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First Dunedin, next step, the lucrative American market for a pair of entrepreneurial former Scarfies.

The Flatpack Co founders Angus Syme, 23, and Cam Leigh, 22, have just made a whirlwind trip around New Zealand’s campuses visiting first-year students.

That market – young people set to go flatting next year – is the company’s bread and butter. The Flatpack Co specialises in boxed mattresses and frames and a guarantee of delivery on the first day a student moves into their new flat.

And it has worked, with the pair selling and delivering some 3000 beds over the last couple of years. In February, Stuff reported that The Flatpack Co was set to turn over its first million dollars.

“We blew it out of the water ... we’ve had a fantastic year,” Syme said.

That success meant the pair are now looking to expand to the United States.

Syme said their business model was about getting in front of students the entire year, and getting them to pre-order their bed before they finished the year, “so they can go away for summer and not worry about it” – meaning that by the time other companies tried to target returning students, they were already committed to The FlatPack Co.

It was during their first year at the University of Otago that the pair came up with the idea to supply beds to fellow students, putting in $5000 a piece to buy 30 second-hand beds from graduating students and re-selling them to their mates.

“There is a culture, in Dunedin especially, to buy a bed from us.’’

Of the 4000-odd first-year students at Otago university, the company sold beds to 550 of them last year, and this year is on track to sell between 800 and 900 to them.

The success of their Dunedin-born idea is a key part of their American drive, as the New Zealand student city has been their strongest market.

To replicate that in the United States, the pair researched similar “college towns”, contacting students over social media about their universities – often three times the size of those in New Zealand.

Many of those were in the Midwestern US, with the pair also looking for college towns made up of mainly houses as opposed to apartment complexes with already furnished accommodation.

Syme and Leigh will visit mattress wholesalers in the US next month, later heading to some of those colleges to employ teams of students.

And if all goes well, the pair plan to return to the US in January “on a one-way ticket”.

“We are all guns blazing, ready to rip, s... and bust.”

The pair will start in Kansas, before concentrating on college towns in other states including Indiana, Virginia, Texas, Ohio, Nebraska, Alabama and Arizona.

“The plan is we will be in 25 universities in five years,” Syme said. “The goal is to immerse ourselves in the college.”

Despite their aspirations for America, New Zealand remained an important market, they said, with the pair looking at employing a “hot-shot grad” to become the manager.

Source: https://www.stuff.co.nz/

Partnership will accelerate New Zealand’s transition to 100% renewable electricity with over $1.0bn on track to be deployed over next decade

AUCKLAND.  solarZero, New Zealand's leading provider of solar, battery storage and energy services, announced today that a fund managed by BlackRock Real Assets has agreed to acquire the company . New Zealand is currently leading Asia Pacific's clean energy transition, and solarZero has built the region's largest virtual power plant using its proprietary smart battery and energy management platform. BlackRock's Climate Infrastructure business, which sits within BlackRock Real Assets, will work with solarZero's management team to build on the company's market leading track record and drive its next phase of growth, both in New Zealand and internationally.

"Kiwis want clean and resilient energy. BlackRock Climate Infrastructure team's investment and backing will enable us to rapidly scale, grow our energy services network, and accelerate the transition to a 100% clean energy future" said Andrew Booth, Founder and CEO of solarZero. "By 2030, 50% of the world's energy will be generated in the Asia Pacific region. The window to prevent the worst impacts of the climate crisis is closing fast and the power couple of solar plus storage isone of the few true paths to energy security, stable power prices, prosperity, and a liveable planet."

solarZero's unique energy-as-a-service model accelerates solar and battery uptake without the need for government subsidies and with $0 upfront removes the barrier of a $25,000 plus upfront to install and maintain a solar and battery system. Uptake of the service is flat across the deprivation index, democratising renewable energy to help ensure that the transition to a net-zero economy will bring about a more equitable society.

solarZero is installing a new system every 35 minutes and plans to invest $1.0 billion in new insolar and battery systems across New Zealand over the next 10 years.  The service currently powers the homes of almost 9000 families, generating over 89GWh of energy each year and with over 48MWh of storage its service provides active support to the national grid by reducing peak loads across the country by 16MW every day. Combined, solarZero customers have saved over $4.5 million on their power bills, reducing carbon emissions by 10, 950 tonnes, the equivalent of planting 102,000 trees.

