Quantifi Photonics, a New Zealand photonics test and measurement company, has completed an oversubscribed Series B funding round of US$10M from leading New Zealand technology investors to focus on US growth.
The company will use the new funds to expand its US-based sales, marketing, and customer support teams from its US headquarters in Austin, Texas. It will also accelerate its product roadmap to target companies that are ramping up R&D and manufacturing of 400G optical transceivers.
Dan Henmi, Quantifi Photonics’ VP of Sales for North America says “It’s fantastic to receive strong support from technology-savvy investors who recognize the capability of our team and the opportunity for Quantifi Photonics to carve out a leadership position in the photonics test and measurement industry in the US.”
Formerly known as Coherent Solutions, Quantifi Photonics established a leading position in coherent optical communications test and measurement, with instruments installed in leading telecom R&D labs across the globe.
“Photonics test, particularly for optical communications, evolves so rapidly that customers are often looking for solutions that don’t yet exist. Our understanding of current test challenges and our innovative technology platform means we can quickly develop solutions to keep up with customer needs. It’s allowed us to build a loyal customer base who are asking us to solve very difficult problems in optical communications and across new aerospace and defense applications,” says Dan.
The company is now developing products to enable optical transceiver manufacturers to perform a complete range of electrical and optical tests on high data rate optical transceivers within a single test platform.
With test and validation of photonic devices contributing significantly to total production cost, improvements to test efficiency enables significant cost savings for customers.
The company is launching a PXI PAM4 BERT module that will enable 400G transceiver testing in Q3 2021, and intends to support manufacturers of pluggable coherent transceivers using its expertise and signal analysis software designed for coherent optical communications.
Andy Stevens, CEO and co-founder of Quantifi Photonics, says “We have significant opportunities with a number of existing customers, and we are focused on becoming a leading supplier to the world’s largest photonics manufacturers over the next five years. With the new funding and Dan’s leadership of our US expansion we are in an excellent position to execute our US growth strategy.”
https://www.quantifiphotonics.com/
— Partnership with Chillisoft opens door to 1,250 resellers and integrators, including 100-plus managed service providers, across New Zealand and the Pacific Islands
08 July 2021 – Auckland, New Zealand – Cybersecurity distributor Chillisoft has inked a distribution deal with leading Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) provider Netskope for New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
The deal provides Chillisoft with distribution rights for Netskope’s SASE security private cloud, Netskope NewEdge, and a bevy of cloud security solutions providing best-of-breed DLP (Data Loss Prevention) and threat protection when accessing SaaS, IaaS, and the web.
The announcement follows the recent addition of a New Zealand-based data centre to the security vendor’s Asia-Pacific NewEdge network.
“Netskope is a great addition to Chillisoft’s cyber-sec portfolio, providing an advanced security cloud to help enterprises embrace a SASE vision of converged security and networking to stay ahead of evolving web and cloud-based security threats,” Chillisoft CEO Alex Teh said.
Founded in 2012, Netskope is growing fast, services a third of the Fortune 100, and has attracted venture capital from the likes of Sequoia, Lightspeed, and Accel.
Tony Burnside, Netskope’s Vice President – Asia Pacific, said the appointment of Chillisoft was expected to accelerate local sales and meet increasing demand for true cloud-native SASE protection.
“Chillisoft will provide the impetus we need to drive sales in this part of the region,” he said. “The timing is perfect as we expand the Netskope NewEdge network across Asia Pacific and activate our Auckland data centre to on-ramp user traffic for real-time processing.”
Data centres in Auckland, Melbourne, Perth, Manilla, and mainland China form part of the vendor’s unified NewEdge network, which includes a mix of “data planes” capable of scaling to handle 2Tbps of traffic per location for real-time, inline security traffic processing.
Chillisoft will help Netskope to build a network of local resellers and managed service providers to support sales to enterprises as they adopt cloud apps and services, and as the hybrid workplace becomes mainstream.
The partnership will also see Chillisoft integrate aspects of Netskope into its in-house Chillisoft Labs in Auckland, where it will test integrations and showcase paired solutions involving complementary technologies, such as SEIM provider LogRhythm.
“Netskope’s data-centric approach to cloud security supports the growing demand for inline services geared for the borderless workplace,” Teh said. “From data created and exposed in the cloud to data going to unmanaged cloud apps and personal devices, Netskope protects data and users everywhere.”
TVNZ has announced an extensive multi-year content deal with NBCUniversal (NBCU) for the rights to air premium international content from the leading media and entertainment company on TVNZ OnDemand and TVNZ’s free-to-air channels.
