Shincheonji Church of Jesus’ position on the abrupt cancellation of the Imjingak Peace Nuri Hall for their 110,000 Graduation
Shincheonji Church of Jesus are in the face of legal pressure, following the sudden cancellation and banning of the use of their venue of choice for their annual graduation ceremony for their theology school, Zion Christian Mission Centre.
Shincheonji allege that Gyeonggi Tourism Organization have committed unconstitutional acts of the sudden blockage of their event, on the premise of religious oppression.
Shincheonji Church of Jesus had rented the Imjingak Peace Park in Paju, Gyeonggi Province from October 29 to 31 to hold a Religious Leaders Forum and their 110,000 Graduation Ceremony on the 30th. Tens of thousands of graduates and religious leaders from both Korea and abroad had already entered the country and completed all preparations to participate in the event. Shincheonji had already spent hundreds of billions of won to conduct the event at this scale. However, on the morning of the 29th, it was reported the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization unilaterally cancelled the rental without consultation or notice to the other parties involved.
Frustrations from Shincheonji come from reports that all administrative procedures for the procession of the Religious Leaders Forum and the Graduation Ceremony were of legal nature and in constant cooperation with the Gyeonggi Tourism Organisation – both parties received an approval notice as early as July 22, rental fee from Shincheonji being paid in full on October 2 and on October 16, the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization gave final reviews of all the details of the event, undergoing extensive safety inspections. In particular, on the same day, there was news that Gyeonggi Province had designated the entire Paju City as a danger zone, but under the guise to block the distribution of leaflets to North Korea. Furthermore, on October 23 and 28, figures from the tourism organisation confirmed twice that “there are no plans to cancel the venue booking.”
The Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon had ordered the cancellation of the venue, due to the reason of “provoking North Korea.”
Shincheonji and many others allege that large-scale events that had taken place at Imjingak Peace Nuri had never brought forth any unwanted attention from the nation’s direct opposition. Speculations arose that it was due to the targeting of a specific religious group from the local government.
Knowing that this stemmed from such and that it also defies many aspects of the Korean constitution, it has caused much outcry from those both in and outside of Shincheonji.
Shincheonji are looking to take all possible legal means to resolve the issue if the events proceed in a way where the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization fail to take responsibility, or fail to settle the matter civilly.
Street protests from members within Shincheonji are also being considered.
Shincheonji are also asking for an official public apology from their former event partners, and to put a halt to religious discrimination against them and others.
Freedom of religion has been stressed heavily, with Shincheonji officials stating “freedom of religion is not a subject of negotiation” in order for them and their congregation to exercise their faith without discrimination.
Introducing NEW Selaks Origins Breeze 5%
Selaks, a pioneer in New Zealand’s wine industry, proudly unveils Selaks Origins Breeze 5%, a revolutionary addition to its portfolio.
Launching this August, Selaks Origins Breeze 5% makes its timely debut following Dry July, pioneering Selak’s first ever 5% alcohol offering in New Zealand. Each bottle promises an easy-drinking experience with just 3 standard drinks per 750ml bottle at 5% ABV.
Research consistently indicates a growing demand for lower-alcohol beverages. Consumers are increasingly mindful of their alcohol intake and are actively seeking options that allow them to enjoy wine in moderation. This shift reflects a broader cultural movement in New Zealand towards more responsible drinking habits.
The Origins Breeze range uses the Piquette method, a traditional technique originating from France. Piquette is made by rescuing already pressed winemaking grapes and giving them a second squeeze, resulting in a refreshing range that includes a crisp Piquette from Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, a summer berry-infused Piquette Rosé, and a vibrant Piquette from Pinot Gris.
“Utilizing the traditional Piquette method, we’ve crafted fruit wines that not only minimize waste but also maximize the vibrant fruit flavors that define our fruit wines.” said David Edmonds, Chief Winemaker at Selaks.