Charlie Reid, Asia-Pacific Co-Head of BlackRock's Climate Infrastructure team said, "New Zealand is widely recognised as a global leader in renewable energy and climate finance, and we are pleased to make our first investment in this market. Our move into New Zealand demonstrates BlackRock's commitment to invest in attractive markets as part of our broader efforts to offer a flow of addressable global climate investment opportunities for our clients. solarZero is a global pioneer, and we look forward to supporting its expansion into other Asia-Pacific markets and, at the same time, to accelerating New Zealand's net zero journey."
solarZero co-developed with Panasonic, the world leading battery manufacturer, its smart battery platform which is at the heart of its energy service. The platform gives customers a personalised energy plan and connects them together to form clean, resilient virtual power plants—freeing them from power outages and rising energy costs. 

"Our engineers in Japan and Singapore have spent the past five years working alongside solarZero's team in Auckland to achieve significant design, technology and cost breakthroughs. This is a world-first battery platform design, and we are looking forward to working alongside solarZero and the BlackRock Climate Infrastructure team to take this breakthrough technology global," said Stewart Fowler, Managing Director of Panasonic New Zealand.

solarZero, a recipient of numerous financial and technology innovation awards, turns homeowners and businesses into active members of the new energy economy by giving them the freedom to generate, store, and control their own clean energy, and support their communities.

END

About solarZero
solarZero is a smart solar energy service which allows homeowners to power their homes by streaming the sun’s energy and converting to usable electricity - at a price which can be up to 30% cheaper than buying electricity from the grid. This unique solar energy service requires no upfront costs.   The hardware of the system remains the property of solarZero, who manage the installation, maintenance, and servicing while the homeowner enjoys the benefits without the investment.  The solarZero system comprises solar panels and a smart battery - allowing stored power to be accessed even when the sun isn't shining or in a power cut.

About BlackRock Real Assets 
In today’s dynamic and complex global investing market, BlackRock Real Assets seeks to help clients access real assets that could help meet their investment goals by providing a distinct range of well defined, outcome orientated strategies, along the investment risk-return spectrum.

BlackRock Real Assets' dedicated teams of industry and sector specialists deliver global reach, with deep local expertise. They have decades of relevant experience, are deeply embedded in their operating industries by sector and geography and have developed strong partnership networks over time. BlackRock’s culture of risk management, knowledge sharing and investment discipline sets BlackRock Real Assets apart and underpins all that they do. With over 400 professionals in 30 offices managing over US$70 billion in client commitments as of June 30, 2022, BlackRock Real Assets partners with clients to provide solutions tailored to individual portfolio needs such as income, growth, liquid or balanced real assets outcomes.
https://solarcity.co.nz/

Air New Zealand’s daily operations are now helping to enable new research into climate change, with a ground-breaking approach to collecting data for the global scientific community.

In a world-first, Air New Zealand flight NZ8844 took off this morning from Christchurch to Nelson carrying a NASA next-generation satellite receiver.

Using direct and reflected GPS and Galileo signals, the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver will collect unique environmental data to better predict storms and enable new climate change research.

Air New Zealand is the first passenger airline in the world to join a NASA earth mission, working together since 2020 on the design, installation and certification of the receiver onboard one of its Q300 aircraft.

Air New Zealand Chief Operational Integrity and Safety Officer Captain David Morgan says climate change is a shared challenge and the airline does not shy away from its responsibilities to address it.

“With a network stretching from Kerikeri to Invercargill and flying at an altitude of around 16,000 feet, the Q300 was the perfect aircraft to pilot this mission.”

“Flying much closer to the land and sea than NASA’s satellites, our aircraft can collect a daily feed of high-resolution, high-quality data, with significant potential for the science community.”

The University of Auckland has established a Science Payload Operations Centre to receive and process the data in what could become New Zealand’s largest source of environmental data. Project Lead, Professor Delwyn Moller, says the collaboration will put Kiwi scientists at the forefront of this emerging field.

“The data produced by this collaboration will be made publicly available, opening up a range of research possibilities, with many potential uses – from flood risk management to agriculture and resource planning.

“Air New Zealand’s commitment to the project’s success will hopefully inspire other airlines around the world to use their own aircraft for the benefit of science.”

The data collected in flight will also feed into NASA's Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS). Dr Will McCarty, NASA's CYGNSS Program Scientist in the agency's Earth Science Division, says the data from Air New Zealand flights will extend the CYGNSS mission to monitor environmental changes over land.

