Category: MIL-Submissions

Source: Consumer NZ

As more New Zealanders turn to secondhand markets to tackle rising living costs and contribute to environmental sustainability, Consumer’s guide provides essential tips to navigate the secondhand market with confidence.

Recent Consumer data reveals that 87% of New Zealanders have bought secondhand items in the last 6 months, up from 76% just 5 years ago.

Economic pressures are driving this growing trend, with a notable increase in secondhand purchases of electronics and household appliances.

At the same time, a growing awareness of environmental impacts has encouraged 21% of New Zealanders to consider sustainability when making purchases.

Your trusted guide to buying second hand appliances
Consumer’s new guide includes expert advice on what to look for when buying secondhand, with tips for ensuring quality, reliability and value.

As many New Zealanders seek to balance affordability, durability and sustainability, the guide highlights how to identify high-performing, long-lasting appliances and avoid common pitfalls, such as faulty or poorly maintained products.

“We know that the rising cost of living has made people more conscious of how they spend their money, and secondhand shopping is an appealing option,” says James le Page, Consumer’s Product Test Manager.

“Our new guide helps New Zealanders navigate this growing market by providing essential information about product quality, lifespan and potential risks.

“With the consumer landscape shifting, not every purchase is made from the shop floor but rather often from online platforms, and we want to instil people with more trust and guard-rails to work with when they are making those often tricky purchasing decisions.”

Top tips for buying secondhand appliances
When purchasing secondhand appliances, it’s important to do your homework.

Consumer’s guide covers several key factors.

Reliability and satisfaction

Look for trusted brands with high satisfaction ratings.
Check the model’s reliability and past performance through our comprehensive product reviews and test results.

Condition and care

Assess the condition of the appliance. If it looks worn out or poorly maintained, this could be a sign of a rough life.
Ask the seller about its history and always test the product before buying.

Repairability

Ensure spare parts are available or the manufacturer still supports the product’s software (if applicable). This can prevent future headaches and unexpected expenses.

Energy efficiency

Consider the appliance’s energy efficiency. Older models may have higher running costs compared with newer, more energy-efficient options.

Check for recalls

Check the New Zealand Product Safety website before purchasing to make sure the product hasn’t been recalled.

Sustainability and quality

The shift to secondhand shopping isn’t just about saving money – it’s also a key driver of sustainability. By purchasing secondhand, consumers can reduce waste, save energy and lower their carbon footprint.
For many people, buying secondhand is a way to make more environmentally conscious decisions while still getting a good deal.
Currently 21% of New Zealanders believe buying secondhand products is better for the environment, and this movement is gaining momentum.

A guide to older models

Consumer is making it easier for people to compare new and older models of appliances.
We are adding previously tested appliances to our comparison pages, making it easier for consumers to make informed decisions about whether to buy new or opt for a high-performing secondhand option.
Our guide includes historical product tests, helping consumers find great deals on older models without sacrificing quality.

How old is too old

While purchasing secondhand can be a great way to save, it’s important to know how old the appliance is before you buy.
For large items, like washing machines, dryers and fridges, up to 8–10 years is usually acceptable.
For electronics, like laptops or phones, look for models that are 3–5 years old to ensure ongoing viability.
However, some items may be built to last and remain in excellent condition for even longer than our rule-of-thumb suggested timeframes.

Your rights when buying secondhand

Consumers are still protected under the Consumer Guarantees Act when buying from secondhand dealers.
However, this protection doesn’t apply to private sales, so it’s important to understand your rights before making a purchase.

Start your secondhand appliance search by exploring the full secondhand buying guide on Consumer’s website: https://consumernz.cmail19.com/t/i-l-ftdhukt-ijlytrkuit-d/

Source: Samsung

Company outlines refreshed strategy using Home AI to elevate user experiences at home and beyond

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Jan. 7, 2025 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today unveiled its new “AI for All” vision at CES® 2025 in Las Vegas, with the focus of making AI an “Everyday, Everywhere” experience. Building on a decade of connected home leadership, Samsung is leveraging the power of AI to bring intelligence to every day, enabling people to experience a more personal, impactful and empowering world.

Jong-Hee (JH) Han, Vice Chairman, CEO and Head of Samsung’s Device eXperience (DX) Division, opened Samsung’s CES 2025 press conference by introducing the company’s roadmap for Home AI, a plan for redefining the meaning of home by providing truly personalised services across all intelligent, connected devices. This strategy, alongside Samsung’s innovations in AI-powered devices across mobile, home appliances and visual display, is a testament to Samsung’s longstanding commitment to human-centric innovation and brings the power of AI to everyday experiences to make life better for all.

