Air New Zealand is offering the opportunity to win one of five, Nokia N95 8GB phones, or if you are a Telecom Customer, you can choose a Blackberry 8830.

In exchange Air NZ will send entrants a one off txt message providing a link to their WAP site that includes arrival and departure information for Air New Zealand flights. For Vodafone customers it is free to browse. Charges apply for other service providers (Telecom 1c /KB).

Enter here: https://www.airnzgomobile.co.nz/  

nzbnw

Briefly; Team New Zealand have effectively been ruled out of competing in the next Americas Cup. A New York Judge has ruled that, Alinghi, the Americas Cup holders must race Oracle BMW Racing for the Americas Cup in 2008.

The match will be held in July.

Team New Zealand has also filed two lawsuits against Alinghi, one of which is compensation for delays.

Source: http://stuff.co.nz/4445276a10.html

nzbnw

{edit} The Americas Cup will be sailed in 2008, not 2009.

The Dominion Post has launched a campaign against Japanese whaling, with various articles on their website;

http://stuff.co.nz/dominionpost/0a26386.html

Please show your opposition to Japanese Whaling, by signing an online petition headed by the Dominion Post;

http://www.gopetition.com/online/15815.html

In my view the New Zealand Government needs to take a harder line against Whaling by being willing to send a New Zealand Navy Frigate to the South Pacific. Equally the New Zealand Media should take with both hands the opportunity given to them by way of the upcoming political elections in 2008, by obtaining commitments from the major political parties.

Telecom-Media.co.nz: TELECOM WHOLESALE AND WORLDXCHANGE COMMUNICATIONS DELIVER FIBRE-BASED
PHONE AND INTERNET TO NEW SUBDIVISIONS

New Zealanders moving into selected new subdivisions around the country
will be able to enjoy next generation telecommunications services,
following an announcement made at the Digital Strategy Summit launching a
joint project by Telecom Wholesale and WorldxChange Communications to
deliver phone and broadband services over fibre optic cables connected
directly to homes.

Starting with ten new subdivisions under development, Telecom is laying
down fibre cables instead of traditional copper.  Telecom Wholesale will
leverage the high performance capability of the new fibre network, and
provide the underlying connectivity to enable WorldxChange to deliver
their proven Xnet VFX digital voice over broadband service.

WorldxChange will deliver advanced phone and internet services via their
next generation IP product suite,  which will enable end-users to control
service features such as call forwarding, voicemail notification and
three-way calling by using a simple online portal to adjust settings to
suit their needs.

“We are delighted to work with WorldxChange to be the first to bring
faster, better telecommunications services to users in these new
communities,” said Telecom Wholesale CEO, Matt Crockett.  “We are
committed to providing open access to our networks, and with new homes
scheduled to be completed from February 2008, it is great to work with
WorldxChange to deliver a tried and tested VoIP service in time for the
first residents moving in.”

“This project provides us with an excellent opportunity to showcase true
next-generation telecommunications services running over Telecom’s NGN,”
said WorldxChange Director of Operations & Carrier, Paul Clarkin. “Over
the past five years, we have invested heavily in carrier-grade IP
technology and we view Telecom Wholesale’s decision to partner with us as
a significant milestone for customers and also an indication of how
services will be provided to access seekers under operational separation.”

As part of the Telecom Wholesale and WorldxChange project, residents of
new subdivisions in Wanaka, Queenstown, Papakura, Cromwell and Orewa, will
be the first to experience high-quality VoIP services delivered over
fibre.  The pilot project will run until September 2008 and will be
available to up to 1000 homes across those locations.

Early in the New Year, Telecom Wholesale will kick off industry and
customer consultation in order to define a fully equivalent broadband
fibre tail offering.   It aims to move quickly to develop and launch this
product and give customers the capability to deliver phone and internet
services over fibre connections as soon as possible.

