PIONEERING DECENTRALISED SECURE MESSAGING PLATFORM MANYONE ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP WITH UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON CENTRE BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY
- : Manyone Inc.
- : 25/02/2021
Vancouver, Canada – February 25th, 2021 – Manyone Inc., a pioneering technology venture in decentralization and digital identity, is delighted to announce that it has entered into a new strategic relationship with the globally renowned University College London (UCL) Centre Blockchain Technology (CBT).
This partnership will support research conducted by UCL CBT’s Senior Research Associate, Dr Geoffrey Goodell, to explore and evaluate end-user technology systems, infrastructure, business imperatives, and regulatory policy to support the privacy, dignity, and market power of individual persons in the emerging digital economy. The research is aimed at identifying the requirements and approaches for systems whose features specifically support the advancement of truly consensual trust relationships, the empowerment of local communities, and the public interest.
Vancouver-based Manyone believes in empowering solutions and technologies with the potential to produce a new, distributed internet where everyone can feel safe, secure and in control of their digital identity.
Dr Paolo Tasca, Founder and Executive Director of the UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies, notes that, “On behalf of UCL and the Centre for Blockchain Technologies, I am delighted to begin our new partnership with international industry partners Peer Social Foundation and Manyone. We are grateful for their support and recognition of the impactful research being done to meet our shared ambitions. Thanks to their generosity we will continue our proud tradition of enabling academic research with real-world application.”
Michael Cholod CEO at Manyone and Executive Director of The Peer Social Foundation comments, “As a dedicated group of decentralists, our teams look to find ways to free communication from manipulation and control by protecting individual, business or governmental digital identities. Part of that mission is to work with the most respected and knowledgeable people in the field. The team at UCL represent some of the best thinkers in the area and we’re honoured to work with them.”
Dr Geoffrey Goodell, Senior Research Associate at UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies, specifically ads that, “The funding from The Peer Social Foundation and Manyone will provide vital resource to explore and evaluate user-controlled identity management, decentralised social networks, and tokenisation as vehicle for authorisation without identification. Our partnership will support the advancement of trusted relationships in the digital economy, the empowerment of local communities for the benefit of public interest. I am excited to deepen our collaboration and share our insights.”
Manyone, with offices in Vancouver, Canada and Stockholm, Sweden are looking to launch the first decentralised secure messaging solution by Mid-2021.
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Manyone is a pioneering technology venture that aims to deliver private secure networks and private digital identities, to increase personal and enterprise productivity and digital security. Manyone actively works with The Peer Social Foundation on education and research into topics of interest to consumers and enterprise. The Peer Social Foundation and Manyone believe in empowering a distributed internet where everyone can feel in control of their digital identity. They do this by delivering a self-sovereign digital identity and decentralized communication and sharing platform for enterprise and consumers. A critical component of this is to work beside and support vital education, R&D and the open-source community to connect people, business.
Find out more here: www.manyone.one http://blockchain.cs.ucl.ac.uk/
- : Michael Cholod
- : Chief Executive Decentralist
- : info@manyone.one
- : 16048361112
- : https://manyone.one
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/manyoneapp/mycompany/?viewAsMember=true
Entrepreneur challenges business owners to help save the environment
- : Paste & Publish
- : 24/02/2021
Paste & Publish, a New Zealand based content marketing agency announced today that they are setting aside 5% of revenue to provide pro bono work to selected environmental projects that wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford professional help.
Paste & Publish Founder, Callum Armstrong, says that this commitment is important because our natural world is in a state of crisis.
“I believe that it is our responsibility as business owners to help create the future we want to leave for our children.
There’s no silver bullet in the fight against climate change, but every little bit of help makes a difference,” says Armstrong.
“That’s why we have built philanthropy into our business model – to ensure that as we grow, so does our positive impact on the planet.”
The first project that will receive support from their 5% pledge is The Reforestation Fund. This fund, which is set to launch later in the year, provides sustainable and ethical brands with a way to help the environment as part of their offering.
Companies who support The Reforestation Fund donate a small amount from every sale on selected products, and are allowed to display the fund’s endorsement in return. Money raised is used to help community projects that plant native forests and support groups that look after our native plants and wildlife.
