Company director Rob Campbell and fellow director Tracey Jones are accusing the media and National Business Review in particular of hindering gender diversity. The pair are basing their accusation on a three-month survey of NBR’s print edition and the business pages of the New Zealand Herald.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/mainstream-media-nbr-accused-being-sexist-jr-p-202059

After three years of dipping its toes in the water, Kiwi company ARANZ Geo is giving the green light to a global expansion of its 3D geological modelling technology from the mining and geothermal industries to civil construction and environmental challenges. The $30 million turnover company was spun off in 2004 from ARANZ, which was founded in the mid-1990s with an initial focus on 3D medical imaging. Its other spin-out, the award-winning ARANZ Medical, is making a global name for itself in 3D scanning and informatics for the healthcare sector.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/node/202045

It has been a decade since Japanese carmaker Subaru last dabbled with an XL-sized seven-seat SUV but at the New York motor show last week the manufacturer unveiled a new concept – the Ascent – which fits the template. Subaru’s previous big SUV, the Tribeca, was a slow seller at a time when large SUVs weren’t firing as they are now. That model was also hobbled by challenging exterior styling (the aeronautical-themed grille worked well on the Impreza of the time but didn’t translate well to the bigger vehicle) and the global financial crisis, which stuck a pin in sales.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/car-torque-subaru-unveils-new-seven-seater-suv-concept

Prisons “are largely holders of Māori flesh and blood” in New Zealand: Dr Tracey McIntosh quoted in the Waitangi Tribunal’s report Tu Mai Te Rangi! Report on the Crown and Disproportionate Reoffending Rates. The report is the outcome of an urgent inquiry by the tribunal following a claim that the Crown had failed to make a long-term commitment to reducing the high rate of Māori reoffending relative to non-Māori. The claim is against the background of well-known statistics that Māori comprise about 15% of the national population but more than 50% of the prison muster (the overall muster is near 10,000).

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/capital-letter-why-waitangi-tribunal-told-government-cut-number-maori-prison

The Big Australian is under attack by the Hong Kong-based arm of a famed New York hedge fund, Elliott Management. Elliott wants BHP Billiton to scrap its dual listing in the UK and Australia, spin off its US petroleum assets and return billions of dollars of capital to shareholders, proposals it estimates would release about $US46 billion in value.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/us-activist-hedge-fund-faces-against-big-australian-jr-p-202020

The government’s “fine tuning” of New Zealand’s immigration rules are a necessary step to keep the economy thriving, EMA chief executive Kim Campbell says. Mr Campbell says New Zealand “doesn’t have to beg for people to come here.”

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/we-can-afford-pick-and-choose-ema-boss-new-immigration-rules-jw-p-202037

Auckland-based tech company Biomatters has launched cloud-based software to be used by biopharma companies developing biological drugs. The 13-year-old company, which already has a genetic code data analysis tool called Geneious in the market, launched its new product Geneious Biologics at a bio-tech expo in Boston, US.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/phenomenal-opportunity-drug-market-biomatters-says-cs-p-202040

About one in 20 small businesses are put under extreme pressure because of late payments from customers, according to a survey by accounting software firm MYOB. Another 41% of those surveyed reported being under some to quite a lot of pressure.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/late-payments-put-some-smes-under-extreme-pressure-survey-shows-jr-p-202035

US president Donald Trump will sign an executive order directing federal departments to clamp down on fraud and abuse in guest worker programmes. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will lead an investigation into government procurement practices at federal agencies, focusing on exposing weak monitoring, enforcement and compliance efforts.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/trumps-beltway-new-exec-order-guest-workers-and-home-security-department-beef-ns-p-202036

Gas analysis company Syft Technologies has shifted its shareholding base from the Sharemart platform to Unlisted, to give more liquidity to shareholders. The Christchurch-based company, which makes high-tech chemical testers to “sniff” air quality, started trading on the alternative stock market board this morning.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/syft-jumps-ship-unlisted-cs-p-202015