Latest news with #Lockie
Gulf Today
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Vipers retain Curran, Hasaranga for 4th edition of ILT20
The Desert Vipers are pleased to announce a list of seven retained players and one direct signing for the fourth edition of the UAE's DP World ILT20 tournament. Captain Lockie Ferguson leads the roster of returning players, which also includes all-rounder Sam Curran and Sri Lanka's spin maestro Wanindu Hasaranga, an ever-present for the Vipers across the history of the tournament. Director of Cricket Tom Moody welcomed the retained players on behalf of the Desert Vipers but also made it clear that although no Pakistani players featured in that retained list, they were certainly a part of the team's wider strategy. 'Yes absolutely (we can expect Pakistani players to feature for the Vipers in season four),' he said. 'I am sure now with an auction process that is happening in September, that we will see a few Pakistan players nominate for that auction. 'And we would be very keen to have a look at what talent is applying for that auction. We have got a good relationship with Pakistan and Pakistan cricketers and there is no mistaking their talent. 'If we can build our squad with two or three Pakistan players, we certainly will do, because they bring so much both on and off the field.' Speaking about how the retained players were selected, the Director of Cricket said it was not easy to pick and choose: 'We have built a long association with a core group in the first three years of the ILT20 and, we pride ourselves on trying to have that continuity and consistency with our playing group, but to be restricted to eight players was a challenge.' Moody did confirm that Lockie Ferguson was being retained as captain of the team, as the management felt he was a huge success in season three and had impressed with his game awareness and player-management both on and off the field. 'We knew going into season three and even going into season four, that with Lockie, there was a strong chance he was not going to be able to play every game (because of injuries or the need to rest),' he said. 'We pride ourselves on having a squad that can accommodate the rotation of our fast bowlers, particularly ones that have got a history of picking up a niggle here or there. But Lockie's leadership last season was brilliant. 'His connection with the players was second to none, as was his understanding of the game – after all, he has been around a long time. 'The players certainly embraced Lockie's leadership style. And he did not let us down one little bit, both on and off the field.' Also retained is all-rounder Sam Curran, who was chosen as player of the tournament in season three of the DP World ILT20 for his consistent performances with the bat and ball. Curran was an easy pick, said Moody, with the duo having a long and successful working relationship across continents and leagues. 'Sam is a complete player and we are delighted to have him back with the franchise because he brings so many good qualities, whether it be leadership, his all-round talent on the field or his real competitive spirit out in the middle.
Techday NZ
03-07-2025
- Techday NZ
Network for Learning upgrades Wi-Fi in over 1,700 NZ schools
Network for Learning has passed a significant milestone in the delivery of its large-scale equipment replacement and network upgrade initiatives across schools in New Zealand. The organisation, which is owned by the Crown, is tasked with upgrading Wi-Fi equipment in eligible state and state-integrated schools as part of the Equipment Replacement project, as well as transitioning schools to a new Managed Network. These initiatives are key components of the Ministry of Education's Te Mana Tūhono programme and are being rolled out nationwide. N4L has now upgraded Wi-Fi technology in over 1,700 schools, which is more than two-thirds of the total project. The project will see approximately 2,500 school networks fitted with new technology, including 17,000 switches and 48,000 access points, that will be supported and managed by N4L. In parallel, the Managed Network Upgrade, launched earlier this year, has migrated 500 schools to date, with all schools and kura expected to be migrated over the following twelve months. The projects involve cooperation with the Ministry of Education and a network of private sector partners, including technology vendors and local installation partners, to provide schools with updated digital infrastructure. N4L says this is improving internet performance for schools and reducing the technical burden on teaching staff. Each school receives a customised network solution tailored to its specific needs, including consideration for growing enrolments and changing technology requirements. According to N4L, these improvements allow schools to provide a more reliable and consistent online experience, facilitate digital learning, and support activities such as online examinations. One of the schools to have benefitted from the programme is Silverdale School, a primary institution north of Auckland with more than 660 students and 75 staff. Principal Cameron Lockie described previous challenges the school faced with internet connectivity and how the new upgrade has addressed these issues. "There was frustration. The kids would try to get onto their devices, and they'd get the spinning wheel of death and not be able to connect to the network. Our lessons get planned around using our Chromebooks, but if you can't get onto the network, it becomes a frustration for everyone. It also means people aren't using those important digital tools. It's a significant financial