Waikato Business News April/May 2023

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10 WAIKATO WAIKATO BUSINESS BUSINESS NEWS, NEWS, FEBRUARY/MARCH APRIL/MAY 2023 2023 We.EV offers Electric Vehicle infrastructure analysis We.EV has seized the opportunity to lead the way in supporting businesses to transition their fleets to EVs by investigating, designing, installing and providing an end-to-end solution to meet the customers’ needs and to minimize capital costs. Community owned, our vision is simple; to help businesses shape a better, more renewable future. We.EV has completed various projects throughout the Waikato for education providers, councils, large and small commercial enterprises. ”When considering EV charging solutions, it’s important to understand your existing electrical infrastructure, ensure systems are not overloaded but still maximise the use of existing assets. Our team can provide you with the expert analysis and design required before commencing charger procurement and installation,” says Head of We.EV Craig Marshall. There can be considerable costs involved with the installation of charging equipment. These can include upgrades to existing switchboards and cables onsite, the main electrical supply or disruptive works involving civil (trenching), ducts, pits and charging equipment foundations. Understanding the options and solutions that can minimize costs and maximise charging availability before embarking on your project is essential. And that’s where We.EV comes in. The We.EV team can analyse existing site infrastructure, power usage and parking locations to produce a report detailing recommended EV charging infrastructure alongside budget pricing to fit with your current needs and allow easy expansion into the future. We.EV will partner with you and offer our know-how and experience to investigate and provide a cost-effective EV charging solution for your organization. 0800 800 935 | we-ev.co.nz
How will AI impact your business? Is artificial intelligence coming for your job? A recent report from Goldman Sachs suggests that generative artificial intelligence systems will affect 300 million full time jobs worldwide, and significantly disrupt the labour market. It’s got some people worried. Some 62 percent of Americans believe AI will impact jobs over the next 20 years, according to a Pew Research Center report released recently [April 20]. According to Professor Bernhard Pfahringer, co-director of Te Ipu o te Mahara AI Institute at University of Waikato, there is nothing to fear. “Twenty years ago, artificial intelligence was an aspiration, but now it is a reality with far-reaching implications,” he says. “It is a tool with huge potential to help us all, and change the way we work and live, just like the Internet did.” Professor Pfahringer is a lecturer in the Computing and Mathematical Sciences at the University. His research focuses on AI, deep learning and machine learning. He spoke about ChatGPT, AI and its implications at a learning lunch organised by the Waikato Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ) committee in April. Professor Pfahringer said that AI tools have the potential to boost productivity and save labour costs across many industries, but many also lead to unemployment in certain roles or sectors. “Some jobs will disappear, but new ones will emerge.” Roles that could be impacted by the new technology include administrative and legal services, journalism and content creation, web coding and software engineering. ChatGPT is a large language model created by OpenAI that predicts the next word in a sequence of words, and, by iterating the process, can create long sections of text, says Professor Bernhard Pfahringer Professor Pfahringer. The chatbot is trained on huge amounts of publicly available information on the Internet, including news and journal articles, alongside open-source computer code. There are other similar generative AI models, including Google’s Bard and those that produce images, video, audio and text based on prompts, currently available. New innovations and improved interactions are also in the pipeline. Professor Pfahringer believes that, in the future, AI will be incorporated into word processing programmes, like spell checker apps are today. This will speed up the process of transcribing, analysing and organising vast amounts of information - helpful for a range of professions, from legal and human resources, to media, public relations and education. . Another positive is that using AI frees people up to focus on higher level tasks and critical thinking, says Professor Pfahringer. “There will be higher productivity and a better quality product.” To ensure equity, he believes that subscribing to generative AI models and other emerging technologies should be made widely accessible to schools, community organisations and in business settings. There are some concerns surrounding these AI tools WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, APRIL/MAY 2023 11 however, including accuracy, the generation and distribution of fake news and misinformation, implications for creatives and creativity, cheating on assignments, and copyright and plagiarism, among other things. There is also concern about how te ao Māori and other world views outside the dominant US-centric mainstream are reflected or accommodated by commercially dominant large language models. For those using ChatGPT for research or content generation, accuracy is still a concern. Professor Pfahringer says that these “are hallucinations; sometimes AI just makes things up”. ChatGPT doesn’t always produce factually correct text, although articles can read as entirely plausible on first read. “This is a risk, especially if you do not take a critical approach and accept it as fact, and