"CYGNSS bounces GPS signals off the ocean to measure wind speeds to help predict hurricanes and cyclones. Over land, the technology can determine soil moisture levels, so it can also monitor climate change indicators such as drought, flooding and coastline erosion.

“The receiver that Air New Zealand is flying has advanced capabilities with the potential to be used for future space bound missions, so we’re excited to test these out.”

The project to fly a next-generation GNSS-R receiver on Air New Zealand’s aircraft to advance earth observation has been gifted the name Rongowai, combining the Māori words rongo (to sense) and wai (water). 

For video of David Morgan, Delwyn Moller, b-roll footage, and the original announcement of the project in 2020 https://airnz.sharefile.com/d-s83cb9c5e42ff4d2f8323fe5d2621c020

 Note to editors:

• Air New Zealand has 23 of the 50-seat Q300 turboprop aircraft in its fleet. The Q300s operates to 19 domestic ports, with each aircraft flying around 50 services a week.
• NASA's Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission is a constellation of eight small satellites which measure wind speeds over the Earth's oceans. It works by measuring GNSS signals, such as GPS, reflected off the surface of the ocean. This increases the ability of scientists to understand and predict cyclones. However, this approach can also be used to collect environmental data for other purposes and the potential of this land-based science is just beginning to be realised.
• GNSS reflections over land are sensitive to soil moisture with possibilities to monitor droughts and flooding, and track coastal and wetland conditions, monitoring erosion. In the long-term, these dynamics are impacted by climate change, so this data can be used to inform research.
• The advanced features of the next-generation receiver flying on Air New Zealand’s Q300 include: the capability to receive reflections from up to 20 satellites (CYGNSS can receive up to four), compatibility with GPS and Galileo (E.U.) satellites (as opposed to only GPS), and polarimetric capability which may help for vegetation characterisation and interpretation of more complex terrestrial scattering
• The dense and frequent measurements provided by Air New Zealand aircraft will benefit NASA in several ways. CYGNSS has good satellite coverage of the northern part of the country, including the area around Auckland, so there will be plenty of overlap between its measurements and those collected by Air New Zealand. Daily comparisons between satellite and aircraft data will be possible over a sustained period, building out a picture of environmental change across seasons and during weather events such as flooding. After enough time, longer term climatic changes could be detectable.
• CYGNSS satellites orbit the tropical storm belt with coverage down to 38 degrees latitude. Through the Q300 network, Air New Zealand measurements will extend well south of this, meaning data will be captured across New Zealand for the first time.
• The CYGNSS mission science is led in partnership by researchers at NASA and the University of Michigan, including Professor Chris Ruf of the Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, who is the Principal Investigator in the NASA CYGNSS Earth Venture Mission. The receiver installed on Air New Zealand’s Q300 was developed by the University of Michigan for NASA's Earth Science Technology Office. 
• The Science Payload Operation Centre at the University of Auckland has been developed by a team of researchers from the University of Auckland and the University of Canterbury. It will support GNSS-R data handling and operations, integrated instrument calibration and measurement validation. It will also support field work for these purposes.

Gallagher, the leading security solutions manufacturer, is proud to announce the expansion of its technical support services to the Americas with a dedicated team of people based in Atlanta, Georgia.

The team in the Americas will create stronger connections in the region, while also alleviating the New Zealand team’s current load of operating all day and all night.

“It’s an evolution of our technical support. We’ve been providing 24/7 technical support from New Zealand and we’re growing really quickly elsewhere, particularly in the Americas. So, this expansion has been a couple of years in the making,” says Shane Keesom, Gallagher’s Technical Support Manager.

“Expanding our global support capabilities is a natural progression of our vision to provide exceptional customer experiences. The team here in the Americas adds to the diversity within our global team,” says Paul Wilson, the Gallagher’s Director of Technical Services for North America.

The new team consists of four engineers, servicing the entire globe during their shift, with one member who is able to provide technical support in Spanish too.

“This is going to be gold, being able to talk to our partners and customers in their own language and lingo,” says Matthew Dean, Gallagher’s Technical Support Team Leader.

To find out more about Gallagher’s 24-hour technical support team structure and plans, join Dean and Keesom as they lend their voices in the latest Tech Talk podcast episode hosted by Chief Technology Officer at Gallagher, Steve Bell. Listen here.

https://security.gallagher.com/

Marken, a critical part of UPS Healthcare, has reached an agreement to purchase the medical courier business of Cedra Express, a New Zealand-based transportation and logistics provider serving the life science and pharmaceutical segment.

