N E W S Tax on immigrants could generate $1 billion a year VIBRATIONS ASSOCIATION of NEW ZEALAND VANZ is New Zealand’s and Australia’s premier association of industry experts and practioners who actively specialise in: • ASSET MANAGEMENT & RELIABILITY IMPLEMENTATION • CONDITION MONITORING • RELIABILITY IMPROVEMENT Attend the VANZ conference and learn! Join us at the VANZ Conference to gain knowledge, share successes (and frustrations), network with your peers, and enjoy yourself! The 2017 conference will be held at the Novotel Lakeside Hotel, Rotorua - May 16th, 17th & 18th. See you there! www.engineeringnews.co.nz 9 House 3D printed in 24 hours VANZconference2017 28th Annual Conference. May 16th, 17th & 18th NOVOTEL Rotorua Lakeside Hotel, New Zealand Learn more and register at vanz.org.nz 2017 Conference Sponsor EN154 A tax expert is calling for the introduction of a poll tax on immigrants to help fund the extra infrastructure and public service costs associated with New Zealand’s growing population. A poll tax is a duty imposed on all, or a particular category of persons, to fund a specific government expense. Mark Keating, a senior lecturer in tax law at the University of Auckland Business School, argues the Government should impose a flat levy on most immigrants to New Zealand to help cover the extra infrastructure and service costs from population increase. In 2016, New Zealand Treasury estimated the extra spending required on hospitals, schools, roads and other infrastructure to cope with population growth - which is largely driven by immigration - at $100 billion dollars over 10 years. The Treasury figures included: an upfront $1 billion on a Housing Infrastructure Fund to help local government pay for water, roading and other infrastructure an additional $530 million over six years to be spent on expanding and redeveloping 30 schools. Building a house has had huge time chunks shaved off it through a US company who has 3D printed a house in Russia inside of 24 hours and under $20,000. Apis Cor has managed to build a 400 ft square home in just 24 hours and is the first company to develop a portable 3D printer able to print whole buildings entirely on location. This single-story, igloo-like home was constructed near Moscow in Russia and the company reports the materials used should last at least 175 years. The building can be printed in any shape and at a larger size, with the only restrictions on designs being the ‘laws of physics’. Apis Cor says that this was the first time in the Russian construction practice that ‘a house was printed as a whole, rather than assembled from pre-printed panels.’ The company says it confident that this home is just the first step into the future of the construction market, which will be all about 3D printing technology.
EN-Apr17-eMag
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