expense for us to provide all our children with Chromebooks, so we can't have them sitting in a cupboard gathering dust. We needed that network." Mr Lockie noted that the school's rapid growth contributed to the strain on the existing network infrastructure. Silverdale, which had fewer than 150 pupils in 2006, saw numbers rise to over 660, leading to bandwidth and connectivity limitations. With the new Wi-Fi system, Silverdale School now reports a more dependable and faster internet connection. According to Mr Lockie, the performance has markedly improved. "For us, there's more consistency. We don't have the downs we had before. In classrooms, it's much better quality and it's reliable." The next phase for Silverdale and other schools is the migration to N4L's Secure Access service, which is designed to enhance network security by managing access for students, staff, and guests separately and securely. This service is nearing a milestone of 1,000 schools being onboarded. N4L Chief Executive Larrie Moore commented on the progress of the projects. "N4L is proud to have made such great progress in delivering the Equipment Replacement project and Managed Network upgrades to schools. By delivering next generation technology, we're helping ensure that - big or small, urban or rural - all schools can access faster and more reliable internet, a vital enabler for academic success. We will continue to do the hard mahi to equip schools with modern infrastructure, as well as delivering online safety and security expertise." Rob Campbell, Deputy Secretary Corporate at the Ministry of Education, underlined the importance of digital learning for New Zealand's schools. "Access to digital learning is now a vital part of school life, and the Ministry of Education's Te Mana Tūhono programme is providing schools with more reliable internet to further that objective. We know it's essential for all schools to be able to provide ākonga with equitable learning opportunities, and that's why this programme of work is so important." The Equipment Replacement initiative, scheduled for completion in 2027, aims to prepare school networks for current and future needs by deploying Wi-Fi 6 technology and enhancing support services. The Secure Access phase will offer improved network segmentation and authorisation, designed to reduce the risk of security breaches and better protect school and student data.
NZ Herald
16-06-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Fareshare Cuts Costs and Emissions
This article was prepared by Auckland Transport and is being published by the New Zealand Herald as advertorial. Auckland businesses are turning to a new public transport initiative to cut costs, reduce emissions, and attract talent – without the tax sting. Fareshare, a programme from Auckland Transport, allows employers to subsidise staff travel on buses, trains and ferries. The scheme is exempt from fringe benefit tax (FBT), making it a rare win-win for employers and employees alike. John Fillmore Contracting Limited was one of the earliest businesses to sign up to Fareshare. Executive general manager Sam Lockie said Fareshare is helping the company to reduce emissions. 'Providing public transport options for our teams, especially those travelling into our CBD projects means we're playing our part in reducing carbon emissions,' Lockie said. 'We know that every journey helps in the reduction of carbon emissions and traffic congestion, so we're excited about Fareshare and being able to incentivise public transport for our teams.' Not only does Fareshare make commuting more affordable for staff, but it also demonstrates a company's commitment to sustainability, helps to reduce Scope 3 emissions and can sometimes save thousands of dollars on car parking costs. Scope 3 emissions – those generated indirectly through activities like staff travel – are increasingly under scrutiny in climate disclosures and sustainability frameworks. Fareshare provides a practical way for businesses to reduce and report on these emissions. Commercial property firm Samson Corporation also offers Fareshare for its staff. Sustainability manager Bridget Pyc said Fareshare helps to reduce emissions while giving staff an alternative to battling traffic. 'After completing our annual carbon emissions reporting, I was looking into what we could do to reduce the emissions associated with staff commuting,' Pyc said. 'With Samson supporting staff via Fareshare discount, we've seen the team jump on board and received really positive feedback. 'We've heard from staff that it's taking the frustration out of getting stuck in traffic on the way home. 'I get home faster and I'm saving money'!' Employers can choose to subsidise 25%, 50%, or 75% of their employees' public transport fares. The discount is applied directly to AT HOP cards and can cover weekdays or the full week. The system is easy to set up and manage, and is available to businesses of all sizes. On average, employees with Fareshare increase their public transport use by 30%, doing their part to reduce both congestion and carbon emissions. Auckland Transport says Fareshare has been embraced by a range of businesses across multiple industries, from small start-ups to organisations with 500 plus employees in sectors like energy. Businesses have the choice to start small, with a 25% subsidy, and then easily scale this up as they see the benefits in staff public transport uptake, savings and sustainability outcomes. On average, employees using Fareshare increase their public transport use by 30%. This shift not only reduces congestion and emissions but also supports Auckland's broader climate goals.