Through this agreement with NBCUniversal Global Distribution, TVNZ has acquired hundreds of scripted series produced by Universal Studio Group for Peacock, NBC, USA Network and SYFY, in addition to titles from the Oxygen and DreamWorks Animation brands, including premium new series on global release dates and an extensive collection of quality library titles.
Cate Slater, TVNZ’s Director of Content, said the deal commences from July this year and will be a significant boost for TVNZ viewers.
“We are rapt to be working with NBCU to offer our viewers access to this vast collection of quality international titles. This year, we’ll be introducing hundreds of hours of acclaimed series such as Downton Abbey, 30 Rock, Heroes and Mr. Robot, in addition to new series like Brave New World, Saved by the Bell, Punky Brewster and Rutherford Falls. The highly anticipated Dr. Death, which stars Joshua Jackson, Grace Gummer, AnnaSophia Robb with Christian Slater and Alec Baldwin, will be available on TVNZ on July 23, 2021.
Covid-19 has significantly impacted the availability of international content and in response we’ve ramped up our local content production. To complement our local line-up with beloved hits like The Office (U.S.) and Parks and Recreation; bingeworthy dramas like Belgravia (from the creators of Downton Abbey); new laugh-out-loud comedies such as Girls5eva (starring Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Paula Pell and Busy Philipps); popular sci-fi shows including 12 Monkeys and Killjoys; Oxygen’s true crime programming including Homicide for the Holidays, The Disappearance of Natalee Holloway and In Ice Cold Blood, hosted by Ice T; and much-loved kids series from the hit DreamWorks Animation franchises such as Trolls and How to Train Your Dragon, means that TVNZ has something for everyone. And all free to view.”
TVNZ OnDemand is now attracting over a million unique viewers per week* and this deal was negotiated with digital rights front of mind. TVNZ OnDemand will benefit from well over one thousand hours of exceptional shows annually through the deal. Plus, a raft of popular movies will find a home on TVNZ 2, including films from the blockbuster Fast and Furious, Bourne, Jurassic Park, American Pie, The Boss Baby, The Croods and Despicable Me franchises.
Belinda Menendez, NBCUniversal’s President & Chief Revenue Officer, Global Distribution and International, said: “We have had a longstanding relationship with TVNZ and are delighted to expand upon our partnership with them through this multi-faceted agreement. Through this deal - which covers theatrical, library television titles and the phenomenal new series being produced by and for our various NBCU brands, including our new streaming service Peacock - we are able to highlight the strength and breadth of our amazing content portfolio.”
*Nielsen CMI Q1 20 - Q4 20, AP15+, watched TVNZ OD in the last 7 days
Multi-Color Corporation ("MCC") and Hexagon Holdings (“Hexagon”) are today jointly announcing that the parties have signed a binding Sale and Purchase Agreement whereby MCC will acquire 100% of the shares in Hexagon. The acquisition includes Hexagon subsidiaries Hally Labels AU, Label Partners AU, Adhesif Labels NZ, Hally Labels NZ, Kiwi Labels NZ & Rapid Labels NZ.
The transaction will complete when FIRB (AU) & OIO (NZ) foreign investment regulatory approvals have been confirmed, likely in Q3 2021.
Nigel Vinecombe, CEO, Multi-Color Corporation, said, "Bringing these companies together creates an impressive Australasian network and clear market leadership in the region. We are delighted to be welcoming Hexagon’s staff, clients & suppliers to the MCC family.”
Clark Perkins, Chairman, Hexagon Holdings, said, “We are proud to have established Hexagon and built its operations over the past eight years to be the leading manufacturer of self-adhesive labels in Australasia. The MCC and Hexagon businesses are highly complementary, and we can see many opportunities for the combined business in the Australian and New Zealand markets. Today’s announcement is the culmination of the efforts of all of our employees throughout our ownership and we are deeply grateful for their efforts.”
Because the acquisition is by way of a share sale, all existing arrangements with Hexagon employees, clients and suppliers will continue seamlessly.
MCC’s enlarged Australasian group will be led by Daren Hudson, MCC President for Australia and New Zealand. Hexagon CEO Greg Howell will assist across an agreed transitional period.
The companies would like to thank the advisors who have assisted with this transaction. For MCC those include Ernst & Young and Minter Ellison. For Hexagon they are Goldman Sachs, Deloitte and HHL.