Japan’s ‘pirate whalers’ prepare to leave Japan in the coming days to expand their illegal hunt in the Southern Whale Sanctuary to include 100’s of Minke Whales, 50 Fin Whales and a further 50 endangered Hump Back Whales , that could include the popular  Australian Icon, Migaloo.

When asked about the disturbing possibility of killing, what is thought to be the only albino Hump Back in the world, the Japanese have given no comment.  However according to Sea Shepherd:

Two years ago when the Japanese Fisheries Agency spokesperson was asked if Migaloo would be included in the whale killing the answer was "he is a humpback, isn't he?"

The reality is to stop the Japanese hunting Whales, the New Zealand and Australian Governments need to step up the pressure and be willing not only to talk tough, but to walk the talk, by backing speech up with actions. We must ask ourselves, to what extent to we value whales, and how far are we willing to go to fight for something we believe in.

There are a number of things we could do. We could send the New Zealand Navy down to the Southern Whale Sanctuary and board illegal Whaling ships, but that would likely cause a sharp decline in political relations with Tokyo.

They key is to make the Japanese public aware of what is going on, and how unimpressed the rest of the western world is about it. They key in my view is for organisations such as Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace, to get large Japanese Corporate onside, and getting these companies to speak out, to help influence public opinion.

For more information about the Japanese Whale hunt in the Southern Whale Sanctuary please visit:

http://www.seashepherd.org/migaloo/

About Migaloo:

http://www.seashepherd.org/news/media_071112_1.html



nzbnw

So, what does it cost for our Aussie friends to roam to New Zealand?

Australian Roaming Tabel (AUD):

As you can clearly see Telstra CDMA customer receive the best rates to roam here, all be it they will be unable to from the 28^th of January if Telstra goes ahead with their planed CDMA network shutdown.

What do the New Zealand networks charge?

Telecom: http://www.telecom.co.nz/globalroaming

Vodafone: http://www.vodafone.co.nz/roaming

So, do we really have it that bad (at the very least from 28th January 2008)?

Your call.

nzbnw

Well, this is something different than the usual postings about telecommunications’ and other technology items, but none the less the illegal whaling that the Japanese Government partake in, and the slaughter that happens every year in the Japanese costal village of Taiji is a topic that I feel extremely passionate about.

I have been following the Japanese illegal waling for quite some time, and more recently the senseless and cruel Taiji slaughter.

So my challenge to you or request if you like is to send the letter below (via the link) to the Prime Minister of Japan. Alternatively you are of course welcome to send this sample letter prepared by Sea Shepherd to an alternative Japanese Government official (see below).

Sea Shepherd: I am outraged by the annual brutal slaughter of dolphins and whales that takes place in Japan. The images of bloody red water clearly show the world that Japan has little respect for the state of the world’s oceans and for the conservation of the marine resources it claims to support.Many scientific studies show that the oceans are in decline. We must take whatever actions are necessary to stop their over-exploitation and to protect the creatures that live in them. These dolphins do not belong to Japan. The status of the species of dolphins and whales that you kill are either endangered, threatened, or unknown. It is an unthinkable waste that they will likely end up as a meat product or deceptively sold as whale meat, polluted with toxic levels of mercury and cadmium, killing people that eat it. It is tragic and unacceptable that the remaining dolphins that are not killed will end up destined for death in an aquarium, water park, or "swim with dolphins" program.In addition, the methods used to kill these animals are cruel. Corralling the dolphins into bays, then making them suffer a long and painful death by spears, hooks, and drowning is an inhumane way of fishing. This action is disgraceful and has caused much disappointment in the international community.We demand that Japan permanently and immediately renounce and stop this slaughter. We will work diligently to bring this issue to international light until you have ceased your reprehensible violence.Sincerely,

http://www.seashepherd.org/

http://www.seashepherd.org/taiji/

http://www.seashepherd.org/migaloo/

Alternatively if you wish you can make a donation to Sea Shepherd via their website.

nzbnw