Crafted with innovation and waste reduction in mind, this range caters to wine enthusiasts and health-conscious consumers alike, seeking a flavourful, lighter option without compromising on taste.
“At Selaks, we’re excited to introduce the Origins Breeze 5% range, a testament to our commitment to quality and innovation,” added Edmonds.
“We’ve focused on creating a product that captures the bright, fresh characteristics of our fruit, appealing to a broad spectrum of consumers,”
Selaks Origins Breeze 5% is poised to redefine expectations of lower-alcohol fruit wines, offering a delicious choice for any occasion.
About Selaks: 90 Years of Winemaking
Founded with a rich heritage, Selaks is celebrated for crafting exceptional New Zealand wines that honor tradition while embracing innovation. Since Marino Selak arrived from Croatia in 1906, he and his nephew began creating wines that have become favorites across New Zealand, marking the start of Selaks’ legacy of excellence in winemaking.
From their humble beginnings in West Auckland to their current home in the Hawke’s Bay, they’ve built a legacy steeped in tradition and passion. Each bottle carries the essence of those who have shaped its creation, preserving the spirit of their winemaking family through the generations. Selaks’ commitment to quality and excellence has traveled far beyond borders, embraced by wine lovers across the globe.
For more information about Selaks Origins Breeze 5% visit www.selaks.co.nz
App to help consumers before they get to the Supermarket
As the cost of living crisis bites, a New Zealand company, Sumfood, has launched an app designed to help New Zealander’s save money at the supermarket. The free app lets consumers know which supermarket has the cheapest price, per person, for groceries.
Launched on 1 December, it is hoped that it will provide consumers with a little comfort at the checkout as the holiday season approaches.
Dr Helen Darling of Sumfood believes that the kiwi’s want to help kiwi’s find the best place to shop and, at the same time, drive supermarkets towards fairer and more transparent pricing. To do this, she said, will require innovative people to start using the app, as the amount of data builds, supermarkets will no longer be able to hide behind price differences.
“Anecdotally, we know that where you live has an impact on what you pay at the supermarket – it’s time for some transparency”. Price information is crowd-sourced from motivated consumers.
The app was designed in response to increasing concerns of food price inconsistencies reported through the company’s food reporting tool.
For the last two years the company has collected reports on food issues, with these ranging from concerns about food preparation or hygiene through to contaminants or foreign objects. The company provides a service to consumers that gives them advice on what to do and who to contact.
The new app, FoodSpies.com, uses crowd-sourced data to calculate the average price for a supermarket shop. Shoppers can log on and find the average price, per person, for supermarkets in their region. Data are sourced from shoppers who provide the cost of their shop and the pricing is continuously recalculated so that the most up-to-date information is available.
Darling said that it’s an exciting time to be launching another tool to help consumers, adding that the idea came from her young, motivated team who are committed to making food systems safer and fairer.
Christmas crunch: 60% of Kiwis stressed about the cost of Christmas
30 November 2022, New Zealand
Highlights
- Kiwis to spend an average of $623 on gifts this year.
- Women much more stressed about Christmas costs than men.
- Almost two-thirds would pay more for a sustainable gift.
The majority of Kiwis feel stressed about the cost of this year’s Christmas, reveals the latest research from personal finance information website Banked.
A survey of 1,020 New Zealanders found that 60% of Kiwis describe themselves as either a ‘little stressed’ (46%) or ‘very stressed’ (14%) about the expenditure involved with this year’s festivities.
Women are feeling under more pressure than men, with 70% reporting some level of stress, compared with 49% of men.
Banked’s Christmas spending report found that Kiwis will spend an average of $623 on gifts this year. Women said they expect to spend $566 on average, while for men that figure climbs to $712.
“With rocketing inflation and a cost of living crisis to contend with, lots of New Zealanders are really feeling the pinch this Christmas,” says Kevin McHugh, Head of Publishing at Banked.