Arab News
21-02-2025
- General
- Arab News
Survivors of past air disasters offer support after Toronto crash
CONCORD: Sad. Happy. Anguished. Guilty. Denise Lockie of Charlotte, North Carolina, has felt all of the above in recent weeks, as a string of major aviation accidents brought back memories of crash-landing in an icy river in New York. Sixteen years after the 'Miracle on the Hudson,' she and other aviation disaster survivors stand ready to support those who are just emerging from their ordeal in Toronto on Monday. 'Right now, they haven't even processed what has happened,' Lockie said of the 80 passengers and crew members who survived when Delta Air Lines flight 4819 crashed and flipped over at Pearson International Airport. There were no survivors when a commercial jetliner and an Army helicopter collided in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29, a medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia on Jan. 31 and a plane carrying 10 people crashed in Alaska on Feb. 6. But in Toronto, not only did no one die, the last of the injured were released from the hospital Thursday. 'It's amazing,' said passenger Peter Carlson, who spoke at a conference less than 48 hours after the crash. Though he managed to crack a joke — 'Nothing beats a good road trip besides an airplane crash' — he later admitted struggling to leave his hotel room. 'I was quite emotional about this whole thing and just really want to be home,' said Carlson, the newest member of what retired flight attendant Sandy Purl calls a 'sad sorority and fraternity.' A history of survival Monday's crash in Toronto wasn't the first time lives were spared during a major aviation disaster there: In 2005, all 309 people on board Air France Flight 358 survived after it overran the runway and burst into flames. In 1989, 184 of the 296 people aboard United Airlines Flight 232 survived a crash in Sioux City, Iowa. And in 1977, Purl was one of 22 survivors when Southern Airways Flight 242 lost both engines in a hailstorm and crashed in New Hope, Georgia. Sixty-three people aboard the plane died, along with nine on the ground. 'Immediately you have a euphoria because you survived,' said Purl, now 72. 'But then you go into what's known as psychic numbing, which protects you from everything that's in your brain that you can't bring to the surface for a long time down the road, if ever.' For more than a year after the crash, Purl's strategy was to flee whenever anyone mentioned the disaster. Eventually she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital where she told the staff, 'I can't stop crying.' A kindly doctor took her hand and reassured her what she was feeling was real. 'For the first time, a year and a half later, people weren't saying, 'You look so good! Get on with your life, you're so lucky to be alive,'' she said. 'For the first time, someone gave me permission to feel and to cry and to feel safe.' Survivors stick together Both Purl and Lockie are members of the National Air Disaster Alliance, which was created in 1995 to support survivors and victims' families and advocate for safety improvements. In 2009, the group published an open letter to the 155 passengers and crew members of US Airways flight 1549 after Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger famously landed the plane in the Hudson River after a bird strike disabled both engines. 'We are grateful and thankful that all survived, but survivors need time to process and comprehend what it means to be an air crash survivor,' the group wrote, encouraging survivors to rest, retreat, rely on others and reserve their rights to privacy. Paying it forward, Lockie is offering similar advice to those aboard the Toronto flight. She described being in a fog for about eight weeks after her crash, struggling to keep up with her corporate job as her injuries healed and being beset by nightmares and panic attacks. 'Absolutely number one as far as I'm concerned is taking to somebody who can understand,' she said. 'I think Delta is a fantastic airline and I'm sure their care team is fantastic, but then again, how many people on those care teams have actually been involved in an aviation incident?' Friends and family might urge survivors to move on with their lives, she said, but 'it just doesn't work that way.' 'You might have fears that come out later on, and you really have to be able to deal with those,' she said. 'So my recommendation is to take all the help you can possibly take.' It doesn't take much to trigger memories While Lockie said her experience hasn't deterred her from flying often, it has shaped her behavior in other ways. When she enters a store or restaurant, for example, she always checks for the fastest way out. 'You have to be able to calm yourself if there's something that triggers your emotional aptitude,' she said. Purl, who returned to work as a flight attendant four years after the crash, said she can be triggered by the smell of gasoline or seeing news footage of other crashes. 'I look at the TV and I see my crash,' she said. 'I smell it. I taste it. I see the black smoke and I can't get through it. I feel the heat of the fire.' The Toronto survivors may find their experience exacerbates underlying traumas, she said. 'Like the layers of an onion, you pull one back and there's another layer underneath,' she said. Her advice: Live one day at a time, seek out people who offer unconditional love and talk, talk, talk. 'And then find a way to make a difference as a result,' she said.
