Oh Dear it is Almost Christmas

Santa was really angry. Time was running out and he had a lot to do to ensure that he met the expectations of all of his avid followers worldwide. “If only I had a plan” said Santa, “every year I leave things to the last minute, I need some sort of strategic direction to ensure that I can do things on time, on target and within budget and once again I am going to fail on all three”.

He looked around his cave. It was dominated by a dishevelled mass of toys. “These look a lot like last year’s models” he said, “I should have done more research and development on current trends and innovative new technology to ensure that I was keeping up with the needs of my customers and the market”. “But then,” he sighed to himself “I simply don’t have the back-office systems to enable me to develop a good database, to control my inventory, to ensure I have the addresses of all my recipients and to make sure that I don’t deliver presents to naughty little children who simply don’t deserve them. Why can’t I be more accurate year after year”.

He looked around and heard his reindeers scratching expectantly in the snow. “Oh my goodness I have forgotten to feed them again” he said, “animal welfare issues – how do I know how much to feed them before the long journey we are embarking on and how often I need to stop to replenish them?”, I need more information. “Where do I go to get it?”

Then he reflected on the plight of his elves. His poor little elves, who year after year, work day and night with no reward. “I have an employment issue here, I really should have some expert advice on employment relations. Look at that stupid elf chopping away on a new toy with a sharp knife and no protection. Goodness where is my health and safety programme? Wouldn’t it be awful if I was prevented from delivering all of these presents because I had breached the new health and safety regulations and was detained and prosecuted”.

One of the elves was heard to grumble “I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened. We have been treated badly for a terribly long time. We need some HR advice and Santa hasn’t been good enough to search it out for us and make sure our working conditions are well protected and that we work in an empowering and flexible environment. There is nothing flexible about assembling toys year after year in a snow cave with no reward”. “And by the way Santa” one called. “You should access a wage and salary survey so that you can see what good elves should be paid, rather than just giving us a few crumbs from the Christmas Cake you collect on your rounds after your worldwide deliveries”.

“That is all very well for you to say” said Santa “I have got these worldwide deliveries to do and I don’t know where I am going. How on earth do I get directions? Who can give me advice country by country on the demographics, the details, the geography and where I should be landing my sleigh?

To top it all off I have got a problem in Christchurch. There are no chimneys. How can I possibly deliver presents where there are no chimneys? I only wish that I could find some expert advice, particularly about that problem in Christchurch.”

“That’s not your only problem” shouted an elf from a dark corner. “You have no export documentation for any of your presents. You are going international Santa. You need to have certificates of origin and other export documentation to ensure that you will not get stopped at borders. How on earth are you going to get all those presents delivered in 24 hours if you breach all the Customs regulations?”

“You think that is a big deal?” said another elf. “He has got another problem with immigration. He is not going to have any right to cross those borders without the right visas and plant himself in other countries without an invitation. He needs some really good immigration and visa advice”.

“It is all such a hassle said Santa and it happens year after year after year. Life is simply getting much too complicated for me. I really do need some help”.

“Well Santa” said a voice from a long way away, “If you call on us here in Christchurch we will make you a complimentary member of the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and we will resolve almost all of your issues, that will make everybody happy”.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

petert@cecc.org.nz

cecc.org.nz

Lincoln University - knowledge and innovation for Canterbury's future

Christchurch is well known for its resilience, its “garden city” aesthetic, its strong balanced economy and as a go-to tourism destination. Something often not as well recognised about Christchurch and wider Canterbury is its integral role in the country’s agri-business sector, not only on a local level, but nationally and globally.

One institution often seen as the backbone of Canterbury, and New Zealand’s, agri-business industry is Lincoln University. For more than 138 years Lincoln University has focused on improving the country’s agricultural knowledge, wealth and productivity.

With a diverse student population of approximately 3500, from more than 60 different countries, Lincoln has built a reputation as an international leader in education, targeted at the growth and development of our primary production, the distribution sector and a range of related fields.

New Zealand’s largest land-based university, Lincoln is ranked 343 in the global ranking of tertiary institutions and number 100 when that field is narrowed to the disciplines of agriculture and forestry.

Lincoln is the country’s third-oldest university, founded in 1878 as a School of Agriculture, linked to Canterbury College. By 1896, the school separated from the college and formed its own governing body, which gave it the ability to award degrees through the University of New Zealand. In the early 1960s the university was officially renamed Lincoln College, a constituent college of the University of Canterbury. It became a self-governing institution in 1990.

Lincoln University has continuously adapted in order to better meet the needs of the modern commercial environment and the ever-changing agri-business sector. Courses have been structured to teach students the skills they need to operate in an increasingly specialised sector, now and in the future, and encompass practical skills as well as up-to-date knowledge of management and industry practices.