This acquisition will enhance Marken’s presence and capabilities as a healthcare logistics provider in the region.

‘With this new direct presence in New Zealand, Marken will be able to expand its service offerings to the local clinical trial client base, including our patient-centric solutions such as Home Healthcare and Direct to/from Patient services’, said Marken President Ariette van Strien.

The medical courier business of Cedra Express will now become Marken New Zealand, with operations in Christchurch and Auckland. Marken has had a strategic partnership with Cedra Express since it was founded in 2001 by Graham Tappin, who will support this exciting transition of the medical courier business from Cedra Express to Marken New Zealand.

‘We are excited to reach agreement to acquire this New Zealand-based business, which will help position Marken as the preferred partner for innovative clinical trial and cell and gene supply chain logistics solutions throughout the biopharma and healthcare landscape’, said Wes Wheeler, President, UPS Healthcare. ‘We welcome the expertise and capabilities this brings to UPS Healthcare and Marken, helping to serve customers’ complex, global needs. We thank Graham for his years of dedicated support to Marken and look forward to continuing to serve customers across New Zealand.’

Customers in the region will continue to benefit from Marken’s world-class real-time tracking with GPS technology, specialised packaging solutions, temperature monitoring and end-to-end visibility. Find out more about Marken here. 

Minister for Trade and Export Growth and Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor will visit the USA this week to help further New Zealand’s economic recovery through cooperation efforts with a range of US and Indo-Pacific partners.

“My focus is on export growth so we can ensure New Zealand is best protected from the rough edges of a global downturn. We’re continuing to work in partnership with our businesses to take full advantage of our open borders,” Damien O’Connor said.

In Los Angeles, Damien O’Connor will represent New Zealand at a ministerial meeting on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). IPEF is a regional cooperation initiative, developed by the United States and now involving 14 economies throughout the Indo-Pacific region, including New Zealand.

“New Zealand has been actively engaged on the IPEF since its inception last year. I am looking forward to meeting face to face with my ministerial counterparts from other IPEF economies and taking stock of how the scope of the Framework is shaping up,” Damien O’Connor said.

“IPEF presents a unique opportunity to boost regional cooperation on a range of future-focused economic, trade and climate issues. At the ministerial meeting in Los Angeles, I will be seeking to ensure that the scope of IPEF contains meaningful commercial elements, drives global climate action, and has a focus on sustainability and inclusivity which is at the heart of New Zealand’s trade policy.”

While in Los Angeles, he will also hold bilateral meetings with ministerial counterparts from other IPEF economies.

In San Francisco, the focus will be on growing New Zealand’s relationship with California and supporting sustainable agriculture connections.

This will build on Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s and Minister O’Connor’s visit to California in May this year, where the Prime Minister and Governor Newsom witnessed the signing of a new climate partnership.

“We have an exciting partnership with California on shared economic, agriculture and climate ambitions. I’m looking forward to meeting with California Agricultural Secretary Karen Ross and visiting innovative companies and the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences,” Damien O’Connor said.

“California is a world leader in technology and has some of the world’s most ambitious climate goals. By growing our partnership with California we will create new opportunities for New Zealand businesses and improve our access to new technologies that will make the New Zealand economy more competitive and sustainable.”

Damien O’Connor will depart New Zealand on Tuesday 6 September. He will be in San Francisco on 6-7 September and Los Angeles on 7-9 September, returning to New Zealand on Sunday 11 September.

Source: https://www.beehive.govt.nz/

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Texas Chicken™, one of the largest quick service restaurant chains in the world, announced today a new expansion deal with existing New Zealand franchisee George Constantinou through his company Good Taste Co Pty Limited, who will add 20 units to his current five restaurants as part of a new development agreement with the brand. Those 20 new restaurants – in the brand’s updated Blaze design – will begin to open in 2023.

Impressed by the brand’s solid presence in the APAC region, George became a franchisee in 2015 and has been a dedicated leader ever since, bringing the bold, spicy flavors of Texas Chicken™ to New Zealand backed with support and encouragement from the brand.

 “Texas Chicken™ – through its global reach as well as its understanding of local flavors and customs – is a true leader and collaborator in the growing fried chicken segment,” said Constantinou. “The brand has helped my franchise organization tackle challenges and identify opportunities for innovation and growth, offering significant support in all areas of the business.”

