PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Dear Member
This month signals the end of the 2008/09 financial year for the Chamber and one that certainly has travelled by very quickly. Our end of year accounts will now be reconciled and submitted to Grant Thornton for auditing and presentation at our AGM in October. Early next month, subscriptions for the next financial year will be sent out to members. Please note that membership fees, which have remained the same for more than three years, have been increased to Baht 5,000 to cover increased costs being absorbed by the Chamber. We trust you appreciate our need to increase revenues for 2009/10 year and that you will continue to enjoy the benefits of being part of the NZ Chamber. As usual we remain keen to strengthen the Chamber through increased membership and your assistance in identifying interested parties to one of our committee members is always appreciated.
This month our new Ambassador in Thailand, Mr Bede Corry, commenced duties at the Embassy in Bangkok. Bede is an experienced career diplomat with previous postings to Canberra and Washington DC and in addition to Thailand he assumes responsibility for neighbouring countries Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. We look forward to working with Bede and his staff and to welcoming him along to our social CK networking functions.
From recent JFCCT meetings I can advise that the two new subcommittees, Employment & Property that have recently been formed, are beginning to formulate plans and policies. At the request of the Minister of Labour, the Employment committee is sourcing labour laws from many other countries and the Property committee has submitted its first proposal to the PM with suggestions for allowing foreign ownership of land for a second home, increasing foreign ownership of condominiums from 49% to 75% and extending leasehold periods to 99 years. Feedback and updates from all sub-committees is being regularly posted on the website
We recently received information from the Thai Institute of Directors that they are holding a director certification programme in both English and Thai that extends for one day a week over six weeks. For expats who are directors of Thai companies this is an excellent opportunity to learn more about local requirements and regulatory matters. Please contact our ED for more information on this programme.
In early March 2010, the annual NZ Ball is again being held. This is a high profile occasion in Bangkok, and the reason for mentioning it at this stage is that we are again looking for sponsors to support this great event. Several different sponsorship packages are available and if there are any members who would like to sponsor please contact our executive director for details.
Last month we mentioned that with the drop in tourism and the lower occupancy numbers being experienced by hotels such as the Sheraton, our costs for hosting the monthly event at the Sheraton have had to increase. Accordingly we have had to increase entry fees to Baht 300 for members and Baht 700 for non-members to enable the Chamber to continue to maintain the same quality of food and wine as always.
This month’s CK sponsor is John Perry from Crown Worldwide Group. JP has actively supported the Chamber for many years now and he always surprises with his “out of left field” activities that he springs on unsuspecting members and guests. So please come along to the Sheraton on 27th to see what he has in store for everyone and enjoy the company.
Kind regards
Cris Dunning
President
AUGUST CHAMBER NETWORKING EVENTS
CORPORATE KNIGHT NETWORKING EVENT
Thursday, 27th August 2009 @ 6.30pm
@ The Sheraton Grande
Kindly sponsored by
CROWN WORLDWIDE GROUP
The Crown Worldwide Group, headquartered in Hong Kong, provides transportation, relocation services, logistics and storage services from offices in 52 countries.
Services include international and domestic household good shipments, global mobility services, departure and destination services, fine arts transportation, wine storage, records management, freight forwarding, third-party distribution and specialized logistics services.
Crown is the world's largest privately-held group of international moving companies.
The Crown Worldwide Group provides services to over 10,000 worldwide corporate clients, private customers and diplomats. Crown's Records Management division is the largest private company in the field.
In 2008, the Crown Worldwide Group generated revenue of US $650 million and owned assets of US $500 million.
Crown operates over 6.5 million square feet of warehouse space. One of Crown’s principle strategies is to continuously invest in new facilities.
Representatives: General Manager: Mr. John Perry
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
INTRODUCING MR. BEDE CORRY, NEW ZEALAND AMBASSADOR TO THAILAND
Brief Bio of Ambassador Bede Corry
Bede Corry has just commenced duties at the New Zealand Embassy, where he is to replace Brook Barrington as the New Zealand Ambassador to Thailand (Dr Barrington departed Bangkok at the end of July). Mr Corry, a career diplomat, has previously been posted to Canberra and Washington DC. His assignments in Wellington include three years as Private Secretary to the then Foreign Minister, Rt Hon Don McKinnon, Director of the Office of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and - for the last three years - Director of the Australia Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Mr Corry is also cross-accredited to Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.
Role of the New Zealand Embassy in Thailand
The New Zealand Embassy's primary role is to develop the official relationship between the New Zealand Government and the Government of Thailand by building and maintaining productive contacts with political leaders, officials, business leaders and media representatives. The Embassy facilitates access for New Zealand companies seeking to export goods and services to Thailand, and promotes investment in New Zealand. The Embassy provides consular assistance to resident and visiting New Zealanders, including through the issuance of emergency travel documents and providing notorial services.
Other roles include acting for New Zealand Government agencies under agreed arrangements, facilitating visits by New Zealand ministers and officials, assisting non-governmental contacts where these contribute to New Zealand's objectives, and arranging visits to New Zealand by official guests. The Embassy is also accredited to Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
KIWI CORNER
Some recent Kiwi Snippets and Kiwis in the news:
Maori Author Wins International Award
Maori author Katerina Te Heikoko Mataira has been awarded the international Linguapax Award for her promotion of te reo Maori. The annual award recognises individuals for their work in multilingual education and linguistic diversity. Dr Te Heikoko Mataira has written a number of children's books and novels in te reo, including Marama Tangiweto, He Tino Kuia Taku Kuia and Te Atea, and was heavily involved in the establishment Maori language education.