Lincoln offers a number of research-based programmes within its main campuses, many of which also extend to the university’s various farm portfolios. Lincoln offers hands on practical learning in food marketing, commerce, environmental management, landscape architecture, viticulture, tourism and property management. Research is a key aspect in every discipline and underpins its current mission – to help feed the world, protect the future and live well.

It is estimated that within the next 35 years the world’s population will reach 9.2 billion people, meaning food supply and production will be paramount, as too will be creating a sustainable environment for future generations. Lincoln’s ability to train the future leaders and innovators in this space, taking on the key problems faced by the world, will be integral to keeping Canterbury and New Zealand at the forefront of international agri-business.

In order to continue to produce top-quality graduates Lincoln has developed the Lincoln Hub (He Puna Karikari) in partnership with AgResearch, Landcare Research, Plant and Food Research and DairyNZ. The Hub will work combining with research industry and teaching and providing staff and students with various research and development-based opportunities.

An innovative network, education and research precinct (set to open in 2019 on the Te Waihora campus) the Hub will comprise five buildings, housing 706 staff and 900 scientists. It will involve the largest concentration of environmental and land-based researchers in the Southern Hemisphere.

The multi-faceted team behind the Hub is central to its success, part of Lincoln University’s recognition of the importance of building and developing partnerships between industry and research.

Lincoln University is a unique institution well equipped to educate the agri-business experts of tomorrow.

Lincoln’s ability to offer high-quality, future-focused education designed to meet the needs of the broad range of industries associated with the primary sector makes it vitally important to us all. Our future will depend to a large extent on how we apply clever innovative technologies to our natural capital. 

petert@cecc.org.nz

cecc.org.nz

Protecting our power base

The recent 7.8 magnitude quake and series of aftershocks that have so drastically impacted the communities of North Canterbury serve as a harsh reminder of the benefits of foresight when it comes to investing in our own infrastructure assets.

After six years of earthquake recovery and rebuild, the city is in good shape to withstand the impact of future seismic events. We live in a seismic environment. It is for this reason that we must continue to invest in the resilience of key infrastructure that allows us to get on with our lives, and growing a thriving and vibrant economy.

Our electricity network is one of those critical fundamentals. It is also a great example of where foresight prepared the city well for some of its darkest days. Power was restored to the majority of the city very quickly after the February 2011 quake because of decades of prudent smart planning, investment and timely maintenance.

Although systems performed well there are still lessons to be learned. Orion openly states that its principle objective following the earthquakes has been to restore resilience to the network and reliability of power supply to our wider Christchurch community by 2019. That involves several significant projects – the 66,000 volt ‘northern loop’ cable project is one, as well as improvements to the supply to Lyttelton and the surrounding bays.

In working towards this goal Orion has approached the recovery and rebuild of the city in a disciplined and collaborative way. It is working with business, industry and community groups to ensure that in future events the network is resilient and flexible. The ability to reroute electricity flow away from damaged circuits to other, undamaged, parts of the network is critical to keeping the network working.

The recently completed northern loop project was five years in the delivery and is one of Orion’s largest ever projects. It is effectively a super highway solely dedicated to the effective distribution of power around and across the city. This will have a major positive impact on protecting our communities and businesses. It will also provide a strong foundation to support new technologies such as solar, battery storage and electric vehicles.

Recently there has been concern about interruptions to the electricity supply to the Lyttelton area. Lyttelton and surrounding areas are vital parts of our community fabric, and the port is critical to the success of our local economy. Improving the surety of power supply to and in the Lyttelton area is therefore a priority. Orion has been working on this issue for some time, but it’s not a quick fix and the investment required is significant.

The power supply to this area comes from the Heathcote Valley substation via two overhead lines that that share a common set of poles. This is tough terrain and a harsh climatic environment so there’ll be risk of power outages from time to time.

The best and most cost-effective way to improve the reliability of power supply to Lyttelton is to run a separate cable through the Lyttelton tunnel, which would then provide an additional source of power. But this requires NZTA approval because it owns the tunnel.

I understand Orion has been in conversation with NZTA for some time now and an agreement is not too far away. In the meantime, Orion has invested more than $1.5 million as a first step to improving the resilience of the Lyttelton network. This includes significant work on substation relocation and renewal.

Preparatory work has set the Lyttelton network up to receive the planned cable through the tunnel. Once an access agreement is finalised, phase two of the Lyttelton Project will commence with the installation of the cable through the tunnel, which should be completed within 24 months.

Further work is underway and more is scheduled on the two existing overhead lines into Lyttelton to improve the reliability of power supply in the interim.

Our community has been and will continue to be well served by Orion. It performed well in a post-earthquake environment and we can expect it to continue to finesse its operations through investment and innovation.

petert@cecc.org.nz

cecc.org.nz