“I’m proud of how we have introduced new technologies and intelligence to the home, connected key devices and set the standard for the home of the future,” Vice Chairman Han said. “This year at CES, we are reinforcing our commitment to delivering personalised experiences through our widespread implementation of AI and we will continue this journey of AI leadership in the home and beyond, not just for the next decade, but for the next century.”

Elevating Everyday Experiences With Home AI

Later in the press conference, Jonathan Gabrio, Head of the Connected Experience Center at Samsung Electronics America, expanded on Samsung’s Home AI vision, underscoring the company’s commitment to integrating AI across the entire connected experience to cater to diverse lifestyles. From single person households to multi-generational families under one roof, Home AI learns from habits and adapts to individual routines for a hyper-personalised smart home experience.

Security and Privacy are at the heart of Samsung’s strategy for Home AI. Samsung recognises that as users introduce more connected devices into their homes and AI becomes more personal, it must also protect users’ privacy. To meet these evolving needs, the company has extended its security capabilities. Now, Samsung Knox Matrix protects home appliances along with mobile devices and TVs with its signature blockchain technology, ensuring that connected devices are working together to protect the user’s home, data and each other from digital threats. With Knox Matrix Dashboard, a transparent privacy control, Samsung offers simplified security management across the entire connected home. As information syncs across devices, Knox Matrix’s Credential Sync ensures that data can only be encrypted or decrypted from the user’s devices, and Samsung Knox Vault adds another layer of protection, keeping sensitive information like passwords or PINs isolated in a secure location.

Samsung’s One UI provides an integrated software experience across all connected Samsung devices, enhancing interoperability, empowering users with AI-based features and providing software updates for up to seven years.

Underpinning it all is SmartThings, Samsung’s smart home platform that brings intelligent connectivity to hundreds of millions of users around the world. With Samsung’s belief in open innovation and partnership as a foundation, SmartThings is being equipped with the latest AI technology to streamline and personalise the smart home experience for complete convenience. SmartThings Ambient Sensing intuitively understands the user’s environment and situational context by analysing even human movements and ambient sounds through connected devices within the home, thereby enabling those devices to intelligently and seamlessly respond and adapt to daily routines.

Bixby Voice, an enhanced AI voice assistant, will be integrated to increase usability. The assistant has been trained so that it can recognise individual voices and respond to commands in a way that works best for each user. These Home AI updates free up time previously spent on home management, allowing users to focus on what matters most and explore new passions.

With productivity comes proactivity, too. When AI and Samsung Health combine, users are empowered to take control of their health and wellness. With AI-driven health insights gathered on the Galaxy Watch, Samsung is helping users make sense of their data and arrive at more informed decisions about their well-being. These new capabilities will further improve the overall experience of Samsung Health, which stands apart as an end-to-end health solution that integrates the entire home seamlessly.

Seamless Entertainment in the AI Era

Samsung’s latest screen experiences, powered by Samsung Vision AI, bring unexpected joy to users’ days through unparalleled personalisation and exciting new features. The AI Screen experience infuses intelligence into TVs, bringing Generative Wallpaper, Live Translate and Click to Search to users. At the forefront of this technology is the Neo QLED 8K, which provides the most advanced viewing experiences though AI features like 8K AI Upscaling Pro, Auto HDR Remastering Pro and Colour Booster Pro — all of which work behind the scenes to intelligently enhance picture quality. Plus, The Frame’s art experience is expanding, allowing all Samsung QLEDs to come with a digital collection of over 3,000 art pieces, making it so that they can turn any room into a personal gallery.

Samsung’s commitment to its Screens Everywhere strategy is reflected in new display options for its appliances, including its new refrigerators with 9″ AI Home displays and other devices with 7″ screens. Consumers will be able to enjoy heightened functionality — including various entertainment services and AI features such as AI Vision Inside — on a broader range of products.

Taking AI Everywhere

Beyond the home, Samsung’s AI innovations are set to transform new categories and industries with SmartThings Pro. Created to bring the same AI-powered digital solutions to business partners as SmartThings offers consumers, SmartThings Pro is a B2B solution spanning multi-residential homes to retail spaces, hotels, schools and more. Since its launch last June, SmartThings Pro provides businesses with integrations to better understand energy usage, proactively identify devices with maintenance needs and offer comprehensive control of connected solutions. Samsung is working with partners to create an innovative platform, Future Innovation Technology (FIT), for larger businesses and buildings to set automated climate controls that save energy and reduce electricity costs.

The company is also working with Samsung Heavy Industries on a new SmartThings collaboration that uses the Matter connectivity standard to connect with compatible ships. SmartThings for Ships offers a Pre-Sailing Mode, which allows captains and crews to automate when the engine starts and turn on settings for temperature and lights, saving time and energy. Meanwhile, Care Mode provides a complete view of a ship’s power, AC systems and smoke alarms, while Protection Mode constantly monitors for — and will alert captain and crew to — any abnormal activity.