Dixon Rolls to Record-Breaking 20th IndyCar Win
After breaking the record for most IndyCar race wins in Ohio yesterday, New Zealand driver Scott Dixon does not appear to be becoming complacent. The win in the Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio was the 20th IndyCar win of Dixon's career, breaking a tie with former series star Sam Hornish Jr. "To keep that going I'm definitely going to have to keep racing for a lot more years," Dixon said. "But if I can get it to 25, 30, 35 that would be pretty cool." The victory also pushed the defending champion back to the top of the points standings, the 12th time in 13 events that the points lead has changed hands this season.
Waiheke Vineyard Stuns Wine World
One of the world's best wines has been produced by a tiny Waiheke Island winery. Kennedy Point Vineyard's 2007 Syrah won the International Syrah Trophy at this year's International Wine Challenge in London. The award means the judges considered the wine the best syrah submitted in this year's competition, regarded as one of the wine industry's most prestigious. The wine was also awarded the trophy for the best New Zealand red wine in the competition.
Kiwi Invention Grabs 2nd in Brit Awards
A unique Kiwi invention that relieves neck pain for those who spend a lot of time looking up has taken second place in the Product Innovation category of the prestigious British Safety Industry Awards 2009.
The invention, Necprotech, which was recently launched in the UK and Europe, was placed second – and given a Highly Commended – by an independent panel of eight judges, all health and safety experts in the UK. The Product Innovation award is given to new and innovative products that will make a significant contribution to reducing workplace injuries.
Necprotech is worn like a backpack and protects the neck by supporting the heavy weight of the head of a person looking up. It will be a welcome relief for many tradespeople, such as painters, plasterers, fruit pickers and electricians who, in the past, had nothing to support their necks as they worked overhead. www.necprotech.com
Bledisloe Cup, Tokyo, Saturday 31st October 2009
For the rugby fans amongst us, the All Blacks will be playing Australia in the final Bledisloe cup match in Tokyo and tickets are now on sale.
Sports Tickets International Ltd, the fully licensed ticketing company of the NZRU, advises that NZRU official Tokyo Bledisloe Cup match tickets are available for New Zealand passport holders via their website www.stilrugby.com
KIWIS AND THAIS RANKED CLOSELY AS TOURISTS
T
he Dominion Post
The second annual global Best Tourist Survey, conducted by leading online travel company Expedia®, ranks Kiwis in 14th equal place with Thailand just behind in 16th.
Around 4,500 hoteliers across the globe provided their opinions on the best travellers overall, as well as on specific categories including behaviour, spending habits, fashion sense and willingness to try and speak the local language.
The Japanese retained the top prize, with the French hold the unenviable reputation for being the world’s worst tourists.
Some of the Overall Rankings
1 Japanese
14= New Zealanders
16 Thais
27 French
NZ AVIATION COMPANY MAKES A STAND AT OSH KOSH SHOW
Hamilton-based aircraft manufacturer Pacific Aerospace Ltd has taken its P-750 workhorse to a big American airshow to pitch it to missionary societies and groups which need to use short bush runways.
Pacific Aerospace is promoting its P-750 at the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture in Oshkosh as an XSTOL (extreme short take-offs and landings) plane able to handle short runways and heavy loads.
The company said in a statement the 10-seat plane was cutting costs for operators in demanding locations, such as Papua New Guinea, where a missionary group, Adventist Aviation, has said it can now reach remote communities with twice as many passengers and three times the cargo load than they could with other aircraft. XSTOL was a new product category , said Pacific Aerospace chief executive Damien Camp.
"We've defined XSTOL as an aircraft that can land and take off in less than 800 feet (243m) carrying a load greater than its own empty weight." The company has five XSTOLs already operating in PNG and another five on contract to the United Nations in Africa and one recently delivered to Nepal.
The plane -- originally designed for skydiving and agricultural aviation -- sells for $US1.8m, and cruises at 308kmh. The low-wing, single turbine plane is powered by a Pratt and Whitney PT6 engine and can haul a combined 2008kg of cargo and passengers,
CHAMBER UPDATES
Annual Membership
Yes it's that time of the year again!! Invoices will be distributed at the August CK or sent out in early September for 2010 membership which is due . You may receive a call from a Chamber representative who will confirm invoicing details with your company. After considerable discussion amongst the committee, a decision has been made to increase membership fees to 5,000 Baht.
Corporate Knight Fees
Due to increased costs, the chamber recently needed to review our Corporate Knight fees. In coming to a decision we consulted with members using an online web survey. The input from members was that you liked them being based for most of the year in one location and very much appreciated the convenience and service of the Sheraton. The committee has decided to keep the Corporate Knight events primarily at the Sheraton and increase entrance fees in order to cover the increased costs. In deciding on the new pricing the committee was also keen to make a bigger differentiation in fees between members, who provide the key on going chamber support, and those who are not The new fees as of the August event will be:
Members: 300 Baht
Non members: 700 Baht
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