Meridian ends billing software project in favour of Kraken
Electricity generator and retailer Meridian has abandoned its in-house retail billing platform Flux in favour of the Kraken platform provided by UK-based Octopus Energy Group.
In a statement to the NZX Meridian said 53 jobs would go at Flux, reducing its workforce from 121 to 68.
Remaining staff
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
5 hours ago
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Inside the provincial football team taking on and beating cashed-up big city clubs
And they certainly don't have a playing roster featuring some players who are paid enough by their respective football clubs to coach junior players so they can forget about having to do a day job. Napier City Rovers' playing stocks include two painters, two ice truck drivers, a plumber, a builder, an outdoor pursuits trainer, and several teacher aides. What they also have is a record of making the most of what they have and defying the odds in taking on their big-city rivals. Since 2022 – when they ended a 20-year absence from New Zealand Football's (NZF) National League – they have been the only provincial-based club to make the top-tier domestic football competition. From 2022-24, the Jim Hoyle-captained team is one of only five clubs to have made the 10-team league over the three successive seasons. Napier City Rovers head coach Bill Robertson, (left), and the side's goalkeeping coach Kyle Baxter. Photo / Neil Reid The National League during that period has been made up of: the top four finishers in the Northern League; the Wellington Phoenix Reserves and the top three from the Central League; and the Southern League's top two sides. To make Napier City Rovers' achievement even more profound, one of the five other clubs – the Wellington Phoenix Reserves – are guaranteed a National League spot regardless of where they finish in the Central League via their participation agreement with NZF. Napier City Rovers captain Jim Hoyle has had another strong year with the football club he's called home since 2015. Photo / Neil Reid As Napier City Rovers hunt a hoped-for fourth successive qualification to the competition, coach Bill Robertson has opened up on how his side has bucked the otherwise big-city domination of the league spots. 'There's a lot of hard work that goes into our success,' he said. 'There's no stone unturned in terms of how we train, how we prepare for oppositions, and how we travel. Don't forget the amount of travel we have to do. Impressive Napier City Rovers players Cameron Emerson and George Andrew shake hands after their side's Central League win over Miramar Rangers at Bluewater Stadium. Photo / Neil Reid 'We've looked at how we make sure we have the best preparation we can for the players so we're able to get the results on the road.' The travel factor is huge for Napier City Rovers. As the only non-Wellington-based team in the Central League, the side face almost 6000km of mini-van travel to and from away games in the capital every second weekend. Before the 2023 season, the team used to travel both ways on game day to Wellington. For the past two years, the side have driven south the night before game day. The club's investment in hotel accommodation has paid off with consistently strong results on the road. Napier City Rovers' hard work in getting ready for 2025 has included training sessions as dawn breaks in the city. Photo / Neil Reid Using precious dollars wisely is a must at Napier City Rovers. While the history of the club is rich – having previously won five Chatham Cups and four National League titles – financially some of the other teams they face in the Central and National leagues are in a different ballpark. Auckland City pull in around $1 million solely from gaming trusts; a figure further increased by sponsorship deals. Napier City Rovers' entire first-team season budget is less than 10% of the gaming trust sum received by the national champions. NZF regulations cap weekly player payments to $150 a game. But some sides offer their top players high six-figure contracts as youth coaches; some of those deals are also richer than the budget Napier City Rovers' entire side operates with. Napier City Rovers don't complain about the at-times uneven playing field they're faced with. In some ways, it has added to a strong resolve and culture that has grown in strength in recent seasons. That culture is paramount when it comes to Robertson recruiting players from outside the region. The camaraderie and positive culture that has been developed within Napier City Rovers' first team is infectious. Photo / Neil Reid 'We haven't got a huge budget like some other clubs have to sign any player I want. We have to be strategic with our recruitment,' he said. 'We've got a good track record of bringing in good players and, most importantly, good people that buy into what we're trying to achieve here. It's not an easy task, but we've got a model here that seems to be working well for us.' Napier City Rovers hope to take another step towards the hoped-for fourth successive National League qualification on Sunday when they host Wellington team Western Suburbs in round-10 Central League action. Robertson's team go into the match in fourth place, two competition points ahead of their weekend rivals. The coach is after his team to concentrate on their 'processes' rather than the points table; saying if they do that successfully, the results will follow. Napier City Rovers coach Bill Robertson wants his players to concentrate on their processes, not the Central League points table. Photo / Neil Reid But there's no mistaking the burning desire throughout the coaching, management, and playing group to again reach the National League. 'That would be an incredible achievement,' Robertson said. 'The consistency we've shown to perform at a high level and secure the results we need to qualify for the past three years is fantastic. We're obviously trying to do that again. 'We're in the hunt.' The side's achievements over the past three seasons have helped financially. Billboards of returning and new sponsors surround the playing arena at Bluewater Stadium. Crowds have also been dramatically on the up, especially over the past two seasons. Game day at Bluewater Stadium is now a 'must-do' day out on a Sunday for a growing number of families, including hundreds of kids decked out in Napier City Rovers replica kit. Mason Johnson signing autographs at Bluewater Stadium post-match. Photo / Neil Reid And the scenes that happen post-match at the venue are a throwback to the amateur era of sport in New Zealand, where crowds are welcome to flock on to the pitch and a line of autograph hunters stretching dozens of metres await the players before they can head to the changing rooms. 