If your PC’s infected, who ya gonna call? From today, anyone hit by a virus, malware or ransomware has the option to contact new Crown agency Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT).

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/government-backed-cyber-security-agency-opens-business-ck-p-201827

The Shadow Brokers, the group which released alleged National Security Agency hacking tools last year, has more stolen NSA files, although not as impressive as those in the first leak in 2016. "Is appearing you are abandoning 'your base,' 'the movement' and the peoples who getting you elected," the Shadow Brokers wrote to US president Donald Trump in a blog post as they released the password to a new cache of cyber tools.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/trumps-beltway-more-intelligence-leaks-new-nominations-trickle-ns-p-201795

The New Zealand Association of Credit Unions is appealing a decision by the government that it is only permitted to provide services to members and has to drop non-members. The association (now known as Co-op Money) was found to be providing services to non-members, which the Registrar of Friendly Societies and Credit Unions said was inconsistent with the law, according to a High Court judgment.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/co-op-money-inconsistent-law-cg-p-201800

The ASX appears to have a fight on its hands as it looks for a technology to build a replacement for the CHESS* system that underpins Australia's cash equity market. The Aussie bourse is looking for a new solution based on blockchain technology – first developed for the bitcoin virtual currency but now crossing over into the financial mainstream, with a lot of disruption in the process and a lot more on the way.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/asx-blockchain-stoush-shows-technology-going-mainstream-ck-p-201802

All the best interviews from the week 03/04/2017- 07/04/2017

Including:

Matthew Hooten

David Cohen

Ian McCrae

Arthur Grimes

Wayne Baird

NZ Post’s payment of $130 million to bolster Kiwibank’s capital position will shave its contribution to the government’s budget surplus. NZ Post, which owns 53% of Kiwibank, and the other two shareholders, the NZ Superannuation Fund and ACC, were forced to contribute a further $247 million of equity to Kiwibank last week.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/kiwibanks-capital-woes-cut-nz-posts-budget-surplus-contribution-jr-p-201774

TVNZ’s announcement of the on-air launch date for Survivor New Zealand – the state-owned company’s major play to attract eyeballs to TV2 during the traditionally lucrative winter months – is another reminder of the increasingly cutthroat nature of the video content market. TVNZ commercial director Paul Maher declines to say just how much has been spent on the show, beyond the stating the obvious: “It’s a big investment.”

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/hold-hutvnz-bets-big-survivor-success-ng-p-201736

Venture capitalist Jenny Morel says the answer to New Zealand’s Series A funding crunch is to set up six new venture funds of around $150 million each. Ms Morel, who founded No 8 Ventures Management in 1999 to invest in young Kiwi tech companies and runs the annual Morgo conference for entrepreneurs, says New Zealand has more angel investors and more incubators per capita than anywhere else in the world.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/hold-huthe-fix-new-zealands-series-funding-crunch-fr-p-201695

The latest victim of Brexit may be Britain’s commitment to source 15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. While the US and the UK are moving away from Paris-type agreements, New Zealand is being urged to move faster.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/editors-insight-carbon-emission-paths-conflict-brexit-dims-green-light

Television industry veteran John Barnett says the late John Clarke, the man who created the comic character Fred Dagg, was a “very clever bugger.” Mr Clarke, one of Australasia’s best-known satirists, died on Sunday at the age of 68 of natural causes while hiking in the Grampians National Park in Victoria.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/business-behind-fred-dagg-fr-p-201777