The Reforestation Fund co-founder, Anna Wentsch, says that people are looking for ways to support the environment, and that the services provided by Paste & Publish will empower TRF to make it easy for people to do just that.
“We are extremely grateful for the support that Paste & Publish is providing by designing our brand identity and rebuilding our website.
This will set up the foundations for us to connect people and companies with our natural world,” says Wentsch.
Armstrong says that companies who design philanthropy into their everyday operations experience a wide range of benefits. They often see higher rates of customer retention and trust, happier staff who know they are doing good in the world, increased sales and less reliance on price based competition.
About Paste & Publish
Based in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, Paste & Publish provides content marketing services to companies that want to grow. They help brands to attract their ideal customers by creating high value strategic content, and using sales funnels to convert them into paying clients. To find out more, visit www.pasteandpublish.com.
- IMG_5840_enhanced
- : Callum Armstrong
- : Managing Director
- : callum@pasteandpublish.com
- : 642102671022
- : https://www.pasteandpublish.com
- https://www.facebook.com/pasteandpublish | https://www.instagram.com/pasteandpublish | https://www.linkedin.com/company/71003381
Exciting New Zealand-Based Freelance Website Answers Roaring Freelance Economy
- : Skill Connect
- : 05/02/2021
SkillConnect connects businesses and freelancers in an erupting remote work environment
New Zealand, (February 5, 2021) — SkillConnect is an exciting new freelance website that was created to answer the incredible demand for remote work opportunities brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the website is operated in New Zealand, it presents businesses and freelancers with an opportunity to work with each other from virtually anywhere around the world. Account registration is free for both businesses and freelancers.
Officially launched in late 2020, SkillConnect was built from the ground-up as an innovative freelancer platform that is easy to use for both businesses and freelancers.
The site actively evolves and adapts to changes in demand, services, and feedback from its users. As the site continues to grow, more features will be added to better serve its users.
The hiring process for a freelancer is notably simple, and can be broken down into four steps:
- Post a job or project
- Connect with freelancers
- Chat and share files
- Pay only after the project is completed or upon mutual agreement
With the demand for freelance work on the rise, SkillConnect seeks to supply the demand for freelancers, both in New Zealand and abroad, “More people than ever are looking for opportunities to use their skills to make money online,” says the founder of SkillConnect, Sathya Parlapothula.
“There is also a huge demand for freelance work, particularly from small businesses who want more economical options to hiring full-time employees. The fit and the opportunity were both there to make this successful,” Sathya Parlapothula says.
About SkillConnect
SkillConnect is a New Zealand-based online freelancing site that connects businesses and freelancers all around the world. It was launched in November 2020 and continues to see a growing number of registered freelancers and businesses.
For more about SkillConnect, visit:
www.skillconnect.co.nz
For more information, please contact:Name: Sathya Parlapothula
Email: hello@skillconnect.co.nz
- Skill Connect Press Release 05 Feb 2021
- : https://youtu.be/iPDNZC-AaqI
- : Sathya Parlapothula
- : CEO
- : hello@recruit.nz
- : 043901205
- https://www.facebook.com/skillconnectnz | https://twitter.com/SkillConnect1 | https://www.instagram.com/skillconnectnz/
Techweek is on a mission to find out how connected New Zealand is
- : Techweek
- : 11/03/2020
Techweek, New Zealand’s festival of technology and innovation, wants to start a national conversation about how tech is impacting the daily lives of New Zealanders. It is today launching a survey asking people to let them know how many smart devices they have in their homes.
“The number of devices that can connect to the internet is constantly increasing. It used to just be your home computer – now it is a whole range of devices, including tablets, smart watches, speakers and TVs,” says Techweek Chief Strategy Officer Julie Gill.
“We think it’s important to consider how this technology is changing New Zealand households and one of the first ways to do that is to find out how many connected devices Kiwis have,” she says.
The number of connected devices is growing exponentially with the advent of smart homes. That’s when internet-connected devices control, monitor or regulate functions in the house such as room temperature and security alarms.
Gill recognises that while many New Zealanders have the opportunity to embrace new technology, there are households that are missing out, in what is known as the digital divide.
