The New Zealand Tech Alliance is a group of independent technology associations from across New Zealand that work together to ensure a strong voice for technology.
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NZTech Inform – Collaboration That’s Good For The World!
There seems to be real momentum developing across New Zealand, as people and organisations collaborate, to help ensure our country is ready to make the most of the digital era. Across the Tech Alliance we are helping prepare future generations for the digital work force, helping startups find winding, promoting our most successful tech firms to the world and partnering with Government to develop policy and programmes to support and enable it all.
Last week, I had the pleasure of joining 100 Kiwis collaboratingwith 1000 delegates from around the world at the EvokeAG conference in Melbourne. New Zealand really made an impact, identified by several speakers and investors, as having the potential to be a world leader in agritech. This was reinforced by Kiwi company CertusBIO taking out the pitch competition from some remarkable global competition. Agritech has the potential to not only create new tech export growth, it will also help grow our already successful primary export sectors.
Technology can also make a huge difference here in New Zealand as the Government finds ways to use it more effectively. Tomorrow, I am hosting the Future Government Summit in Wellington as the tech ecosystem collaborates with Government to identify ways to enable a more entrepreneurial approach to delivering solutions for citizens. This event is followed on Wednesday afternoon by a sold out Future Govtech Unconference to focus further discussion on the issues and opportunities of GovTech in New Zealand, such as building a thriving GovTech export sector. It’s amazing to see such a broad range of people and organisations come together for both of these events, looking for ways to collaborate to make New Zealand a better place.
Another impressive and almost sold out event is the Digital Skills Hui on 27 March, where 450 people will collaborate to help improve our national approach to developing the digital skills of New Zealanders. This event is designed to ensure that action gets underway to speed up the preparation of the next generation of tech workers, and on identifying ways to help current
workers develop the skills necessary for the future of work.
Meanwhile, we saw the Callaghan Innovation led Scale-Up website go live last week. This collaboration across multiple Government agencies and tech associations to identify and promote as many emerging and scaling tech firms as possible from right across New Zealand will enable the world to find our very best when it launches in April 2019. If you know any companies that should be profiled on this site please encourage them to be involved.
Finally, the preparations for possibly our nation’s biggest collaboration are underway at Techweek19, which is now open for event submissions. Last year, we helped coordinate 540 tech and innovation events during the week across 24 towns. This year we are promoting Techweek internationally as a country that creates technology that is good for the world. The week culminates in the Hi-Tech Awards which showcases the best of our best to the world. There is still time to submit an entry, don’t miss out.
So much collaboration and I haven’t even shared half of what we have underway. That will have to wait for another week!
Ngā mihi
Graeme Muller
CEO
NZTech
CONNECT
The next Tech Alliance event series includes Digital Identity NZ and Blockchain New Zealand. Join Leveraging Blockchain for your Digital Identity on 14 March in Wellington and 21 March in Auckland.
Create connections in the AI and FinTech ecosystems. Join us on Wednesday in Christchurch. Use promo code: TAFREE for free member tickets. Non-members please use: NONMEMBER50 for 50% discount.
Canterbury Tech next meet on 5 March for discussions on design thinking. Join NZSA on 12 March in Auckland and meet Wherescape’s Michael Whitehead. Join the American Chamber of Commerce on 13 March in Auckland.
PROMOTE
Attend the TechMarketers 2019 Conference on Thursday in Auckland. Register for the New Zealand Digital Skills Hui on 27 March in Wellington. Register for MobileTECH 2019, 3-4 April in Rotorua.
Entries for the 2019 Hi-Tech Awards close on 4 March. Finalists will be announced on 27 March. Awards will be presented at a Gala Dinneron 24 May in Auckland, during Techweek19.
The Future Government Summit, is 26-27 February in Wellington. The Embassy of Hungary invites NZTech members to attend the ITU Telecom World 2019 Conference in Budapest, 9-12 September.
ADVANCE
Be part of Scale-Up New Zealand, a free online platform for New Zealand’s innovation ecosystem. Everything you need to know is here.
Consultation is open for the Government Procurement Rules 4th Edition. For input to our submission, please contact our Government Relations Manager, Brigitte Morten.
Submissions on the Copyright Act Review close 5 April. Techweek19 submissions close 8 April. Lightning Lab Tourism and the Edmund Hillary Fellowship are now accepting applications.
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