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European Union Import Control System 2 (ICS2) extends to rail and road on 1 April 2025, covering all modes of transport

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Source: Media Outreach

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 February 2025 – The European Union’s Import Control System 2 (ICS2) aims to enhance the safety and security of goods entering the EU by introducing a standardised, pre-arrival customs process for all transportation modes, including road and rail, in addition to the existing air, maritime and inland waterway requirements. By mandating the submission of accurate and complete Entry Summary Declaration (ENS) data prior to arrival, the ICS2 enables customs authorities to better assess the risks associated with incoming goods, thereby improving the EU’s ability to prevent and combat customs offenses, and ultimately ensuring a safer and more secure trade environment.

From 1 April 2025, road and rail carriers will need to provide data on goods sent to or through the EU prior to their arrival, through a complete ENS. This obligation also concerns postal and express carriers who transport goods using these modes of transport as well as other parties, such as logistics providers. In certain circumstances, final consignees established in the EU will also have to submit ENS data in the ICS2.

Economic operators who are not ready by this date need to contact the National Service Desk of the EU Member State (National Customs Authority) where they have registered and obtained their EORI number to request a deployment window by 1 March 2025, at the latest. Deployment windows are granted only upon request.

To comply with the ICS2 requirements, affected businesses will be required to make sure they collect accurate and complete data from their clients, update their IT systems and operational processes, and provide adequate training to their staff. Economic operators will also need to successfully complete a self-conformance test before connecting to the ICS2, to verify their ability to access and exchange messages with customs authorities. Goods might be stopped at EU borders and might not be cleared by customs authorities if traders do not meet the ICS2 requirements on time.

ICS2 in detail

The ICS2 has been developed through close collaboration between the European Commission, Member States’ customs authorities and businesses.

Starting from 1 September 2025, the ICS1 will phase out. The ICS2 will fully replace the ICS1 with an entirely new business process in accordance with the Union Customs Code.

The European Commission organises monthly webinars (in English) where economic operators can ask questions about the operational and technical aspects of the ICS2. Further details can be found here.

For more information

More information about the ICS2 is available on the European Commission’s web page (https://ec.europa.eu/ICS2) including factsheets detailing the requirements for all transportation modes and the steps to take to prepare for the ICS2. All necessary technical documentation can be found on CIRCABC.

Hashtag: #trade #regulation #shipping #ecommerce

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

SH6 Havelock night-time resurfacing works postponed until Thursday 13 February

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Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) advises that night-time resurfacing works planned on State Highway 6, Havelock have had to be pushed out a day until Thursday night, 13 February.

Why?

The serious crash on SH7/the Lewis Pass route Tuesday night and subsequent road closure meant SH1 had to be fully available, pausing work planned for the Weld Pass.

This means the asphalting crew need to remain onsite at Weld Pass Wednesday night before they begin asphalting works on State Highway 6 in Havelock tomorrow night, Thursday 13 February. 

No work Saturday night Havelock 

There will be no work on Saturday night (15 February).

Days and hours of work will be 7pm – 7am on Thursday 13, Friday 14, Sunday 16, Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 February with work finishing at 7am on Wednesday 19 February.

Work will be underway from just north of Neil Street to Allied Petrol. Stop/go traffic management will be in place during work hours with delays of up to 10 minutes.

 Drivers are urged to check road conditions before they travel and plan their journeys accordingly. This is especially important for people with Picton ferry connections. 

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Road Closed SH8 Cromwell-Clyde Road

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Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

State Highway 8, the Cromwell – Clyde Road, is closed south of Cromwell following a serious crash involving two vehicles, reported at 5pm.

Emergency services are in attendance.

The road will be closed for some time, motorists are asked to avoid the area and expect significant delays.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

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Surveys

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Source: Privacy Commissioner

2024 biennial survey on privacyMedia release:  Digital revolution drives concerns for New Zealanders: UMR survey results.

APPA Privacy Awareness Week 2011 social media survey

View the English language survey results and the English language redacted comments of the survey from the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities social media survey.

View the Spanish language survey results.

View the Chinese language survey results.

View the Korean language survey results.

International Disclosures and Overseas Information and Communication Technologies Survey

Results in this survey showed that a large number of respondents that send information overseas do not check the overseas organisations’ use and management of the information.

