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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Dear Members
For those of you that joined us at the Corporate Knight last month, I think you will agree it was a very successful evening. It made a welcome change mingling with the Canadians, who are a friendly and like minded chamber. The joint chamber networking events have always been popular and a its style we intend to pursue..In addition it was also great to welcome the New Zealand Ambassador, Bede Corry,who also joined the event.
Many thanks to Nicolas Leloup and Pete Cheah of Samitivej Hospital for sponsoring this month’s Corporate Knight. While I will not be able to join you as I will be in the UK next week; the rest of the committee will be there to welcome you and we look forward to your company on the 26th.
Following on from the All Whites “unbeaten” success at the World Cup, the All Blacks have so far won convincingly against both South Africa and Australia. No doubt there are the soothsayers stating that they have peaked too soon (given that the Rugby World Cup is in New Zealand in 2011) but I think ex All Black John Kirwan got it right when he said New Zealand plans to be world number 1 every year!
It is almost that time of year again; the NZTCC AGM is coming up in October and we are beginning our preparations for it. We are always on the lookout for new committee members as new faces bring new ideas and perspective. It doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment as we can adjust roles according to time available and it can be a very rewarding experience.
Planning has already started for the 2011 Black and White Ball. The date has been set for Saturday 5th February and the venue has been booked. We are now looking for sponsorship for this popular event which boasts over 500 participants. We have Gold, Silver and Bronze levels of sponsorship available. This is the highlight of the social calendar and next year will not disappoint. Please contact myself or any of the committee members for details and a sponsorship brief.
The next activity on the Chamber golfing calendar is 27th August when the Australian and New Zealand Chambers take on the British Chamber in the Natural Ville/LenÔtre Ashes Golf Day 2010. There are still places available for this fun day of golf.
Kind regards,
Nikki Cox
President
UPCOMING CHAMBER NETWORKING EVENTS
Chamber Networking Event
Thursday, 26th August 2010 6.30pm @ Sheraton Grande
NZTCC Members: 300 baht, Non-Members: 500 baht
Kindly sponsored by
Samitivej Hospital
Samitivej is a JCI accredited hospital and offers world-class care for the entire family.
Build in 1979, Samitivej Sukhumvit has grown to be a leading provider of medical healthcare services in Thailand and Southeast Asia. Today the hospital is recognized as a provider of choice for the local residents and many of the expatriates living in Thailand.
Our commitment to quality care and innovation has been recognized by UNICEF and WHO, Samitivej being the first hospital in Thailand to be awarded the Mother and Baby Friendly Hospital status in 1999. Other notable awards include the Prime Minister's award for Most Recognized Service in 2004 and accreditation by Hospital Accreditation Board in Thailand. We are JCI accredited since 2007.
Samitivej Sukhumvit has a comprehensive range of facilities and service from cosmetic to tertiary care. With 270 beds, 87 examination suites and over 1,200 caregivers, the hospital has long been recognized as a comprehensive facility of choice for locals, expatriates and tourists.
The hospital, with its skilled team of caregivers and specialists complemented by its high-technology medical equipment, has successfully performed complex surgery from open heart to liver transplant. The hospital is well equipped from digital imaging to the latest 64-slice CT scan.
The hospital's international department is always available to assist our foreign patients and visitors. The hospital also has an immigration counter to assist foreigners with visa and other immigration requirements.
At Samitivej Sukhumvit, our vision is to provide a high standard of quality and excellence in every aspect for our customers.
Samitivej, We Care
2010 Ashes Golf Tournament
27th August 2010 at Thana City Golf and Country Club
This will be held on 27th August 2010 at Thana City Golf and Country Club. 12:30PM shotgun start. (registration at 11:00am)
This year Austcham are hosting this years event. The New Zealand and Australian Chambers will join forces to win back the cup from the Brits.
Fee: 2500 baht per person, this includes green fee, caddy fee, shirt, goody bag and a chance to win some fantastic prizes.
To register please contact
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KIWI CORNER
Some recent Kiwi Snippets and Kiwis in the news:
The All Blacks take on the French
Swapping their rugby boots for an apron, the All Blacks took their skills from the field to the kitchen in Akaroa, the last stop on the MasterCard All Blacks Roadshow.
A historical French and British settlement, the local challenge, waiter racing, draws on the small town’s rich heritage. And while the All Blacks are used to taking on the French, this was a whole new ball game.
The All Blacks were feeling pretty confident after a tough match against the Aussies to take the Bledisloe Cup the night before. In the end, another win for the All Blacks with a table topping time of 10.4 seconds, narrowly beating speedy local Craig Rhodes who clocked in at 11 seconds.
The overall competition rounded up a draw, with the locals of Tokoroa, Taihape and Naseby beating the All Blacks at wood sawing, gumboot throwing and curling, and the All Blacks winning the Caber Toss, coal shovelling and now, waiter racing, in Waipu, Reefton and Akaroa.
For more information on the MasterCard All Blacks Roadshow, please visit www.MasterCardroadshow.co.nz
How Clever Are These Kiwi Robbers?