About Multi-Color Corporation
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A. based Multi-Color Corporation, established in 1916, is a leader in global label solutions supporting a number of the world's most prominent brands including leading producers of home and personal care, wine and spirits, food and beverage, healthcare and specialty consumer products. Multi-Color Corporation serves national and international brand owners in North, Central and South America, Europe, Africa, China, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand with a comprehensive range of the latest label technologies in Pressure Sensitive, IML, Shrink Sleeve, Wraps, Cut and Stack, Heat Transfer, Durables and Aluminum Foils. Multi-Color Corporation employs approximately 10,000 employees across 86 plants in 26 countries. For additional information on Multi-Color Corporation, please visit http://www.mcclabel.com.
About Hexagon Holdings
Hexagon is the holding company for a number of specialist narrow-web label converters in Australia and New Zealand. Hexagon subsidiaries operate from eight manufacturing sites including Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Christchurch & Sydney – with 510 staff. Hexagon companies have earned market leadership in New Zealand and are enjoying high-growth in their impressive Australian business. Hexagon is privately owned, with majority shareholder Mercury Capital closely involved in discussions with MCC. For additional information on Hexagon, please visit https://www.hexagonholdings.nz
Source: https://www.mcclabel.com/
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Palo Alto Networks (NYSE: PANW), the global cybersecurity leader, and PwC today announced an expanded partnership to deliver managed detection and response (MDR) services to joint customers. The offering combines MDR services delivered by PwC — Managed Cyber Defence — and Cortex XDR™ by Palo Alto Networks. Together, customers can take advantage of a state-of-the-art managed threat hunting, protection, detection and response service from anywhere, globally.
The Managed Cyber Defence service fuses the power of PwC's global threat intelligence, thousands of hours of incident response expertise, and advisory services with Cortex XDR, the industry's first fully integrated detection and response platform, to provide a unique level of protection with unrivaled visibility and detection capabilities. As a result, security teams can significantly reduce attack dwell time, down to minutes, and manual day-to-day security operations workloads by up to 90%, elevating organizations to a mature security posture.
According to Christina Richmond, vice president of Worldwide Security Services research at IDC, "The evolving threat landscape has forced organizations to mature their security capabilities, creating opportunities for PwC to elevate their offerings and provide a blending of managed security/MDR and professional security capabilities."
Built to cater to organizations of any size, in any industry, PwC's Managed Cyber Defense reduces response times from what typically takes days to minutes, minimizing the
likelihood of an emerging threat manifesting as a breach. Detection of emerging attacker behaviors and pivoted attack scenarios put organizations on a path to proactive defense against "the unknown," while extending protection across on-premises, cloud, virtualized and IoT environments.
Cortex XDR is the industry's first extended detection and response platform that runs on integrated endpoint, network, cloud and third-party data to reduce noise and focus on real threats. By combining Cortex XDR with MDR services, customers can relieve the day-to-day burden of security operations and achieve 24/7 coverage, from alert management and investigation to incident response.
Colin Slater, cyber security partner at PwC UK, had this to say:
"Our unique market insight and trusted relationships with our clients makes us best placed to advise on their cyber challenges. Using this in-depth knowledge, we have meticulously created a service offering to address our clients' pain points. We are excited to work with Palo Alto Networks as the market demands new ways to do detection and response. COVID-19 has spurred a move to remote work at a scale that has left many businesses more vulnerable than ever to cyberattacks because they are less able to respond and recover remotely. PwC's cybersecurity team has responded to several major incursions from nation-state threat groups and mitigated cyber breaches caused by vulnerabilities introduced through transitions to remote work at scale. Preventing these attacks is a core element of the PwC and Palo Alto Networks approach."
Shailesh Rao, senior vice president for Cortex at Palo Alto Networks, offered:
"We are thrilled to expand our partnership with PwC through the delivery of best-in-class managed detection and response (MDR) services powered by Cortex XDR to our joint customers. More and more enterprise customers have validated PwC's service over the last year in detecting and responding to cyberattacks. The combination of advisory services, analytics, and modern, AI-driven detection and response capabilities and metrics, with visibility across an enterprise's entire infrastructure, is made possible by our unmatched join to Cortex XDR and MDR service offering." https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/
Air New Zealand cargo flights between Melbourne and Los Angeles will soon be taking off after the airline was awarded the route as part of the Australian Government’s International Freight Assistance Mechanism (IFAM) programme.
The airline will operate one flight per week until 31 October 2021, with the first flight bound for Melbourne on 3 July. This will be in addition to the Brisbane – Los Angeles flying the airline has been doing since August 2020 under the same scheme.
