NZTech Inform – the saga continues…

Kia Ora,

The ongoing saga of the Game Development sector in crisis continues. The CEO of one of our largest and most successful studios, RocketWerkz, is considering setting up in Australia due to the incentives and staff available, and a lack of (or slow) response from our Government. 

“All we want is a level playing field with Australia and film… It is extremely hard to operate when we’ve got these amazing subsidies in Australia and film (in New Zealand) is (also) getting all this money.” Listen to the full interview.  

The challenge for Kiwi studios is that they are competing for the same talent as the film sector and now the Australian game sector, both of which are heavily subsidised (and generate great returns for tax payers). The global gaming opportunity is enormous – with gaming now generating more global revenue than movies and music combined. At the very least, surely we can provide similar support for this fast growing, high paying sector in New Zealand as we do for film?

On another note, next month at the Aotearoa AI Summit, responsible AI will be a hot topic of discussion.  

“The cost of inaction is rising exponentially and AI can help uncover hidden patterns that may help us create a better New Zealand for all,” says AI Forum’s executive director, Madeline Newman. 

While the focus on AI in action is the central theme, AI is not a silver bullet, she says.  How organisations navigate AI ethics, data use, privacy laws and the potential impact of Europe’s proposed AI legislation on Aotearoa New Zealand will all play a critical role.  Explore the programme and make use of the Tech Alliance member pricing.  

Plus, if you have a passion to save the planet, learn more about the AI EnviroHack series, including a female-led hackathon. Successful teams will go onto pitch their solutions to the Aotearoa AI Summit.  If you’d like to know more, view the bootcamp presentation or the presentation slides. If you have further questions, join Madeline’s live Q&A this Thursday .

Ngā mihi 

Graeme Muller
CEO
NZTech

PS: Read more about what’s underway for a more inclusive tech sector here.