Additionally, Samsung is expanding its SmartThings and automotive integrations in a new partnership with Hyundai Motor Group to bring SmartThings to Hyundai EVs. With the expanded ecosystem, users can now use SmartThings Find to easily locate their parked car, even in crowded parking lots. With the power of Home AI, SmartThings can make recommendations on when to recharge EVs based on schedules and rates. And if there is a neighborhood power outage, it will automatically activate Battery Backup Mode, which works alongside AI Energy Mode to extend the battery energy to power home essentials.

In the Automotive space, Samsung and its subsidiary Harman continue their promise to transform the in-car experience with new products that bring contextual awareness into the cabin. Leveraging Samsung’s expertise in UX and AI, Harman’s new in-vehicle avatar acts as an intelligent digital copilot that works with Harman products like Ready Care and Ready Vision to anticipate needs while drivers focus on the road.

Empowering the Next Generation

Finally, Inhee Chung, Vice President of the Corporate Sustainability Center, underscored how Samsung’s AI for All vision is rooted in the brand’s commitment to harness the power of advanced technology for a better, more inclusive world. Samsung is introducing diverse and enhanced accessibility features through its AI-powered devices and services, starting with the ability to automatically sync accessibility features across home appliances from a smartphone.

From the first half of this year, Bixby will automatically have connected devices display text in high contrast or provide a voice guide for family members with low vision, all by simply recognising their voice. For those with low vision, AI is improving Audio Subtitles by lowering foreign language audio and reading out the subtitles in the language of the user’s choosing.  

Chung also discussed how initiatives like Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, Samsung Innovation Campus and the company’s work with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are enabling the next generation of innovators. Today, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow challenges more than 2.6 million students across 66 countries to use STEM to address challenges in their community. In particular, during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games last year, Samsung and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) launched a digital community “Together for Tomorrow, Enabling People” and appointed top 10 teams from global Solve for Tomorrow as community ambassadors. Meanwhile, Samsung Innovation Campus has helped prepare nearly 180,000 young people across 33 countries for the workforce through training on emerging technologies like AI, IoT and big data.

In a video message, Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator, joined VP Chung to share an update on Samsung and UNDP’s partnership to harness the power of technology for good. Since its initiation five years ago, the Samsung Global Goals app has raised over $20 million thanks to nearly 300 million users who are using a Galaxy smartphone, tablet or watch. Plus, Samsung and UNDP’s joint work through the Generation17 initiative continues to inspire extraordinary young leaders around the world who are mobilising their communities to advance the Global Goals.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, home appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions, and delivering a seamless connected experience through its SmartThings ecosystem and open collaboration with partners.

Source: Prostate Cancer Foundation

A prostate cancer screening programme which could save hundreds of lives a year has won conditional backing from an influential Parliamentary committee.

In a report presented to Parliament, the petitions select committee said “we encourage the Government to consider a pilot prostate cancer screening programme in a region with appropriate MRI capacity”.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation applauds the report of the multi-party committee, which spent more than a year collating evidence and hearing submissions before reporting back on the 30,000-signature petition of Kristine Hayward, who lost her husband to prostate cancer.

“Gaining an endorsement from a select committee is a huge boost to launching a prostate cancer screening programme, which starts with a simple blood test and could halve the number of deaths from prostate cancer,” said Danny Bedingfield, President of the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

The Foundation has been encouraging successive Ministers of Health to establish two pilots that would guide an eventual national screening programme for at-risk men.

“Pilots are important for learning the lessons on how to optimally engage with and screen New Zealand men in the same way that women are successfully screened for cervical and breast cancer,” Bedingfield says.

The Foundation paid tribute to Kristine, whose husband Bruce died from prostate cancer about five years ago, aged 66.  He’s one of 700 New Zealanders who die each year from the disease.

Because his death could be prevented, Kristine launched a petition calling for an early detection programme. The petition was handed over on the steps of Parliament in July 2023.

Bruce, a registered nurse like Kristine, had regular medical check-ups with his GP which included prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests. These showed that his levels were rising – a key warning sign – but by the time he was referred to a specialist his cancer had metastasised and could not be treated. 

More than 4000 men are diagnosed annually – a number which is expected to rise each year – but clinicians believe there are many more whose cancer goes undetected. 

Current testing is unfunded, disorganised and inequitable, allowing too many men to die, Bedingfield said. 

“There’s no centralised national screening programme and things need to change to provide better healthcare for New Zealand men,” he said.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation is asking the Government to fund two PSA screening pilots which would test men based on age and familial and genetic risk. The estimated cost is relatively low $6.4 million, and learnings would inform an eventual national population-based screening programme.