Air New Zealand General Manager Cargo Anna Palairet says this will be the first time the airline has flown the route, and with the limited international flying currently happening, adding a new route to the mix is positive.
“This service will help Australian exporters get high-value, time-sensitive perishable exports to global markets and assist with importing nationally important goods to Australia. Over the next four months, the route will open the potential for nearly 1000 tonnes to be moved between Melbourne and Los Angeles.
“We know there is some big cargo demand on this route as it gives Australian exporters and importers another option to move products to and from the US. In fact, the first flight is already pre-sold.
In May, the airline was also awarded more flying under the New Zealand Government’s Maintaining International Air Connectivity (MIAC) scheme.
“This scheme has been extended through to October, and we will operate around 30 flights per week to 13 destinations including Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Shanghai, as well as maintaining air connectivity with key ports within the Pacific Islands. “Our Cargo team has worked hard to keep products moving for the past 15 months which has also allowed us to bring Kiwis home while international travel is constrained by border closures.”
DUNEDIN, New Zealand & SYDNEY–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Leading Australian and New Zealand education technology (“edtech”) company Education Perfect (“EP” or the “Company”), global investment firm KKR, and Australia-based private equity firm Five V Capital today announced the signing of definitive agreements pursuant to which KKR will acquire a majority stake in the Company.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622006028/en/
EP, a certified B Corporation, empowers students, teachers, parents, and school leaders by providing them with rich data insights and tools for automated marking, feedback, secure assessment, differentiation, and more. EP also offers tens of thousands of high-quality pre-built lessons. Founded in 2007, EP’s work is grounded in the belief that the provision of accessible edtech solutions fosters a more diverse and inclusive education ecosystem. EP is currently being used by more than 3,000 schools, 50,000 teachers and 1 million students in more than 50 countries worldwide.
KKR makes its investment from its Global Impact Fund. KKR’s Global Impact strategy is focused on investing in market-leading companies whose business contributes toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (“SDG”). EP’s business directly contributes towards SDG 4 (Quality Education) by providing accessible, affordable, and high-quality education to students around the world.
Alex Burke, CEO of Education Perfect, said, “An investment by KKR’s Global Impact Fund validates EP’s stand-out position and exceptional track record in the fragmented education technology industry. COVID-19 has put education technology in the spotlight, and our amazing team and world-class data, technology and content have been the foundation of our success. I welcome KKR’s investment, which marks a key moment in the Company’s journey and sets EP up for its next phase of global growth. I’m excited by what the investment represents, and how it validates the quality of the product that we are offering to teachers, students, parents and school leaders, and the exceptional work the entire EP team is doing.”
KKR will leverage the firm’s experience investing in technology and education companies to support EP and the management team’s vision to grow into a major edtech business globally, with a mission to improve education efficacy and outcomes. Five V Capital, which invested in EP in 2017, will remain a shareholder alongside EP’s management team and Co-Founders Craig and Shane Smith.
Chee-Wei Wong, Head of KKR Global Impact for Asia, said, “Education Perfect aligns with our focus on lifelong learning by democratizing access to quality digital tools for teachers and students thereby driving inclusiveness in education. Its best-in-class platform combines quality content, formative assessments, student analytics and personalized learning, which support teachers day-to-day and help improve students’ learning efficacy. We look forward to supporting the team as it accelerates its winning strategy to become a global leader in edtech while delivering strong outcomes in quality education.”
“Digital transformation in K-12 education is at an early stage compared to other industries, and EP is well-positioned to drive this on a larger, global scale,” said George Aitken, a Director at KKR. “We are excited to work with Education Perfect’s talented team to strengthen its market-leading position in Australia and New Zealand, accelerate its growth, and expand its international presence. This investment also highlights KKR’s commitment to supporting impactful, home-grown champions that are looking for opportunities in new markets, verticals, and sectors.”
Srdjan Dangubic, Founding Partner of Five V Capital’s said, “From our first meeting with Craig and Shane Smith and the management team, we knew Education Perfect was a terrific company with very exciting global prospects. We are proud to have backed the EP team and world leading product to create the largest Ed-tech business in ANZ. Since our investment, EP’s leading team has more than doubled to over 200 employees delivering revenue growth of over by 400% and earnings growth of 600%. We believe that the future remains very bright, and we are delighted to continue with our investment alongside Alex, the EP team and KKR. We look forward to much future success.”
Macquarie Capital, PWC, Clifford Chance and Gilbert + Tobin acted as advisors on the transaction.