then share it as false information.” The takeaway is, use AI tools to speed up your work processes, for idea generation or as a starting point, but double check everything. Creativity and critical thinking can not be easily replaced. Humans are still very much needed to manage the process and ensure accuracy. – By Kate Monahan Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ) Waikato committee deputy chair CONVERSATIONS WITH MIKE NEALE OF NAI HARCOURTS HAMILTON Mike Neale, Managing Director, NAI Harcourts Hamilton Building Energy Efficiency Ratings - NABERS There has been increasing interest and Tenant requirements around building efficiency in recent years, particularly from government and corporate occupiers. We started with Green Star, which from a Hamilton perspective was often a costly exercise where Tenants were rarely prepared to pay the associated rental freight for the rating, to the more attainable NABERS rating system. NABERSNZ (New Zealand version of NABERS - National Australian Built Environment Rating System) and Green Star are two sustainability rating systems used in Australia and New Zealand to measure the environmental performance of commercial buildings. While both rating systems aim to promote sustainable buildings, they differ in their approach and focus. NABERS Ratings: NABERS is a performance-based rating system that measures the energy efficiency, water usage, and waste management of existing commercial buildings. It was developed in Australia in 1998 and has since been adopted in New Zealand as well. NABERS ratings are based on actual building performance data, which is collected over a period of 12 months and benchmarked against other buildings. The NABERS rating system is designed to assess the environmental impact of buildings, primarily focused on measuring their operational energy efficiency, such as how much energy is used for heating, cooling, lighting, and hot water systems. On a scale of 0 to 6 stars, a 6-star rating represents marketleading environmental performance, while a 0-star rating indicates that the building has a high environmental impact. NABERS ratings are used to benchmark building performance and provide the building owners with recommendations for improvement. There are 3 types of NABERSNZ ratings – Base Building, Tenancy or Whole Building, which measures a combination of both Base Building and Tenancy ratings. Green Star Ratings: Green Star is a comprehensive rating system that evaluates the environmental design and construction of new buildings, as well as major refurbishments. It was developed by the Green Building Council of Australia in 2003 and has since been adopted in New Zealand as well. The Green Star rating system assesses a building’s environmental impact in nine categories, including energy, water, materials, and indoor environment quality. Green Star ratings are based on a points system, with a building needing to achieve a certain number of points in each category to attain a rating. Green Star ratings range from 1 to 6 stars, with a 6-star rating representing world leadership in sustainable building design and construction. Benefits of NABERS in New Zealand: NABERSNZ has several benefits for building owners and occupants in New Zealand. Firstly, NABERSNZ ratings provide building owners with an understanding of their building’s energy and water usage and waste management performance. This information can be used to identify areas of improvement and implement energysaving measures, which can lead to cost savings on energy bills. Secondly, NABERSNZ ratings can increase the value of a building. A higher NABERS rating indicates that a building has lower environmental impact and is therefore more attractive to potential tenants and investors. Thirdly, NABERSNZ ratings can improve the indoor environment quality of a building. This is because buildings with high NABERS ratings are more likely to have features such as efficient lighting and air conditioning systems, which can improve the comfort and health of occupants. Lastly, NABERSNZ ratings can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand. Buildings account for a significant proportion of greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand, and improving the environmental performance of buildings can help to reduce these emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change. In conclusion, NABERS and Green Star are two rating systems used in Australia and New Zealand to measure the environmental performance of buildings. While both rating systems aim to promote sustainable buildings, they differ in their approach and focus. NABERS is a performance-based rating system that measures the energy efficiency, water usage, and waste management of existing buildings, while Green Star evaluates the environmental design and construction of new buildings and major refurbishments. NABERS ratings appear more realistically attainable than Green Star, particularly for owners of existing commercial buildings, therefore providing a valuable tool for improving the environmental performance of buildings and increasingly seen as a means of demonstrating environmental responsibility and compliance with regulations. The significant benefits for building owners and occupants in New Zealand, include cost savings on energy bills, increased building value, improved indoor environment quality, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. For more information - www.nabersnz.govt.nz NAI Harcourts Hamilton Monarch Commercial Ltd MREINZ Licensed Agent REAA 2008 Cnr Victoria & London Streets, HAMILTON 07 850 5252 | hamilton@naiharcourts.co.nz www.naiharcourts.co.nz
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Waikato Business News April/May 2023

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