“Pilots will help us develop a comprehensive, optimum clinical care pathway for prostate cancer, which if done properly will take care of any issues with diagnosis and overtreatment,” Bedingfield said. “We really need to move now on piloting so we learn the lessons we need to learn.”  

“We note the the committee’s concerns about access to MRI equipment and a workforce to operate it, but there are regions that have capacity for extra scans. These should host a pilot.”

Due to an ageing population, the number of prostate cancer cases is likely to double by 2040. The clock is ticking. “We need to pay attention to that now and start piloting prostate cancer screening,” Bedingfield said.

Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

Thanks to Allbirds founder Tim Brown, the University of Auckland and seven businesses will host Stanford student interns keen to support sustainability projects.

Seven New Zealand businesses have demonstrated their commitment to sustainability by offering to provide internship opportunities for students from the prestigious Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.

Source: Peace Action Wellington

Date: 5 January 2025 – “The proposed Countering Foreign Interference bill includes wording that would seriously criminalise legitimate protest and limit rights to freedom of speech,” said Valerie Morse from Peace Action Wellington.

“The bill contains new criminal offences. The old saying that the ‘devil is in the detail’ is certainly true here.”

“What the bill says is that, if you commit even a minor offence and that provides a benefit to a foreign power, even unintentionally, you could be imprisoned for seven years. A ‘benefit’ is defined as: enhancing the political, economic, or military capability or influence of a foreign power. These are ridiculously broad and subjective measures.”

“An example is helpful to see how this could play out: A large group of peace activists stage a sit-in at the Minister of Foreign Affairs’s office to advocate for more aid to Ukraine. They are all subsequently arrested for disorderly behaviour, a very minor charge. The group is making the same demands as the Ukrainian government, and are thus likely to enhance the political influence of the Ukrainian government. Under this law, they could be prosecuted for providing a benefit to Ukraine, and along with disorderly behaviour charges, they could be imprisoned for up to seven years.”

“We know that the impact of this kind of legislation is to silence legitimate political activity. In particular this is likely to be the case where people are advocating for policies that are contrary to the position of the current government. It is a fundamental attack on our right to freedom of speech.”

“I believe that the broad wording is unintentional, but it is found throughout the proposed law. While we have indicated that we do not support the legislation in its entirety, there is an opportunity for the Select Committee to make critical changes so that it better reflects its actual intended purpose. It is our hope that they will remedy this through that process.”

We call upon everyone who is concerned about threats to our rights to make a submission by the closing date of 16 January.

Notes

Details of the bill including how to make a submission and links to the Regulatory impact statement can be found here: https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/make-a-submission/document/54SCJUST_SCF_5C7F002D-E4B4-4573-5563-08DD042D0CD2/crimes-countering-foreign-interference-amendment-bill#RelatedAnchor

Peace Action Wellington’s Submission can be found here; https://peaceactionwellington.wordpress.com/2025/01/05/crimes-countering-foreign-interference-amendment-bill/

Source: MetService

Covering period of Monday 6 – Thursday 9 January – The cool temperatures that have characterised January so far are set to continue, with MetService forecasting southerly winds prevailing for much of the week. Alongside cooler temperatures for the eastern and southern regions of both main islands, rain and showers will feature during the first half of the week. However, intervals of clearer and warmer weather will break up the generally unsettled conditions ahead.

Fierce southerly winds greeted the eastern and lower North Island on Monday morning, continuing a pattern seen over recent days. These southerlies have also affected sea conditions, generating large waves in Cook Strait.

MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane explains, “Waves are expected to peak around the middle of the day today (Monday) before easing gradually throughout the afternoon, dropping below 4 metres tonight. While these are expected to be the highest waves of the week, Wednesday is expected to bring rough sea conditions again as briefly strong southerlies accompany an approaching front.”

The eastern North Island is set to bear the brunt of wet weather early in the week, with a Heavy Rain Watch in place for the Wairoa District until 3 am Tuesday. Meanwhile, the lower South Island will see rain developing late Tuesday, which will then spread northwards up the country on Wednesday as a cold front sweeps across. Following the front’s passage, clearer conditions are expected for many areas in the latter half of the week. However, eastern regions are likely to remain mostly cloudy and cool, with occasional showers lingering.

Temperatures look to stay cooler than average for the time of year this week, particularly in the lower North Island and eastern parts of both islands, where daytime highs will struggle to climb past the mid to high teens.

“After a sizzling start to the season in early December, many might be wondering where summer has gone,” says Makgabutlane. “That said, there will be glimpses of summer weather in between the unsettled conditions. Sunshine features across most of the South Island today, and Tuesday looks like warmer weather for many, with temperatures climbing to 30°C in parts of Otago.”