“Many will be worrying about their personal finances when they should be able to wind down and appreciate some well-earned time off with friends and loved ones.”
Banked’s research also found that sustainability is an important consideration for Kiwis when buying gifts. Almost two-thirds (65%) say they would be willing to pay more for a gift if it was sustainable, such as one that involved zero waste or was made from recyclable materials.
Younger people are even more interested in sustainable gift-giving, with 76% of those aged 18-24 (falling into the Gen Z age group) stating that they would be willing to pay more for a sustainable gift.
Conversely, under half (49%) of those aged 55 and older say they would be willing to pay extra for a gift if it was sustainable.
“Sustainability is a vital issue and it’s pleasing that so many Kiwis are willing to support it, even if it costs them a little extra at the checkout,” says McHugh.
See Banked’s NZ Christmas Spending Report 2022.
Top ways to save this Christmas
Don’t feel obligated to spend beyond your means – “Christmas is an expensive time and many feel pressure to spend money that they don’t have,” says McHugh.
“Don’t feel an obligation to buy gifts you’ll struggle to afford or take part in every costly social event. Put your wallet and your wellbeing first.”
Secret Santa or group gifting – “Arranging a Secret Santa is a great way to cut costs. It can also be lots of fun and lets you focus on getting a great gift for one person.
“Chipping in with others for a group gift is another excellent way to save, plus it makes it possible to purchase an otherwise unaffordable present,” says McHugh.
Set a budget (and stick to it) – “It can be easy to overspend at Christmas. But by setting a budget and keeping track of your spending, you’ll make managing your finances over the festive period much easier,” advises McHugh.
ENDS
About Banked
Banked is a financial information and deals website that has the goal of helping New Zealanders make the best decisions on the products they need.
Teams “Yadrava na Vanua” from Fiji and “Not Basic” from New Zealand win the Grand Prizes for Space Challenge
Christchurch—18 February 2022.
Yadrava na Vanua (Environment Watch) from Suva, Fiji won the Grand Prize today for the Space for Planet Earth Challenge.
Their project focused on integrating satellite data on land cover types across Fiji with ground truth measurements, and refining the carbon sequestration data with machine learning analysis of high resolution satellite images from Planet to generate international standard levels of measurements, reporting, and verification of carbon stocks.
Separately, “Not Basic” from Newlands College, Wellington, New Zealand, won the Grand Prize at the High School level. Their work featured using machine learning analysis of satellite data to predict the conditions leading to coral bleaching as detected within the Allen Coral Atlas with Planet satellite data.
Six teams from New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji competed in demo sessions with a panel of judges, then a Pitch presentation to a live online audience. The winners are awarded cash prizes of $30,000 and $10,000 each, satellite data from company Planet, and mentorship from SpaceBase. Additionally the High School team will receive scholarships from the US Based MMAARS Academy to attend their Level 1 Virtual Mars Programme.
“The presentations that I’ve seen were so amazing…and I was blown away by the ideas and the ability that they’ve shown…Planet is so proud to be part of this competition,” Dr. Tanya Harrison, Director of Strategic Innovation for Planet and a Finals Judge for the competition, said at the event.
The winners were selected by judges from Planet, the U.S. Embassy to New Zealand, Pacific GIS and Remote Sensing Council, Rocket Lab, Callaghan Innovation, ChristchurchNZ, Callaghan Innovation, and Consegna.cloud.
The awards were presented by the NZ Space Agency and the U.S. Embassy.
“I’ve been extremely impressed with the sophistication of the solutions that have been developed, by the approach of looking for different data sources to incorporate into those solutions, to reaching out to other organisations, establishing partnerships to make this more effective, and the quality of the presentations,” said Dimitri Geidelberg, Principal Advisor to the Agency.
The Challenge was the brainchild of SpaceBase founders who leverage incentive prizes and space technologies to catalyse innovation while solving tough problems in the region. “Already, we see the Challenge as pushing the teams to accelerate their research and create opportunities they may not otherwise have been able to realise.” said Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, CEO of SpaceBase. “We think this is only the beginning for these climate change focused innovations, and we hope to continue to support these teams in their progress over the coming months and years.”