“In the latest Census, 1.3 million households stated they had access to the internet. This was out of 1.65 million total households. While it’s fascinating to look at how connectivity is impacting our daily life now, and in the future, we also have to be mindful that not everyone is able to participate,” Gill says.
“The Techweek2020 tagline is “Connecting our Future” and that includes everyone in Aotearoa – every New Zealander deserves to share in the advantages that connectivity brings. By finding out more about our everyday use of technology we can use that information to contribute to the discussion on how to tackle the digital divide.”
The results of the survey will be released during Techweek2020, 18 – 24 May. Last year Techweek attracted over 46,000 attendees around the country to hundreds of events that showcase technology and innovation. Events this year include Auckland University of Technology’s Creative Technologies Mid-Year Show, Canterbury Tech hosting a ‘Pathways to Tech’ event in Christchurch, and ‘Whānau Adventures in Tech’, a free event for the whole family in Tauranga. You can learn about these events and more at techweek.co.nz.
The survey is on the Techweek website here or check out Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIN.
About Techweek2020
Techweek2020 is a national celebration of tech innovation presented by NZTech. During 18-22 May hundreds of events that showcase the use of technology in Aotearoa New Zealand take place across the country. Techweek2020 is supported by the Auckland University of Technology, Callaghan Innovation and EMA, ANZ Bank and Chorus. Learn more at techweek.co.nz.
NZTech is a not-for-profit membership organisation which is the voice of the New Zealand technology ecosystem.
- Techweek How Connected Are You Image
- : Julie Gill
- : Chief Strategy Officer
- : julie.gill@techalliance.nz
- : 0274585671
- : https://techweek.co.nz
Government’s proposed Landfill Levy increase will have no impact on plastic waste
- : plastic2parliament
- : 28/11/2019
This week the Government announced a long awaited and welcome proposal to increase the landfill levy in order to encourage behaviour change away from dumping to more recovery, recycling and reuse. However, the increased levy will have no effect on the volumes of plastic waste entering the economy, our landfills and the environment, according to plastic2parliament.
“Currently plastics account for around 8% of total waste by weight, but as much as 20% of landfill by volume and that’s an enormous proportion of the waste problem.” said Wade Bishop, initiator of the plastic2parliament letter writing initiative. (Ref. Recycle.co.nz)
“With the landfill levy based on weight there’s no incentive in this to move away from plastic packaging or other avoidable plastics that end up in our landfills and environment.” Wade Bishop said.
Plastic2parliament is encouraging New Zealanders to ask all political parties what their plastic reduction policies are by penning letters to MPs in Parliament, via the Parliamentary free-post address while also stuffing their large envelopes full of non-recyclable plastics to illustrate the plastic waste problem.
“We are asking political parties and Government to focus regulation on the producers of plastic packaging targeted at simply making less of it.” said Bishop.
The global oil industry is currently investing US$180 billion in new plastic production plants to increase production by 40% in the next 10 years. This immense supply-pressure will create a further explosion in plastic volumes here in New Zealand and the increased landfill levy will have zero effect on that. This is an over-production issue that needs urgent regulation where the problem starts: the producers.” he said.
The Plastic2parliament initiative believes that an immediate impact can be made on plastic waste by extending bans across wide categories of avoidable single-use plastics, such as cutlery, dishes, cups, takeaway containers and even bubble and pallet wraps.
The initiative also advocates a Plastic Tax on imported virgin plastics used to manufacture single-use packaging and on imported new plastic packaging.
“While the landfill levy will have a negligible effect on the cost of dumping plastic packaging for New Zealanders, it still gets under your skin having to pay even more to get rid of a toxic waste that you didn’t ask for in the first place.” Wade Bishop said.
Plastic2parliament continues to grow quickly with membership numbers of the Facebook Group reaching more than 1000 people sending more than 720 letters and plastic parcels to MPs since beginning in early October this year, including another 90 to Minister for the Environment, David Parker, this week.
ABOUT PLASTIC2PARLIAMENT
Plastic2parliament is a letter-writing initiative started by Wade Bishop of Christchurch which encourages New Zealanders concerned about single-use plastics to include these products with their letters to M.P.s using the Parliamentary Free-post address. The purpose of the initiative is to creatively emphasise how these non-recyclable products cannot be avoided by consumers and that the actual cause of plastic waste is over-production and use by manufacturers. We seek to have M.P.s advocate for meaningful plastic waste reduction policy within their respective Party focused on packaging producers.