Aside from being part of the brand’s extensive international growth plans, these additional Texas Chicken™ restaurants are also part of the re-branding campaign known as the Blaze initiative, which features a modernized dining experience and elevated food and service quality. Constantinou and his team are currently exploring various areas throughout the country to find the ideal location for his restaurants expected to open next year.

This expansion announcement comes after the recent announcement of the agreement reached for the Texas Chicken franchisee in Malaysia to add 125 additional restaurants, furthering its reach and responding to its increasing popularity in Asia Pacific.

Russ Sumrall, Sr. Vice President, International Strategic Development, coordinated the expansion agreement with Constantinou. Sumrall added, “We are very grateful to George and his team for their leadership in the region and their trust in Texas Chicken™. Of course, we are always proud to bring our brand to new countries, but I love it even more when our existing franchisees request to build more Texas Chicken™ restaurants! There’s no doubt more and more Kiwi’s will get to know the flavorful legendary taste of Texas soon!”

About Church’s Texas Chicken® / Texas Chicken™

Founded in San Antonio, TX, in 1952 by George W. Church, Church’s Texas Chicken®, along with its sister brand Texas Chicken™ primarily outside of the U.S., is one of the largest quick-service chicken restaurant chains in the world. The brands specialize in Original and Spicy Chicken freshly prepared throughout the day in small batches that are hand-battered and double-breaded, Tender Strips®, sandwiches, honey-butter biscuits made from scratch and freshly baked, and classic, home-style sides all for a great value. Texas Chicken™ and Church’s Texas Chicken® have more than 1,500 locations in 26 countries and global markets and system-wide sales of more than $1 billion. For more information about Church’s Texas Chicken®, visit churchstexaschicken.com. For information on Texas Chicken™, visit texaschicken.com.

Kiwis have more ways to access news and information than ever before. Today, we are announcing major new investments that will continue our support of New Zealand’s vibrant and diverse news industry to help people find quality journalism and contribute to the sustainability of news organizations. These investments will also help newsrooms engage their readers in new ways, today and into the future.

Launching Google News Showcase in Aotearoa New Zealand

To support news organizations and readers in New Zealand, we’re launching Google News Showcase, our curated online experience and licensing program. News Showcase panels display an enhanced view of an article or articles, giving participating publishers more ways to bring important news to readers and explain it in their own voice, along with more direct control of presentation and branding.

Starting today, News Showcase is rolling out in New Zealand with seven news publishers representing more than 20 publications, including national, regional and local news outlets like the New Zealand Herald, RNZ, Crux, Newsroom and Pacific Media Network. This launch builds on News Showcase deals signed with more than 1,700 news publications in more than 17 countries, including Australia, United Kingdom, Japan, India, Germany, Brazil, Italy and Argentina.

News Showcase panels from our New Zealand news partners will begin appearing on Google News on Android, iOS and the web, and in Discover on iOS and Android. The panels direct readers to the full articles on news publications’ websites, enabling them to deepen their relationships with readers.

“By helping us build deeper relationships with readers, Google News Showcase will support the development of the BusinessDesk brand, which in turn boosts our editorial operation,” says Matt Martel, General Manager of BusinessDesk, a leading business and economy digital publication. “Our relationship with Google is a key factor in growing our newsroom from five to more than 20 journalists."

News Showcase highlights news publishers that are investing in comprehensive public interest journalism, giving them a new way to curate their high-quality content on Google’s News and Discover surfaces and bringing essential news coverage to Kiwis looking for it.

“Being able to further highlight the talent of NZME’s 300 editorial staff across our newsrooms is a really positive development," says Michael Boggs, NZME CEO. “NZME is strongly focused on transforming our business digitally, and the Google News Showcase partnership supports that focus."

“At RNZ we’re huge fans of making sure the brilliant stories from our award-winning journalists reach as many people as possible,” says Megan Whelan, Interim Chief Content Officer of RNZ, New Zealand's independent public service multimedia organization. "This new agreement is another way to make sure trusted public media content is available to more people via Google News, and that’s definitely a good news story.”

As part of our licensing agreements with publishers for News Showcase, we're also paying participating news organizations to give readers access to some of their paywalled content. This feature means readers will have the opportunity to read more of a publisher’s articles than they would otherwise be able to, encouraging them to learn more about the publication — and potentially subscribe.