The issue of ‘cloud computing’ clearly has major benefits for businesses and government agencies but it also carries some risks.

This survey has found that both the private and public sectors need guidance in this area. While most of the organisations have controls to protect the security of personal information in transit, some have no control over what happens once the information is sent overseas or don’t know if they have controls.

Media release.

View the full report.

May 2011.

Privacy survey 2010

Results in this report are based upon questions asked in the UMR Research nation-wide omnibus survey. This is a telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of 750 New Zealanders 18 years of age and over.

Fieldwork was conducted from 18th to 23rd March 2010 at UMR Research’s national interview facility in Auckland.

Media release

View the 26 page report.

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NetApp Revolutionizes Block Storage to Meet Demands of Modern Workloads

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Source: Media Outreach

New simple, powerful, affordable block storage systems power critical applications

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 February 2025 – NetApp® (NASDAQ: NTAP), the intelligent data infrastructure company, today announced updates to its enterprise storage portfolio, expanding the NetApp ASA A-Series with new systems designed to accelerate and consolidate block workloads for organizations of any size. Alongside the announcement of new cyber resiliency capabilities, these systems enable customers to create a silo-free data infrastructure that both runs on and is built for intelligence.

Organizations have to reimagine their data strategy to access the data flexibility and confidence they need to successfully modernize their IT operations to drive efficient innovation. Today, NetApp launched three new enterprise storage systems that give customers even more options for simple, powerful, and affordable storage that is part of an intelligent data infrastructure framework capable of meeting workload-specific requirements now and for years to come.

The new high-performance NetApp ASA A20, A30, and A50 systems make block storage available to companies of every size for mission-critical apps like databases and virtual machines. They are ideal for smaller deployments including remote or branch offices with a starting price as low as $25K. The NetApp ASA systems deliver:

  • Simplicity: Customers can use the NetApp ASA systems to modernize their operations with effortless storage which they can deploy in minutes, provision in seconds, and protect with one click. Common management workflows across the entire storage environment, including NAS and SAN, enable customers to enjoy simplicity at a scale that can grow into the future.
  • Power: Customers can operate faster and more agilely with a storage architecture that delivers consistent performance and the flexibility to start small and scale to PBs of capacity. Built-in business continuity, a 99.9999% data availability guarantee, and a ransomware recovery guarantee help reduce operational risks for customers so they can operate worry-free.
  • Affordability: Customers benefit not only from upfront costs 30-50 percent lower than competitive systems but also from a better return on investment driven by up to 97 percent lower power consumption and low operational overhead when modernizing to all-flash ASA.

“In less than a year, NetApp has refreshed our entire unified, block-optimized, and object portfolio and highlighted our commitment to relentless innovation,” said Sandeep Singh, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Enterprise Storage at NetApp. “With the industry’s most comprehensive storage lineup with built-in cyber resiliency, we offer systems that are faster, simpler, more scalable, and more affordable than the competition—tailored to any workload or budget. NetApp enables customers to rise to the challenges and opportunities of modern data management with an intelligent data infrastructure that optimizes operations, reduces risks, and accelerates AI transformation.”

These new ASA systems will also be available in a FlexPod converged infrastructure, delivering additional benefits of simplified data center operations and accelerated deployment of enterprise applications through pre-tested and validated architectures.

“NetApp’s portfolio of block-optimized, all-flash platforms ensures that our customers can address a wide range of needs,” said Dhruv Dhumatkar, CTO, Asia Pacific & Japan, NetApp. “From business-critical systems to AI workloads, NetApp sets the industry standard for performance, scale and reliability.”

NetApp is continuing to enhance the built-in cyber resiliency capabilities of its enterprise storage portfolio. Later this year, NetApp will release NetApp ONTAP® Autonomous Ransomware Protection with artificial intelligence (ARP/AI) for Block. This update will build on the existing capabilities of ARP/AI, the first real-time threat detection and response for NAS systems, expanding its cyber resiliency protections to SAN customers.

To further reduce the operational risks for businesses, NetApp is launching the Ransomware Detection Program. In the event that certain ransomware attacks are not detected, this program assists with recovery using NetApp Professional Services free of initial charge.