Oil companies are investing US$180 billion right now to increase virgin plastic production by 40% before 2030. This enormous supply pressure has already created an explosion in single-use packaging globally. New Zealand will not be immune to these supply pressures and is poorly placed to deal with the waste volumes that will eventuate. (Ref. theguardian.com; and sciencemag.org)
- plastic2parliament_mailing David Parker
- : Wade Bishop
- : Initiator
- : plastic2parliament@gmail.com
- : 021432045
- : https://www.facebook.com/groups/plastic2parliament
- Twitter: @plastic2parlia1 | Facebook: @plastic2parliament
640 letters but no reply from Scott Simpson… yet
- : plastic2parliament
- : 20/11/2019
More than 640 letters in parcels filled with nonrecyclable single-use plastics have been mailed to MPs in Parliament via freepost since the plastic2parliament initiative started in mid-October. Another 125 plastic-stuffed letters were directed to National Party Environment Spokesperson, Scott Simpson, this week in a second mailing to the MP.
“When we mailed Mr. Simpson a few weeks ago, we specifically asked he put aside party politics for a moment and let people know what his plastic waste reduction policy might be.” Said Wade Bishop – initiator of the plastic2parliament letter writing initiative that encourages the public to include non-recyclable plastics with their letters to MPs.
“Unfortunately, instead of saying what he or his Party might actually do should they be in Government, he simply side-stepped into meaningless politicking,” Wade Bishop said.
At the time of the first mailing, Mr. Simpson received around 60 letters and plastic parcels and was quoted as saying:
“I’d suggest people send this to the Minister’s office instead as there has been a complete lack of action on recycling and waste minimisation from this Government.” (Ref. Stuff.co.nz)The second letter sent to Mr. Simpson, again, asked him to support the Product Stewardship changes to the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 (WMA) proposed by the Government (which includes many categories of plastic packaging) but also asked him to advocate for bans of avoidable single-use plastics, such as cutlery and dishes, and a Plastic Tax on imported virgin plastics used to manufacture single-use packaging. (Ref. MFE.govt.nz)
Mr. Bishop said: “The fact is, the powers of Waste Minimisation Act [WMA] have been available since 2008. We could have avoided this deluge of single-use plastic waste, but instead those powers have largely not been used.
“The previous National Government essentially sat on the WMA and did nothing. This current Government is, at least, looking to put some of those powers into meaningful action. The problem for New Zealand is we can never be sure who will be in Government,” he said.
Plastic2parliament is encouraging citizens to ask all political Parties to detail their plastic reduction policies by penning letters to MPs in Parliament, via the Parliamentary Freepost address, asking them to focus regulation on the producers of plastic packaging, while also stuffing their large envelopes full of nonrecyclable plastics to make the point.
The plastic2parliament initiative continues to grow quickly with membership numbers of the Facebook Group reaching almost 1000 people since beginning in early October.
The global oil industry is currently investing US$180 billion in new plastic production plants with the aim to increase production by 40% in the next 10 years and some estimates suggest that plastic-waste volumes could quadruple before 2050.” Wade Bishop said. “This immense supply-pressure makes plastic-waste an issue of over-production with very little to do with consumer demand or consumer choices and it needs urgent, firm regulation.” he said.
ABOUT PLASTIC2PARLIAMENT
Plastic2parliament is a letter-writing initiative started by Wade Bishop of Christchurch which encourages citizens concerned about the explosion of single-use plastics to include these products with their letters to MPs using the Parliamentary Freepost address. The purpose of the initiative is to creatively emphasise how these nonrecyclable products cannot be avoided by consumers and that the actual cause of plastic waste is over-production and use by manufacturers.
ENDS
Media Contact: Wade Bishop
https://www.facebook.com/groups/plastic2parliament/
M: 021 432045
E: plastic2parliament@gmail.com- Plastic2parliament_MailDayEvent_18Nov19
- : Wade Bishop
- : Initiator
- : plastic2parliament@gmail.com
- : 021432045
- : https://www.facebook.com/groups/plastic2parliament
- @plastic2parlia1 | @sendit2them | @plastic2parliament
More than 500 Plastic-filled parcels mailed to MPs
- : plastic2parliament
- :
More than 500 letters and parcels filled with nonrecyclable single-use plastics have now been mailed to MPs in Parliament via freepost.
