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Environment and Sustainability Digest

Tuesday, 17 February 2004, 5:41 pm
Press Release: BioScience News and Advocate

Cogitations: Environment and Sustainability 17 February 2004 High temperatures killing Northland shellfish Sustainable village project begins Bioprospecting rules cause concern Climate change threatens Aussie economy Forget Kyoto, world energy council says Corporate environmental accounting

Cogitations: Environment and Sustainability 17 February 2004 In environment news this week, the death of thousands of shellfish in the Northland area is being blamed on high temperatures, with fisheries officer

High temperatures killing Northland shellfish High temperatures seem to be having a deadly impact on shellfish in Northland. Dead tuatua are appearing in their thousands on a 20-kilometre stretch of Ninety Mile Beach in the Far North. It ... More... http://www.BioSciNews.com/files/news-detail.asp?newsID=6179

Sustainable village project begins A "sustainable urban village" that will test a new technique of flax-reinforced earth building is about to get under way in south Auckland. The first two buildings of 30-60 planned for the village... More... http://www.BioSciNews.com/files/news-detail.asp?newsID=6228

Bioprospecting rules cause concern Bioprospecting by business for unique organisms - or "extremophiles" - in Antarctica's cold wastes is threatening a new gold rush on New Zealand's back door. Extremophiles are bacteria which thr... More... http://www.BioSciNews.com/files/news-detail.asp?newsID=6235

Climate change threatens Aussie economy New Zealand's alpine industry is in line to benefit from an Australian climate meltdown that threatens to cut snowfall by up to 20 percent. Thousands of Australian skiers could be forced abroad as... More... http://www.BioSciNews.com/files/news-detail.asp?newsID=6231

Forget Kyoto, world energy council says The Kyoto climate treaty is irrelevant and it is time to move on and boost investment in reliable, clean energy for the future, although prices will rise, a leading international energy official said ... More... http://www.BioSciNews.com/files/news-detail.asp?newsID=6198

Corporate environmental accounting The environmental performance of corporations and its link to their bottom line is the subject of new guidelines released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).Ciba Sp... More... http://www.BioSciNews.com/files/news-detail.asp?newsID=6220

Business Headlines | Sci-Tech Headlines

BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH > >

Sky City : Auckland Convention Centre Cost Jumps By A Fifth

SkyCity Entertainment Group, the casino and hotel operator, is in talks with the government on how to fund the increased cost of as much as $130 million to build an international convention centre in downtown Auckland, with further gambling concessions ruled out. The Auckland-based company has increased its estimate to build the centre to between $470 million and $530 million as the construction boom across the country drives up building costs and design changes add to the bill.
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RMTU: Mediation Between Lyttelton Port And Union Fails

The Rail and Maritime Union (RMTU) has opted to continue its overtime ban indefinitely after mediation with the Lyttelton Port of Christchurch (LPC) failed to progress collective bargaining. More>>

Earlier:

Rail And Maritime Transport Union - Lyttelton Port workers begin overtime ban
Lyttelton Port of Christchurch - LPC operations will continue as usual during overtime ban
Environment Canterbury - Next phase of Lyttelton Port recovery underway

Science Policy: Callaghan, NSC Funding Knocked In Submissions

Callaghan Innovation, which was last year allocated a budget of $566 million over four years to dish out research and development grants, and the National Science Challenges attracted criticism in submissions on the government’s draft national statement of science investment, with science funding largely seen as too fragmented. More>>

ALSO:

NZ Govt - Submissions on future of science system
Science Media Centre - Year in Review: the big science stories of 2014

Scoop Business: Spark, Voda And Telstra To Lay New Trans-Tasman Cable

Spark New Zealand and Vodafone, New Zealand’s two dominant telecommunications providers, in partnership with Australian provider Telstra, will spend US$70 million building a trans-Tasman submarine cable to bolster broadband traffic between the neighbouring countries and the rest of the world. More>>

ALSO:

Spark NZ - New trans-Tasman telecommunications cable plan confirmed
InternetNZ - New cable a positive sign for the future

Scoop Business - ComCom pushes out final decision on Chorus copper pricing
Commerce Commission - Backdating prices for Chorus’ copper lines and broadband
TUANZ - TUANZ welcomes further clarification by Commerce Commission
Spark NZ - Spark New Zealand Moving Ahead in 4g Network Build

Statistics: Current Account Deficit Widens

New Zealand's annual current account deficit was $6.1 billion (2.6 percent of GDP) for the year ended September 2014. This compares with a deficit of $5.8 billion (2.5 percent of GDP) for the year ended June 2014. More>>

ALSO:

Scoop Business - NZ Sept quarter current account deficit near six-year high

Still In The Red: NZ Govt Shunts Out Surplus To 2016

The New Zealand government has pushed out its targeted return to surplus for a year as falling dairy prices and a low inflation environment has kept a lid on its rising tax take, but is still dangling a possible tax cut in 2017, the next election year and promising to try and achieve the surplus pledge on which it campaigned for election in September. More>>

ALSO:

BusinessDesk - Economy can grow faster than thought before inflation bites
Audio - Treasury Forecast Announcement for 2015
NZ Treasury - Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2014
Office of the Clerk - Public Submissions - Budget Policy Statement 2015
NZ Govt - Government focused on surplus in 2014/15 - English: National is focussed on achieving surplus
Labour - Bill English’s face is redder than his books - Failure to diversify puts prosperity at risk
United Future - Dunne Speaks - Christmas Edition
Greens - Irresponsible tax cuts lead to seventh successive deficit
NZ First - Dishonesty Only Thing in Surplus in Forecasts
CTU - Cuts in public services likely from Budget Policy Statement
PricewaterhouseCoopers - New Zealand Government signals reversal of fortune
NZ Taxpayers' Union - Cut Taxes + Cut Waste = Surplus
TV3 Video - Don't blame deficit on tax cuts - English
Earlier - Cuts to Health Suggested

Job Insecurity: Time For Jobs That Count In The Meat Industry

“Meat Workers face it all”, says Graham Cooke, Meat Workers Union National Secretary. “Seasonal work, dangerous jobs, casual and zero hours contracts, and increasing pressure on workers to join non-union individual agreements. More>>