“As the preferred data infrastructure provider for Aruba, NetApp is enhancing our IT offerings with an intelligent data infrastructure that helps us optimize data center solutions and deliver joint innovation across Europe,” said Fabrizio Garrone, Enterprise Solution Director, Aruba S.p.A. “As we scale operations to meet the growing demand for cloud services, maintaining scalability and flexibility is critical. NetApp ONTAP stands out for its exceptional usability, simplicity, and uniformity, allowing us to devote technical resources to customer service instead of training or tedious operations.”

“SAN modernization is a huge opportunity as the data needs of growing businesses expand with their operations,” said Scott Sinclair, Practice Director, Cloud, Infrastructure and DevOps, Enterprise Strategy Group. “Companies need a comprehensive data strategy that will carry them into the future. At the same time, a shortage of IT skills and tight budget constraints means that many small businesses don’t have storage specialists available to develop an intelligent data strategy. The new ASA A-Series provides a simple, powerful, and affordable foundation to carry them into the future.”

To learn more about these enhancements and other updates across the NetApp portfolio, visit: https://www.netapp.com/product-updates

Statements by NetApp about unreleased offerings and future plans are for informational purposes only, are subject to change without notice, and should not be relied upon for purchasing or other decisions. Such statements do not constitute a commitment, obligation, guarantee, or warranty of any kind by NetApp, including about availability, functionality, pricing, or timing.

Terms and conditions apply to the Ransomware Detection Program. No ransomware detection or prevention system can completely guarantee safety from a ransomware attack. Although it’s possible that an attack might go undetected, NetApp technology acts as an important additional layer of defense, and our research indicates NetApp technology has resulted in a high degree of detection for certain file encryption-based ransomware attacks.

Additional Resources

Hashtag: #NetApp #IntelligentDataInfrastructure

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

Public advised to avoid Brentwood Ave, Highbury

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Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

Members of the public are advised to avoid the Brentwood Ave area in Highbury due to an ongoing Police operation.

Motorists around the area are also advised to expect delays.

Further information will be released when we are in a position to do so.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

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Detour in place Atawhai entrance to Nelson after crash, HPMV vehicle drivers to park up

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Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

There has been a crash on SH6 QEII Drive, near the intersection with Nelson’s Atawhai Drive (near Founders Park). If possible, people should delay their journeys through this area.

  • SH6 Queen Elizabeth II Drive between Trafalgar Street and Malvern Avenue is closed, says NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

A detour route around SH6 is in place but it is currently not HPMV approved.

HPMV vehicle drivers will need to park up and wait until SH6 QEII Drive/SH6 Atawhai Drive is open again. Next update 3 pm.

Detour

Northbound traffic is being detoured right off SH6 QEII Drive onto Trafalgar Street, left onto Wainui Street, continue on to Weka Street, left onto Atawhai Drive, curve right and continue on Atawhai Drive, left onto a short unnamed road opposite 330 Atawhai Drive, and right onto SH6 QEII Drive/SH6 Atawhai Drive. 

Southbound traffic is being detoured left off SH6 QEII Drive/SH6 Atawhai Drive onto Malvern Ave, right onto Atawhai Drive, curve left and continue on Atawhai Drive, right onto Weka Street, continue on Wainui Street, right onto Trafalgar Street, left back onto SH6 QEII Drive.

Please note the difference between the northbound and southbound detour routes.

Detour map

The attached detour is not suitable for HPMV vehicles.

Please note: There’s SH6 Atawhai Drive (State Highway) and also Atawhai Drive (Nelson City Council local road). SH6 QEII Drive becomes SH6 Atawhai Drive at approximately 330 Atawhai Drive (NCC local road).

Follow the directions of emergency services on site.  If possible, please delay your journey through this area.

Updates: https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/highway-conditions/nelson-and-marlborough/closures/497311(external link)

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Name release: Fatal crash, Ngāhinapōuri

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Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

Police can now release the name of the man who died in a crash on Kakaramea Road, Ngāhinapōuri on 9 February.

He was 60-year-old Peter Brett Van Syp, of Dinsdale.

Police extend our sympathies to his friends and family.

Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

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Universities – Do public health measures really make us happier? – UoA

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Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

Do policies aimed at making people healthier also make them happier? And to what extent do they infringe on personal autonomy are questions central to a new book by Martin Wilkinson from the University of Auckland.

Many of us accept public health policies relating to things deemed harmful, like alcohol, vapes, fatty or sugary food or cigarettes, without question.

