The day science fiction becomes science fact may be sooner than you think. An autonomous flying taxi, that can travel up to 180km/h, has been approved for testing in New Zealand. Known as Cora, the flying taxi has been developed by Kitty Hawk, a company backed by Google co-founder Larry Page. This passenger-drone system has […]
Engineering consultant, Tom Parawa recently had the fortune to attend a breakfast seminar held by Bernard Hickey, economic columnist for the NZ Herald. In this informative event titled The Trade me jobs presentation, Bernard shared great insights into the current state of the New Zealand Economy. Cobalt’s Tom Parawa details his key learnings and in […]
Peter Mahon became the most famous judge in New Zealand when he accused Air New Zealand of an “orchestrated litany of lies”. His condemnation of the airline for the Erebus disaster won him appraisal from many, but also strong criticism. The tragedy occurred on 28th November 1979, when a tourist jet crashed into Mt. Erebus, […]
You’ve finally secured a meeting with that top client you’ve been chasing for weeks. You research the company and prepare well. Small talk out of the way. It’s all going well. Oops, did you just say that? Next thing you know you’re staring at blank faces. If you’ve ever found yourself in an awkward meeting, […]
New Zealand has launched the world’s first AI politician – meet SAM. It’s being heralded as the politician of the future. SAM talks to voters through Facebook’s messenger software, answering their questions about elections and other issues. Entrepreneur Nick Gerritsen created the software with the aim of creating a representative that listens to people and […]
Every industry carries their own myths and misconceptions, architecture is no different. It’s one of the most creative career paths, but many people are misinformed about this line of work. We’re here to set the record straight about architects. Myth #1: Architects are the same as architectural designers Many companies offer “architectural design” services, but […]
The road to achieving workplace equality between men and women in New Zealand, it seems, still has a long way to go. According to researchers at the Motu Institute, women who bring the same value to private firms in New Zealand as their male counterparts are paid 16% less on average. Globally, the pay gap […]
Every country in the world has its own collection of strange laws. New Zealand is no exception. Our country has a lot of weird laws you’d be surprised are still in effect in 2018. Some are new, some are old, but they do make you wonder how they were ever legislated in the first place. […]
Your first management job is a big step forward in your career. Being put in a position to manage others is a great achievement, but it can be a lot of pressure. Management is not easy and requires key skills, such as communication and motivating. As the boss, you’re responsible for leading your team to […]
Before 1867, settlers had two options when transporting themselves between Lyttelton and Christchurch. They either had to embark on a perilous scramble over the volcanic Port Hills or take a ship across the Sumner Bar. This was a massive inconvenience to travellers and early settlers soon began thinking of ways to solve it. There […]
2017 – Was quite a year! Last year we all saw some great success and significant change, as we shifted into the new year with a Labour coalition government at the helm. So how does that reflect on the construction and property sector? 2017 was a strong year with much optimism in infrastructure. We saw […]
The Christchurch Construction & Engineering markets have certainly experienced major change during 2017. One of the most visible changes being the NCTIR alliance which has absorbed a large pool of talent from the Christchurch market, primarily in the Geotechnical and Civil disciplines. This has created some uncertainty around when these people will return to Christchurch […]
Pneumatic tube travel (created using a vacuum system or compressed air), isn’t entirely a new invention. Throughout history the concept had been thought up by a number of pioneers and inventors but in terms of transporting people or large freight, nothing successful has ever happened. Image: Virgin Hyperloop One That was until highly publicised entrepreneur […]
Sustainability is a key concept in today’s construction industry, it’s perhaps best understood as a goal – something to reach. Through greater consideration of time, cost, durability and function, cheaper and more environmentally-friendly buildings can be realised on a consistent basis. While sustainability has begun to be viewed as standard practice in the construction industry, […]