About Education PerfectThe team at EP are united through a common passion for making a global impact in education. Founded in New Zealand and developed by and with teachers over a 10-year period, Education Perfect (EP) is a complete digital teaching and learning toolkit for schools. The EP platform offers a world-class set of tools for learning, revision, and assessment, enabling 21st century practices for school years 5 to 12, across all subject areas.
Data is at the heart of EP. Its rich user data report and insight capabilities enables the use of machine learning & AI, while also providing insights to teachers, parents, principals, administrators and students. Personalisation, inclusivity of every learner, actionable data & insights and interoperability are the defining requirements of the digital teaching & learning platforms of the future. EP meets all these requirements, sitting well ahead of its largely subject-specific competitors.
With offices in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Dubai, and being already used by 1 million+ students, 50,000+ teachers, in 3,000+ schools across 50+ countries, EP is uniquely positioned to be the complete digital teaching and learning toolkit for teachers and parents globally.
About KKRKKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR’s insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of The Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.
About Five V CapitalFive V Capital, a certified B Corporation, is a private equity fund manager based in Sydney with over $900 million of funds under management. Five V’s unique investment approach is underpinned by a philosophy of alignment and is reflected in the Five V Capital team being the largest investors across its funds. This alignment between team, investors, partners and management teams is a key component of Five V’s success. Five V Capital’s current portfolio contains several leading businesses including APP Corporation, Zenith Investment Partners, Totara Learning, Monson Agencies, The Probe Group, Universal Store and Plenti. For more information about Five V Capital, please visit Five V’s website at https://www.fivevcapital.com/ and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/fivevcapital.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622006028/en/
Dawn Aerospace (Dawn) and Colorado Air and Space Port (CASP) have entered into an MOU, which lays out a series of future interactions that are mutually expected to occur between the two entities, but is not legally binding. Future actions include Dawn establishing a presence at CASP, working with CASP to create a relationship with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and, eventually, conducting test flights and spaceplane launches.
“In order to provide unprecedented access to space, we’ve pursued technologies that will operate much like a fleet of aircraft – taking off and landing at airports globally,” said James Powell, Dawn Co-founder. “We’re pleased to work with the supportive Adams County Board to bring our rocket-powered suborbital plane, and longer-term our orbital spaceplane, to Colorado.” In Dec. 2020 Dawn was granted an Unmanned Aircraft Operator Certificate by the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority to fly from a conventional airport. Dawn’s Mk-II Aurora is their latest spaceplane iteration. Mk-III Aurora, a two-stage orbital system, is currently in development.
Alongside the testing and development ongoing on the company’s spaceplanes, Dawn provides in-space satellite propulsion to its customers globally. Dawn has successfully seen eight of it’s in-space propulsion units launched in 2021 on Vega, Soyuz, and SpaceX vehicles.
The company’s spaceplane division is interested in expanding business operations to include Colorado Air and Space Port in Adams County.
“The Adams County Board looks forward to creating this new partnership with Dawn Aerospace and eventually having them operate at Colorado Air and Space Port,” said Eva J. Henry, Adams County Commissioner and Board Chair. “This partnership will bring a multitude of innovative opportunities for all involved, and we can’t wait to see what comes next from this impressive company.”
Dawn Aerospace was awarded the 2020 Hi-Tech Start-up Company of the Year, at the 2020 New Zealand Hi-Tech Awards, for developing technology to access space in a more scalable and sustainable way than is currently possible with traditional rockets.
“The amount of interest in Colorado Air and Space Port from international and domestic aerospace companies over the past three years has been amazing,” said Raymond Gonzales, Adams County Manager. “This agreement with a truly innovative company like Dawn Aerospace is an exciting development as we continue to increase our aerospace partnerships while also expanding our general aviation activity at CASP.”
“Dawn Aerospace has successfully worked with a number of European countries for the launch of their propulsion units, and we are thrilled this company will be establishing a presence with us,” said Dave Ruppel, Colorado Air and Space Port Director. “Dawn Aerospace is a leader in the industry. Having a spaceplane that can make multiple suborbital trips a day with the same vehicle, take off and land from a conventional airport, and uses green propellants will help drive the industry to create more proficient space vehicles.”
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is openly courting the United States to play a more active role in the Pacific and to re-join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) or even consider a bilateral trade deal.
She made the comments in a virtual discussion this morning with the United States-based Council on Foreign Relations.
Ardern said many countries were active in the Pacific, including China, Australia, the European Union and Japan and New Zealand would never be able to outspend them.