This week alone, the plastic2parliament initiative mailed over 130 plastic-stuffed letters to NZ First MP Jenny Marcroft to ask if her Party has a single-use plastic reduction policy.
“Plastic waste is essentially environmental change in solid form,” said Wade Bishop, initiator of plastic2parliament.
The plastic2parliament initiative encourages the public to include non-recyclable plastics in their mail to MPs to illustrate the problem.
“The problem with these plastics is that once they’re in the environment they don’t go away but continue to break down into smaller and smaller particles.” Wade Bishop said.
The letters ask MPs to support the Product Stewardship changes to the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 (WMA) proposed by the Government which includes many categories of plastic packaging but also ask for bans of avoidable plastics and for all political Parties to have a plastic-waste reduction policy.
“Plastics are now in our water, our air, our food and we now eat about a credit cards worth or more every year. There’s plenty of research making its way into media about endocrine disrupting chemicals in plastic packaging and most recently to type 2 diabetes in research out of Australia.” Mr. Bishop said. “One could say that the cost of over-production of plastics is more than just the economics of dealing with the waste alone.” (Ref. sciencedirect.com; and baker.edu.au)
Plastic2parliament is encouraging citizens concerned about the growing epidemic of avoidable and single-use packaging plastics to engage in penning letters to MPs in Parliament via the Parliamentary Freepost address. The initiative asks politicians to focus regulation on the producers of plastic packaging, while urging the public to stuff their large envelopes full of nonrecyclable plastics to make the point.
The plastic2parliament initiative continues to grow quickly with membership numbers of the Facebook Group now more than 900 people since the initiative began in early October.
“People are tired of plastic pollution being framed as a consumer issue, or one that is simply a matter of better collection and recycling.” Wade Bishop said.
“The fact is, it’s more about unfettered production of higher and higher volumes of single-use plastics. It’s a production issue driven by the economic benefits of cheap plastics, which are cheap only because the true lifetime cost of those plastics is not currently carried by those producers.”
The global oil industry is investing US$180 billion in new plastic production plants, over this coming 10 years, with the aim to increase production by 40% from the 348 million tonnes per year presently. Some estimates suggest that plastic waste volumes will quadruple by 2050. (Ref. theguardian.com; and sciencemag.org)
“We already know that plastic waste and pollution is an enormous problem here in New Zealand, and globally. The current investments to increase plastic production exponentially in the face of the problems we already see is criminal. It’s foolish to think that New Zealand will not experience a massive increase in plastics given this mounting global supply pressure.” Mr Bishop said.
Media Contact: Wade Bishop
https://www.facebook.com/groups/plastic2parliament/
M: 021 432045
E: plastic2parliament@gmail.comABOUT PLASTIC2PARLIAMENT
Plastic2parliament is a letter-writing initiative started by Wade Bishop of Christchurch which encourages citizens concerned about the explosion of single-use plastics to include these products with their letters to MPs using the Parliamentary Freepost address. The purpose of the initiative is to creatively emphasise how these nonrecyclable products cannot be avoided by consumers and that the actual cause of plastic waste is over-production and use by manufacturers.- NZFirst_jennymarcroft_210219_MORE POPULAR THAN SIMON BRIDGES
- : Wade Bishop
- : Initiator of plastic2parliament
- : plastic2parliament@gmail.com
- : 021432045
- : https://www.facebook.com/groups/plastic2parliament
- @plastic2parliament | @plastic2parlia1
Simon Bridges asked to put aside politics on plastic waste
- : plastic2parliament
- : 06/11/2019
This week the plastic2parliament initiative mailed well over 130 plastic-stuffed letters to National Party leader Simon Bridges asking him to “do something crazy” and put aside party politics on plastic waste.
The letters asked him to support the Product Stewardship changes to the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 (WMA) proposed by the Government including plastic packaging.