"Pacific people from all over the world follow the news and journalism of our New Zealand-based newsroom,” says Don Mann, CEO of Pacific Media Network, a public interest broadcaster that works to empower Pacific cultural identity. “We aim to be the preeminent Pacific media entity for the Pacific diaspora and our relationship with Google will help us achieve this.”

“Crux has already developed a large, loyal local readership, but Google News Showcase will provide our readers with options like the ability to follow their own personal mix of trusted news sources,” says Peter Newport, Managing Editor of Crux local news for Queenstown, Wānaka and Cromwell. “We’re excited about the opportunity, and we think it’s a great initiative in support of strong New Zealand journalism.”

Google News Initiative programs in New Zealand

Google News Showcase is just our latest effort to support publishers of all sizes and the news industry in New Zealand. Through the Google News Initiative (GNI) we have been partnering with news publishers around the world to build a sustainable, diverse and innovative news ecosystem. The team offers training, products and funding to journalists and newsrooms to help strengthen their work in the digital age, and has reached more than 800 journalists and journalism students in New Zealand. These high-demand GNI programs provide an introduction to many of the core skills required to run a digital news business, based on the best practices and lessons of other news publishers around the world.

• Digital news business fundamentals for news organizations: The GNI Digital Growth Program offers a six-part free business training, consulting and support workshop to help New Zealand news organizations succeed online.
• Journalist Training Camp: At Ngā Kete Wānanga Marae marae, 25 journalism cadets representing multiple ethnicities, languages, and the rainbow and disability communities participated in the Te Rito Training Camp, a digital journalism training course with the Google News Teaching Fellow and heard from some of New Zealand’s leading journalists.
• Digital skills training for journalists: In partnership with Telum Media, open sessions around the country are free for journalists to learn the latest tools and processes to support digital reporting. This includes training on tools like Google’s research tool, Pinpoint, which journalists can use to support their reporting and creative data visualization techniques.
• Election policy and misinformation tracking: Building on years of support from the GNI for Policy New Zealand, the team’s latest iteration will provide a digital tool for journalists to understand and report on ahead of local elections. This creates a database for candidates’ key election policies, supporting journalists’ ability to track misinformation.
• Media literacy for primary school students: In partnership with Squiz Kids, media literacy module, “Newshounds,“ is a plug-and-play resource for teachers, children and their parents, aimed to empower young people to think critically about the media they consume and give teachers the confidence to teach media literacy in the classroom.

As New Zealand publishers continue to embrace technology to deepen their engagement with readers, we’re proud to be strengthening our commitment to working with and supporting publishers in Aotearoa. Through News Showcase, our other News products and GNI programs, we’re proud to promote quality journalism and a reliable and diverse news industry.

Construction tech start-up opens San Francisco office, building on Australia and New Zealand market success

Construction tech platform Mooven, today announced its launch into the United States, opening an office in San Francisco as the start-up spearheads its global expansion and reshapes the economics of how infrastructure is delivered and the resulting community impact.

“There’s an expanding gap between what is being delivered and what is actually needed for transport infrastructure in the United States,” said Micah Gabriels, CEO and co-founder of Mooven. “With 43 per cent of the country’s roads in poor or mediocre condition, these challenges cannot be solved by maintaining the status quo. The industry has suffered flat productivity for decades, with other sectors speeding ahead in line with the digital economy.”

Founded in 2017, the New Zealand technology business successfully cracked the Australia and New Zealand market amid its efforts to help government authorities and construction companies implement smarter ways of working to reach the promise of our future cities, faster.

Mooven brings the right data and contextual awareness closer to decision makers, enabling them to accelerate the speed at which infrastructure projects are completed, while minimising disruption to local communities. The contextual insights illustrate the impact on the transport network caused by such works, such as traffic congestion or noise pollution, and enables delivery teams to plan smarter and adjust when needed.

The US expansion comes at a time when President Biden's $1 Trillion USD infrastructure bill has passed, providing significant stimulus funding and growth for the sector, with an intention to repair a backlog in transport systems, modernise existing infrastructure and support the transition to a clean economy. But there is pressure to mobilise quickly.

“In the past, there hasn’t been enough money to maintain historic roads, nor enough to build new. Too often, we’ve seen the US treat infrastructure investment as a political football, but now the challenge is to spend Biden’s stimulus quickly and efficiently. However, this is a challenge in a sector McKinsey identifies less than three percent of projects are completed on time and in budget, largely due to historical inefficiencies that have too long impacted the way construction outfits work.