Two potential burglars abandoned their smash and grab after one of them was hit in the head with his own rock, say Wellington police. Police could see from CCTV images, one of the offenders is seen throwing a rock at the window which then came down and hit him on the head, at which point they fled the scene.
A Goldilocks-style burglar was arrested when her victim came home to find her asleep in bed. Finding her asleep, the homeowner phoned police, an option the three bears in the Goldilocks fable failed to exercise.
Hamilton bank staff were left laughing after a bare-chested man demanded 50 cents from them, before crouching down then running away. Police said the man, with a bandana over his lower face and demanded $10. When the teller said she didn't have any money he asked for 50c.A passing policeman gave chase and the man was caught
2010 COST OF LIVING SURVEY -ASIA PACIFIC
Auckland (4) retains its position as the highest-ranking city for quality of living in the region. Sydney follows at 10, Wellington at 12, Melbourne at 18 and Perth at 21. At 26, Canberra is new to the index. Singapore remains the highest-ranking Asian city at 28, followed by Japanese cities Tokyo (40), Kobe and Yokohama (both at 41), Osaka (51) and Nagoya (57). The region’s lowest-ranking cities are Dhaka in Bangladesh (206) and two cities new to the list – Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan (209) and Dushanbe in Tajikistan (210).
Survey organisers commented: “Quality of living declined in a few countries in Asia between the start of 2009 and 2010. Increasing threats of violence and terrorism, coupled with natural disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons and cyclones have had a negative impact on the quality of living in Asian cities. This may result in higher hardship allowances for expatriates sent to these countries.”
With a score of 138.9, Wellington (5) is the highest-ranking eco-city in the region followed by Adelaide (7), Kobe (9), Perth (12) and Auckland (13). Dhaka in Bangladesh (220) ranks lowest with a score of 30.9.
KIWI DEVICE TO MAKE BROADBAND 50X FASTER
A small Palmerston North company has created a device that will make broadband internet more than 50 times faster without having to pay hundreds of dollars installing fibre-optic cables.
The system looks like a modem, and connects with homes' existing wiring to boost broadband speeds without having to pay the fee for re-wiring a home with fibre-optic cables to get such fast internet.
The wiring in most New Zealand homes is too old to cope with fast internet.
Three engineers from little-known company Remote Management Systems have been quietly designing the device, called a service delivery point, for the past 2 1/2 years.
The brains behind the service delivery point belong to the company's operations manager Alan Jacks, production design engineer Hayden Short, and development engineer Chris Johnston.
But now the modest trio are being propelled into the limelight after signing a contact with Telecom's infrastructure division, Chorus, which has already taken orders for the product. The company is also marketing to Australia, and has received interest from Britain, Singapore, Taiwan and France.
More than 1500 New Zealand homes are lined up to get the system installed, with orders for the company to produce 4000 each month until the end of the year.
The clever device also has a second appeal. For homes that do have fibre-optic cabling, it will act as a backup electricity system. The device will sense when the power has cut and will keep the landline phone running for up to four hours.
A small-business version of the model will also be available that will keep eftpos machines, security cameras operating and alarms running.
BIG JUMP IN NZ OVERSEAS STUDENT ROLL
Kiwi students are being turned away from tertiary study as international numbers increase, new figures show.
A recent Education Ministry report shows strong demand for domestic places, which Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce admits cannot be fully met.
"Are we able to meet all demand? No, basically, we haven't got any more money," Mr Joyce said last night.
"It's challenging for this year and next year." But he said a 9 per cent rise in international enrolments last year was not at the expense of domestic students.
The report on trends in tertiary education shows that, after a three-year fall, from 2008 to 2009 the overall number of students increased. Study at the highest levels grew the most, up by as much as 15 per cent last year.
However, a big drop in the number of Kiwis in low-level, non-university study meant that, overall, domestic enrolments went up only 1 per cent. The report said: "Government funding caps on tertiary education enrolments may also have contained the latest increase in the number of domestic students."
Otago, Victoria, and Massey universities have all announced tight restrictions or the closure of enrolments on courses this year. The Government will not subsidise universities to enrol more than 103 per cent of their roll from the previous year, meaning some students have had to be turned away.
The Government was trying to spend money on people most likely to succeed by implementing a requirement for students to pass half of their courses over two years.
It was also funding more domestic students than at any time before, with an extra 765 university places and 455 polytechnic places funded for next year.
Restrictions on international students do not apply, however, because they pay the full cost of their study. That has allowed 9 per cent growth to 43,500 international students last year, with a further 9 per cent boost expected this year.
CHAMBER UPDATES
We would like to welcome the following new member to the Chamber :
The Sukhothai Bangkok
Business Type: Hotel
Chamber Representative: Mr Gregory Meadows.
Our AGM is now not far away, scheduled for 29th October, prior to that invoices for membership renewal will be going out,
We encourage interested people to stand for the new committee, bring in new ideas and action those things you perhaps have always wanted the Chamber to do.. If you are interested please email Julie at
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Chamber News 