'We always speak about the players being role models in the region and trying to inspire the future generations of young players,' Robertson said. 'It's absolutely fantastic to see the crowds and the number of kids here that are at games watching. At the end of the game, when you see the kids lining up for autographs with their heroes, it is a really powerful sight.' It was another big crowd that flocked to Bluewater Stadium last Sunday to watch the side claim a deserved 3-1 win over the Wellington Phoenix Reserves in the second round of the knockout Chatham Cup. Sam Lack has been there every step of the way since Napier City Rovers' return to the National League in 2022 and has scored six goals in 10 games in 2025. Photo / Neil Reid The goals came via a double to Jordan Annear, while another from Sam Lack takes his 2025 tally to six from 10 games. Robertson took the chance to rotate his squad. The changes included captain Jim Hoyle, fellow defensive rock Matt Jones and impressive English import Mason Johnson starting the match from the substitutes bench. Striker Jordan Annear - pictured having a break after a training session - was outstanding in Napier City Rovers' Chatham Cup second round win over the Wellington Phoenix Reserves. Photo / Neil Reid In came Annear – later rightly judged man of the match after a storming performance – Kaeden Atkins, and Jack Albertini. Like Annear, Atkins and Albertini also took their chance to remind Robertson of just how well they can contribute. 'The boys that came in did well,' Robertson said. 'There's good depth in the squad and we need that. 'All the other games we've played, aside from the Central League loss to the Wellington Phoenix, we've been very competitive. 'And I think we can improve in the second half of the season which is a positive. There's definitely more to see from us in the second half of the season.' >> Inside the Rovers video series: Episode 1: Match Fit Episode 2: Teen's Dream Episode 3: New Beginnings Episode 4: For Keeps Episode 5: Kiwi Steve Episode 6: Capital Punishment Episode 7: Bouncing back Episode 8: The Centurion Episode 9: The Running Man Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 33 years of newsroom experience. Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
16 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Gisborne-based fishing company fined $13,000 for prohibited fishing; boat and catch seized
A Gisborne-based fishing company and its skipper were fined $13,000 after fishing in a seasonally prohibited area. The Crown also seized the company's $250,000 fishing vessel and more than $16,000 worth of fish.
Techday NZ
17 hours ago
- Techday NZ
Akamai launches DNS solution for unified, multicloud security
Akamai Technologies has launched DNS Posture Management, a solution intended to provide unified, multicloud visibility and real-time monitoring for securing DNS infrastructure. The new product is described by Akamai as an agentless platform offering a consolidated view across a range of DNS providers. According to the company, this allows security teams to detect and respond to DNS-based attacks, certificate security risks, vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in real time. DNS is fundamental to network functionality, serving as the protocol for resolving domain names for computers, services, and other resources across the Internet and private IP networks. The critical nature of DNS has also made it a favourite target for cyberattacks such as spoofing, cache poisoning, and rogue certificate abuse. Many large organisations operate multiple DNS systems sourced from a mix of vendors to underpin both their internet and corporate network operations. Akamai notes that this complexity creates ongoing challenges for IT teams, who must keep DNS configurations current and in line with network changes, whilst maintaining proper security and performance settings. Outdated configurations or lapsed certificates can leave organisations exposed to risks, especially as requirements for post-quantum compliance increase. Security teams also contend with a high volume of alerts and complicated compliance obligations, which, if managed manually, risk allowing major issues to slip through unnoticed. Akamai asserts that automating compliance assessments and integrating these findings into incident management is now critical to efficient security processes. "DNS security often flies under the radar, but it's vital in keeping businesses secure and running smoothly," said Sean Lyons, SVP and General Manager, Infrastructure Security Solutions & Services, Akamai. "For many organisations, the challenge isn't setting up DNS - it's knowing whether all their systems are actually properly configured and secured. Those organisations really need a simple way to see what's happening across their DNS environment to take action quickly. That's the problem we're solving with DNS Posture Management. Security practitioners get a clear, unified view that helps them identify priority issues early, stay compliant, and keep their networks performing at their best." Akamai highlights that misconfigurations and known DNS vulnerabilities are common, potentially undermining uptime and reliability. Such issues also increase susceptibility to serious threats including unauthorised SSL/TLS certificate issuance, DNS spoofing, and cache poisoning. Attackers could exploit these weaknesses to create forged websites that mimic a company's branding for activities such as phishing, fraud, or data theft. In some cases, they may be able to render DNS servers inoperable, resulting in service outages for both the business and its customers. Continuous compliance monitoring is cited by Akamai as necessary to address these risks, especially given expanding regulatory expectations for DNS and certificate management. DNS Posture Management automates compliance checks aligned with standards such as NIST, PCI DSS, and HIPAA, aiming to simplify the process and reduce costs for enterprise users. The solution integrates a Certificate Monitor, designed to catalogue digital certificates by their associated domains and highlight security issues such as expired, misconfigured, or unauthorised certificates. An HTTP posture analysis capability is also included to assess domains utilising these certificates. DNS Posture Management supports coverage across major cloud and DNS providers, including Akamai Cloud, AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. The product is positioned as a unified dashboard where security teams can view zones, domains, subdomains, and records in one place. An additional Managed Security Service is available from Akamai, intended to augment internal resources with continual global security expertise, which the company says is designed to help organisations maximise the benefits of DNS Posture Management.