“In a political environment where complaints and public opinion matter, the pressure is on to implement wider productivity benefits and make sure progress can occur without grinding cities to a halt. Mooven comes in as firebreak, providing context that spans far beyond what it has previously relied on, so teams can work faster and smarter.”

Located in San Francisco, Mooven’s US main office will primarily focus its efforts on the west coast of North America, with the area frequenting heavier traffic congestion, and less developed public transport.

“Our experience in Australia and New Zealand put us in a unique position to export our advanced IP and knowledge to a similar but much larger market. The US, like Australia and New Zealand are unusual in the developed world with large road networks per capita and relatively low public transport usage.”

The company will capitalise on its existing Australia and New Zealand customer base with a presence in the US market – including Lendlease, Transurban, Jacobs, AECOM and WSP – to spearhead its ambitious goal of achieving a 20 per cent increase in US infrastructure delivered for the same budget.

Breaking into the US, according to Gabriels, will position Mooven to make a material and lasting impact on how infrastructure is delivered globally, so it can achieve its mission of creating space for cities to thrive.

##

About Mooven

Mooven is a construction technology platform providing construction companies, engineering consultants and government authorities with increased flexibility and agility, enabling them to accelerate the delivery of infrastructure, while minimising the city-stopping impacts and disruption.

Spanning far beyond what the industry has previously relied on, Mooven brings the right data sources together into an operational tool used to tailor construction activity based on current conditions.

Mooven gives its users contextual insight into the effects of infrastructure projects and maintenance activity on road users and surrounding communities, covering network aspects like journey times through the area, delays, queuing, speeds, noise and dust. Bringing this data into one place, with an understanding of not only the immediate worksite but also the flow on impacts to the surrounding city, Mooven provides a holistic view to enable contractors, infrastructure firms and governments to make evidence-based decisions.

Whether it be across capital works, rehabilitation, maintenance or network operations, Mooven helps customers accelerate delivery time and achieve improved community outcomes, while minimising community complaints or safety concerns.

Mooven works with major construction firms like LendLease, Accionia, Downer, WSP, Jacobs, Georgiou, WBHO Infrastructure and government authorities like Queensland Department for Transport and Main Roads, Wellington Water and Waka Kotahi (New Zealand Transport Agency) across Australia and New Zealand. Mooven extends its presence to the United States, where it spearheads its purpose to accelerate delivery of important infrastructure projects while minimising community impacts in the new market.
https://www.mooven.com/

Grapevine, Texas has travelled to Auckland for their first in market sales mission, since engaging with Canuckiwi back in early 2020.  Grapevine has remained active and engaged with the trade over the last two years, providing many training experiences and events, from live on location webinars to scavenger hunts, trivia events and a rock painting event. 

Heather Egan Director of Leisure and International Sales met and presented Grapevine to a full house of Auckland trade and media at Non Solo pizza in Parnell. 

Heather is looking forward to hosting key media to the 36th annual GrapeFest in September. GrapeFest is the largest wine festival of the Southwest and boasts the largest consumer-judged wine competition in the nation.

At the same time Heather will be taking rocks painted by New Zealand and Australian trade and media partners from their event in 2021, to place them in the international section of the Grapevine Rock Art Trail.  The Rock Art Trail has earned a Guinness World Record title for the largest display of painted rocks. 

With the launch of the American Airlines flight from Auckland to DFW on 1 November 2022, he timing of this mission has been even more significant. Grapevine, Texas is only 10 minutes away from DFW giving Kiwis direct access to be able to base themselves in Grapevine and explore the area including Dallas and Fort Worth before renting a car to drive to Oklahoma to explore Route 66 and more. 

ABOUT GRAPEVINE, TEXAS

Historic Grapevine, Texas is the premier go-to destination when planning a meeting or convention in Texas. Grapevine, centrally located between Dallas and Fort Worth, provides visitors a sophisticated escape from the big city. Show guests will enjoy Grapevine’s superior meeting facilities, seminar spaces, dining, the Urban Wine and Craft Brew Trail and opportunities for shopping along Main Street in Historic Downtown, Grapevine Mills, Bass Pro Shops, Grapevine Towne Center and more. Grapevine’s annual festivals and events draw visitors from around the globe. For more information, visit GrapevineTexasUSA.com.

Issued by the Visit Grapevine, Texas Australia / New Zealand Press Office.  For further information or to obtain high res images please contact: Corey Marshall at Canuckiwi on +64 21 555 463 or email corey@canuckiwi.com