“A massive opportunity to get on top of New Zealand’s plastic waste problem was lost during the 9 years of a National Government where they essentially sat on the powers contained in the WMA and did absolutely nothing to deploy them. Now Simon Bridges can act constructively to support the Government’s proposed changes and announce a meaningful plastic reduction policy of his own as well.” said Wade Bishop, the initiator of the letter writing to MPs.
Plastic2parliament is encouraging citizens concerned about the growing epidemic of avoidable and single-use packaging plastics to engage in penning letters to MPs in Parliament via the Parliamentary Freepost address. Citizens are also being asked to stuff their large envelopes full of non-recyclable plastics.
“I see this as a creative way to physically take this unfettered, over-production of single-use plastics directly to the desks of MPs where they can’t ignore it.” said Mr. Bishop.
“MPs need to acknowledge that plastic waste is a production problem, not a consumer issue, and advocate for meaningful plastic reduction policies (within their respective political Party) and to regulate the producers of these plastic products,” he said.
The plastic2parliament initiative shows no sign of slowing down. Membership to the Facebook Group now growing beyond 800 people. In turn, its members have delivered more than 350 letters and parcels of non-recyclable plastics to MPs since the middle of October.
“This might seem like a frivolous thing to be doing, but we are drawing attention to very serious issues that the public and MPs need to be fully aware of,” Wade Bishop said.
“The fact is, while we already now know that plastic pollution is an astonishingly big problem, global oil companies are investing US$180 billion in new plastic manufacturing plants aiming to increase virgin plastic production by 40% before 2030.
“This is the true cause of the explosion in single-use plastics around us here in New Zealand. This clearly illustrates that it is a production issue and not a matter of consumer choice as we always seem to hear.” he said.
Plastic2parliament is advocating that waste policy and legislation focus on the source of single-use plastics by regulating the producers of them to reduce volumes of plastic packaging entering the economy and then the environment.
“Setting measurable reduction targets on the import of virgin plastic resins, used for packaging, and, on import volumes of new plastic packaging, would be one clear way of measuring the success of any regulations that are put in place.” Mr. Bishop said.
“Only about 20% of plastics are recycled each year and many are not even recyclable for various reasons. With plastic production set to increase 40 percent in the coming 10 years, recycling is clearly not the solution to the plastic waste problem. The best solution is making less in the first place.” he said.
ENDS
- p2p mailing_simon bridges 2
- : Wade Bishop
- : Initiator of plastic2parliament
- : plastic2parliament@gmail.com
- : 021432045
- : https://www.facebook.com/groups/plastic2parliament/
- @plastic2parliament
Expat Brit Makes Extra $280,000 on Pension by Transferring to New Zealand
- : Lyfords Pension Transfer
- : 10/10/2019
The on-going Brexit negotiations and subsequent demise of the UK exchange rate have left many British expatriots who have moved to New Zealand wondering what to do about their UK pensions.
Should they wait for a more favourable exchange rate, or bite the bullet and transfer their pensions now – knowing that it could get far worse before it improves?
Alison Renfrew, pension transfer specialist at Lyford Investment Management, has been advising British expatriots for 17 years on their options for transferring their pensions. She recommends that with some exceptions, transferring now is probably the better option.
Why?
“Firstly, if you’re worried about the exchange rate, you can keep your funds invested in GBP and convert them into NZD years in the future,” says Renfrew.
“More importantly though; pension transfer values seem to be really high at the moment.
“I advised a client earlier this month that her transfer value had increased by 25% in just six months. She now has another £145,168 ($281,776NZD) to transfer. This is phenomenal”.
Renfrew has not seen such a dramatic positive change in transfer values before.
On the very same day, Renfrew had a conversation with another client about her pension transfer value. She was offered a Cash Equivalent Transfer Value (CETV) of £59,731, or a pension of £900 p.a.
You would have to receive £900 p.a. for 66 years before you broke even – before you saw any investment returns from your retirement savings.
“It is 100% illogical to accept such a lousy deal,” Renfrew says.
When Renfrew compared current CETVs with promised pensions, she found little incentive to choose to have a taxable pension paid from the UK compared to receiving a far higher non-taxable income in New Zealand based on realistic investment projections.
“What Brits really don’t like is knowing that if they die prematurely their spouse will only get half of the income. In some cases, the spouse gets nothing”.