For more information about the Challenge and the Winners, go to spaceforearth.org
The Challenge is made possible by a partnership between SpaceBase Limited and Planet. Sponsors include the U.S. Embassy in New Zealand, K1W1, NZ Space Agency, ChristchurchNZ, Consegna.cloud, Clare Foundation, Greenlight Ventures, Namaste Foundation, Engineering Dreams, MMAARS Academy, and Christchurch City Council.
SpaceBase Limited is a New Zealand based education and consulting social enterprise, whose mission is to democratise access to space for everyone. SpaceBase is creating equal opportunity to leverage space technologies to solve problems on Earth, by catalysing space ecosystems in developing and emerging countries, starting in New Zealand. Since its incorporation in 2017, it has collaborated with economic development agencies, local governments, and advocacy groups to deliver over 100 educational presentations and workshops; two national space and aerospace competitions, as well as helping birth space communities and organisations locally and globally. SpaceBase created a platform for the NZ Aerospace Directory and a free course, Catalysing a Space Industry in Your Region, for anyone interested in creating a local space industry. SpaceBase is also the NZ Ambassador for the International Space University.
91% Kiwis think it’s safe to travel within NZ yet only 19% plan to take a holiday
Auckland, New Zealand – Travel search and comparison start up Tripomi conducted a survey in which New Zealanders were asked about their current travel outlook. 82% of survey respondents stated they would prefer to travel within New Zealand instead of abroad this year.
And while 91% of respondents believe it is currently safe to travel within New Zealand only 19% plan to take a holiday. As for visitors, 87% believe foreigners need to be vaccinated in order to visit New Zealand.
In terms of the destinations within New Zealand respondents plan to visit this year, Auckland ranked highest with 29%, followed by Queenstown (24%), Christchurch (21%) and Wellington (14%).
“The biggest surprise from our survey is that New Zealanders of all ages are interested in visiting cities while popular outdoor destinations such as Milford Sound received little interest,” said James Watson, one of Tripomi’s co-founders.
“We’re seeing an increase in searches for hotels in cities like Auckland which is good since many premium hotels are currently offering excellent deals,” said James.
When asked about the travel bubble with Australia, 62% of survey respondents (vs 38%) believe it is currently safe to travel to Australia, yet only 40% would visit.
About Tripomi:
Tripomi.com is a travel search and comparison site. It’s free to use, available 24/7, and contains zero advertisements. The best part is you never have to login or share any personal information. Just search and compare great offers.
Tripomi’s New Zealand Travel Outlook Survey:
- Google Survey:
- Sample size: 200
- Gender: All
- Ages: All
- Current Location: New Zealand
- Language: English
- Conducted: May 14-16 2021.
- Sampling method: Convenience
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New Travel Start Up Seeks to Make Searching for Deals Easier for Kiwis
Auckland, New Zealand – Founded by three avid travellers, Tripomi.com has officially launched in New Zealand, making it easier for Kiwis to search and compare flights, hotels, car rentals and activities.
Tripomi’s mission is to make it easier for people to search and discover great value travel deals. Simply enter what you’re looking for and then view or filter results. Once you find an offer you like you can book directly with the provider.
“We keep it simple. We were tired of all the travel sites becoming too complicated and commercial. We’re not a booking site and don’t partner with any airline or hotel group. We simply aggregate great value offers so that people can find a great deal.” said Emma, co-founder of Tripomi.
“While now is not a great time to travel internationally, there are tons of great options within New Zealand including incredible hotel offers in Auckland”, added James, another co-founder.
About Tripomi:
Tripomi.com is a travel search and comparison site. It’s free to use, available 24/7, and contains zero advertisements. The best part is you never have to login or share any personal information. Just search and compare great offers.
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