However a new book by Martin Wilkinson, a professor of politics and international relations and former chair of the New Zealand Bioethics Council, concludes that many public health interventions probably make people worse off, infringe on their autonomy and don’t have compensating benefits for others.

Free to access, The Ethics of Public Health Paternalism (Oxford University Press, 2025) examines the various ways of making people healthier, according to whether they make it harder to be unhealthy, easier to be healthy, influence beliefs, or ‘nudge’ people towards certain choices.

The book covers measures like taxes, label warnings, age limits and bans on sales and marketing, as well as health promotions like ‘five plus a day’, subsidies to gyms, enticements to stop unhealthy behaviour, product placement in stores and the provision of walking and cycling infrastructure.

It features examples like the prohibition of alcohol in the US (from 1920 to 1933) or the Danish fat tax, a tax on saturated fat in food products, introduced in 2011, repealed in 2012, and the first of its kind in the world.

It also defines the concept of ‘paternalism’ in relation to health policies.

A main reason often given for the state to intervene in citizens’ health is because people would, if left to their own devices, make unhealthy choices that are bad for them, says Wilkinson.

“But trying to stop people harming themselves sounds paternalistic, and paternalism in public health raises two main questions: Why think that getting people to make healthier choices would make them better off? And should people not be free to choose for themselves?”

He specifies that adults, rather than children, are the focus of the book and that smoking is the one area where he believes the sheer weight of evidence supports efforts to discourage it.

Otherwise, he is on a collision course with the majority of public health advocates, he admits.

“I’m doubtful about the merits of many of the interventions they want. I argue that adults ought to be free to run their own lives, and that some, but not all, public health interventions would infringe on their autonomy.”

He says the book engages with ideas that writers and public health advocates have offered, found not only in books and academic articles but also in blogs, pamphlets, interviews, and health promotion campaigns.

He believes public health advocates who want to steer people into healthier behaviour have not been good at giving convincing reasons for doing so.

“They generally assume that to be healthier is to be better off, but this assumption is often wrong, because health is neither the only value nor the supreme value.

“To decide when people would benefit from being healthier, we must consider the value of health in their lives, how their unhealthy behaviour might be mistaken, and the evidence about whether it is or not.”

While the book is obviously critical of public health, Wilkinson says he’s not taking a free market or libertarian position
.
“I take no view about the size of the government, its role in the economy, or its duties to redistribute or to support a welfare state. Nor do I believe that paternalism towards adults is always wrong, only that it is questionable.”

He believes in fact that perhaps paternalistic influences on people’s choices would make them better off, perhapsthey wouldn’t infringe upon people’s autonomy after all, or perhaps the infringement is justified.

“Finally, however, I remain unconvinced,” he says. “A persistent theme of the book is that we often don’t have very good, or in fact competing, evidence on these issues. Because the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, I don’t conclude that public health interventions are unjustifiable, only that they have not been justified.”

The Ethics of Public Health Paternalism (Oxford University Press, 2025) by T M Wilkinson is
open access and now published online and in print. (ref. https://academic.oup.com/book/59451 )

MIL OSI

Police increase visibility in Birkenhead

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Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

Police are upping reassurance patrolling in Birkenhead, as investigations continue into the aggravated robbery of a Cash in Transit van.

A scene examination was completed at the ATM machine on Birkenhead Avenue yesterday evening.

North Shore Relieving Area Commander, Inspector Mike Rickards, says Police visibility is increasing in response.

“We are increasing reassurance patrolling for businesses and residents through that busy public space in Birkenhead,” he says.

“It is anticipated this will be carried out over the coming days alongside other demand.”

Meanwhile, investigations continue into Tuesday’s aggravated robbery as well as a wounding of a man on 4 February.

“The public will appreciate we won’t be able to discuss the specifics of both investigations underway,” Inspector Rickards says.

“Investigators from the Waitematā CIB are continuing to progress in their work to identify and hold offenders to account.”

Inspector Rickards says Police understand the concern with two serious offences occurring so close to each other.

“It’s likely to be the exception than the norm with two unrelated incidents occurring on the same road within a week of each other.”

Police acknowledge the public who have come forward with information so far and continue to ask anyone to come forward.

Please update Police online or call 105 using the reference number 250211/1336.

Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

ENDS.

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

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