A major benefit of taking control and investing your transfer value to provide you with a retirement income is that you can access your money if you need to. Conversely, there’s no access to your retirement pot if you’ve elected to take a pension.
“Where is your financial security if you can’t access your money in an emergency?” Renfrew asks.
There are a couple of exceptions, of course.
Renfrew cautions Brits and returning Kiwis not to transfer their pension funds if they are uncertain where they’ll live for the five years after they have transferred their pension funds to NZ, due to tax obligations.
Renfrew further cautions that before deciding to transfer you need professional advice to ensure that all your options have been considered.
“Maybe you are one of the few who have a very attractive pension, and converting to cash would be madness.
“You really need to seek independent advice from a New Zealand investment adviser specialising in pension transfers before making the decision to transfer, because individuals simply don’t have access to the same resources advisers do. It’s important to make informed choices.”
Alison and Richard Renfrew of Lyfords have been specialising in UK to New Zealand pension transfers for over 17 years. Visit their website to find out more.
- photo of the london eye
- : Alison Renfrew
- : Certified Financial Adviser
- : alison@lyfords.co.nz
- : 0800459367
- : https://uk-pension-transfer.co.nz/
- https://www.facebook.com/Lyfordsukpensiontransfers/ |
South Waikato District Council’s LED Lighting Upgrade Ready to Improve Public Safety and Air Quality
- : NZ IoT Alliance
- : 02/10/2019
A smart LED lighting project for South Waikato District Council (SWDC) will be featured by Auckland business NB SmartCities at the IoT half-day conference on Thursday 3 October in Auckland.
The second annual IoT Conference event, hosted by the New Zealand IoT Alliance, will showcase how Internet of Things (IoT) applications are creating smart cities in New Zealand and improving industrial productivity.
IoT Alliance Executive Council member John McDermott says the project for South Waikato District Council demonstrates how IoT technology provides multiple benefits for councils and the public.
“The South Waikato District installation is a standout example of how IoT solutions can provide long-lasting advantages and create new opportunities,” McDermott says.
“The new system is using less than half the power of the legacy street lamps and is providing better lighting for many more local roads. Also important for the council is that maintenance calls have more than halved, underlining the reliability and lower maintenance costs of the new technology.”
The system, which uses open network standard technology, can also support future applications such as air pollution monitoring, traffic analysis, smart parking, and remote water metering.
“South Waikato District Council has received very positive feedback from our community on this improved street lighting,” says Ted Anderson, SWDC’s Group Manager Assets.
“Tangible benefits include people being able to exercise and participate in other outdoor activities, like walking the dog, much later in the evenings especially during winter; and the safety improvements have been highlighted by many of our residents.”
In addition to the SWDC case study, McDermott says the IoT Half-Day conference event will showcase a variety of IoT solutions focused on Smart City and Industrial use cases. “The conference is featuring applications that help deliver better public services, improve health and safety, and enhance manufacturing performance”.
Spark is the gold sponsor for the IoT Conference and Spark Future of Connectivity Lead Renee Mateparae says the company is thrilled to be sponsoring an event that will bring the tangible benefits of IoT to the forefront so businesses can realise what it could do for them.
“The benefits that new Internet of Things technologies deliver are compelling when implemented correctly. They deliver better services, greater value and improve efficiency. Spark is pleased to support the New Zealand IoT Alliance in connecting the people and businesses that are implementing and deploying IoT applications with the decision makers and leaders that need to understand the impact and value that can be achieved”.
Also speaking at the event is Melissa Lee, National MP for Mount Albert, and National spokesperson for Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media & Ethnic Communities
The event is supported by gold sponsor Spark and silver sponsor LEAP Australia.
The IoT Half Day Conference is taking place at 12 Madden St, Viaduct, Auckland from 8.30am on Thursday 3 October. For more information and tickets, visit the NZ IoT Alliance website.
- earth-view-from-space-2
- : John McDermott
- : Executive Council Member
- : john+pr@johnmcdermott.nz
- : 0274100079
- : https://iotalliance.org.nz/nz-2019-iot-half-day-conference/
- @NZIoTAlliance | https://www.linkedin.com/company/nz-iot-alliance/