The Independent
21-02-2025
- General
- The Independent
Survivors of past air disasters offer support after Toronto crash
Sad. Happy. Anguished. Guilty. Denise Lockie of Charlotte, North Carolina, has felt all of the above in recent weeks, as a string of major aviation accidents brought back memories of crash-landing in an icy river in New York. Sixteen years after the 'Miracle on the Hudson,' she and other aviation disaster survivors stand ready to support those who are just emerging from their ordeal in Toronto on Monday. 'Right now, they haven't even processed what has happened,' Lockie said of the 80 passengers and crew members who survived when Delta Air Lines flight 4819 crashed and flipped over at Pearson International Airport. There were no survivors when a commercial jetliner and an Army helicopter collided in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29, a medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia on Jan. 31 and a plane carrying 10 people crashed in Alaska on Feb. 6. But in Toronto, not only did no one die, the last of the injured were released from the hospital Thursday. 'It's amazing,' said passenger Peter Carlson, who spoke at a conference less than 48 hours after the crash. Though he managed to crack a joke — 'Nothing beats a good road trip besides an airplane crash' — he later admitted struggling to leave his hotel room. 'I was quite emotional about this whole thing and just really want to be home,' said Carlson, the newest member of what retired flight attendant Sandy Purl calls a 'sad sorority and fraternity.' A history of survival Monday's crash in Toronto wasn't the first time lives were spared during a major aviation disaster there: In 2005, all 309 people on board Air France Flight 358 survived after it overran the runway and burst into flames. In 1989, 184 of the 296 people aboard United Airlines Flight 232 survived a crash in Sioux City, Iowa. And in 1977, Purl was one of 22 survivors when Southern Airways Flight 242 lost both engines in a hailstorm and crashed in New Hope, Georgia. Sixty-three people aboard the plane died, along with nine on the ground. 'Immediately you have a euphoria because you survived,' said Purl, now 72. 'But then you go into what's known as psychic numbing, which protects you from everything that's in your brain that you can't bring to the surface for a long time down the road, if ever.' For more than a year after the crash, Purl's strategy was to flee whenever anyone mentioned the disaster. Eventually she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital where she told the staff, 'I can't stop crying.' A kindly doctor took her hand and reassured her what she was feeling was real. 'For the first time, a year and a half later, people weren't saying, 'You look so good! Get on with your life, you're so lucky to be alive,'' she said. 'For the first time, someone gave me permission to feel and to cry and to feel safe.' Survivors stick together Both Purl and Lockie are members of the National Air Disaster Alliance, which was created in 1995 to support survivors and victims' families and advocate for safety improvements. In 2009, the group published an open letter to the 155 passengers and crew members of US Airways flight 1549 after Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger famously landed the plane in the Hudson River after a bird strike disabled both engines. 'We are grateful and thankful that all survived, but survivors need time to process and comprehend what it means to be an air crash survivor,' the group wrote, encouraging survivors to rest, retreat, rely on others and reserve their rights to privacy. Paying it forward, Lockie is offering similar advice to those aboard the Toronto flight. She described being in a fog for about eight weeks after her crash, struggling to keep up with her corporate job as her injuries healed and being beset by nightmares and panic attacks. 'Absolutely number one as far as I'm concerned is taking to somebody who can understand,' she said. 'I think Delta is a fantastic airline and I'm sure their care team is fantastic, but then again, how many people on those care teams have actually been involved in an aviation incident?' Friends and family might urge survivors to move on with their lives, she said, but 'it just doesn't work that way.' 'You might have fears that come out later on, and you really have to be able to deal with those,' she said. 'So my recommendation is to take all the help you can possibly take.' It doesn't take much to trigger memories While Lockie said her experience hasn't deterred her from flying often, it has shaped her behavior in other ways. When she enters a store or restaurant, for example, she always checks for the fastest way out. 'You have to be able to calm yourself if there's something that triggers your emotional aptitude,' she said. Purl, who returned to work as a flight attendant four years after the crash, said she can be triggered by the smell of gasoline or seeing news footage of other crashes. 'I look at the TV and I see my crash,' she said. 'I smell it. I taste it. I see the black smoke and I can't get through it. I feel the heat of the fire.' The Toronto survivors may find their experience exacerbates underlying traumas, she said. 'Like the layers of an onion, you pull one back and there's another layer underneath,' she said. Her advice: Live one day at a time, seek out people who offer unconditional love and talk, talk, talk. 'And then find a way to make a difference as a result,' she said.