"What we would be seeking is, given the interests of the United States in the region, not only strategically but in terms of those longstanding relationships, to look beyond those regional relationships, beyond just strategic and defence perspective but actually look to the United States to embed itself more in our regional economic architecture.
"And I'd say that not just for the Pacific but actually the Indo-Pacific generally," she said.
"In the change in Administration, there is an opportunity there for, I think, to change up that approach and if I was seeking anything from the United States, I would seek for them to think about that opportunity."
Asked if that mean she would welcome the US re-joining CPTPP, she said it represented 13 per cent of world GDP.
"It would, if the United States joined, be the most significant agreement for the United States, I think covering in the order of 40 per cent of trade. It would be significant.
"We would encourage the United State to enter into multilateral trade agreements or even bilateral trade agreements but particularly with an eye to our region," Ardern said.
"But in doing so we are asking for a high standard, and obviously that won't be new for those who have engaged with the text of the CPTPP."
Ardern said any re-entry by the United States would require a high-standard agreement, currently reflected in the text which has been signed up to by 11 countries: New Zealand, Singapore, Chile, Brunei, Australia, Vietnam, Peru, Malaysia, Japan, Canada and Mexico.
The CPTPP (formerly the TPP) was the major trade policy of the Barack Obama Administration, in which current US President Joe Biden was Vice-President.
But Donald Trump withdrew the US from the TPP the week he was sworn into office in 2017.
Biden spoke favourably about the TPP and the possibility of renegotiating with strong protections but never made a commitment to re-join during his campaign.
The United Kingdom two weeks ago began the process of applying to join the CPTPP, which will require the consent of all 11 countries.
The initial question to Ardern when the trade issue was raised was about New Zealand's evolving role in the South Pacific, especially in light of China's Belt and Road Initiative – which funds other countries' large infrastructure projects.
Ardern said that was "an excellent question and one that has been top of our mind for the entire time that we have been in office".
She talked about the Pacific reset policy undertaken in the first term in which the Government had tried to change the relationship with Pacific neighbours to one of partnership rather than "donor–donee".
She disputed a suggestion by the moderator, Richard N Haass, that New Zealand had taken a different position to Australia on the need for an inquiry into the origins of Covid-19.
"Absolutely we support the World Health Organisation's endeavours there and also we are very clear that we need nations to participate. They need to be open and transparent. We need access if we are to be able to determine these origins.
"But all the way through we have also said this cannot be seen as a blame exercise because we need to learn and anything that might act as a barrier for nations being co-operative, we need to be mindful of but unfortunately I think probably some of that has been mis-characterised."
She said it was in everyone's interests for it to be investigated to the point where it could be proven or disproven to have escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan, to help with any global response in the future.
"That's in all parties' best interests, including China's I would have thought."
By: Audrey Young Audrey Young is the senior political correspondent for the New Zealand Herald
Happy Valley and Burt Lewis Ingredients LLC (BLI) have entered into an agreement for Happy Valley to supply batch-formulated nutritional milk powders to BLI once certain operational and quality conditions have been satisfied. Happy Valley Nutrition Limited (ASX: HVM; ‘Happy Valley’ or ‘the Company’) is pleased to announce a major milestone whereby North American (USA) dairy ingredient distributor BLI, has entered into a conditional supply agreement (‘Supply Agreement’) to source batch-formulated nutritional milk powders manufactured at Happy Valley’s state-of-the-art nutritional grade processing facility in Ōtorohanga, New Zealand, which is in the first phase of its construction. This is a major development for Happy Valley and an important vote of confidence from a global distributor specialising in dairy ingredients, based in Chicago, USA. https://www.burtlewisingredients.com/ Once operational, Happy Valley’s facility will have capacity to produce 35,000 metric tonnes per annum of nutritional ingredients and formulaic products and aims to commence operations in mid-CY 2023. Supply Agreement Framework and Key Conditions Precedent • Purchase of a minimum of 4,800 metric tonnes per annum of batch-formulated nutritional milk powders, destined for export markets. • Conditional on completion of Happy Valley's facility and satisfaction of BLI's quality assurance requirements. • Three-year minimum term. Comment Happy Valley Nutrition Limited Chief Executive Officer Greg Wood commented: “Securing this Supply Agreement validates the requirement for the type of capability our plant offers customers. Our goal is to work with our partners to satisfy market demands.” Release approved by the Chief Executive Officer on behalf of the Board.
https://www.hvn.co.nz/
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