a total of around 80,000 times. The fully-equipped mobile studio - a converted shipping container on the back of a flat bed truck - has been on the road since January. It will make a total of 40 stops on its journey, with the aim of spreading positive word-of-mouth about New Zealand by capturing as many video messages from international visitors as possible. The mobile studio is in Alexandra in Central Otago today. It will then be in Wanaka on Thursday and Friday this week, before moving across to the West Coast on Sunday.