Exploring Tomorrow, Today!

More than 300 rangatahi from high schools across Tāmaki Makaurau discovered the exciting world of tech at the Tech23 Tour at the Tomorrow Expo at the Viaduct Events Centre, Auckland.

The Year 9-13 students met face-to-face with tech employers including ANZ, AWS, Datacom, Deloitte, Geo AR Games, Microsoft, StaplesVR, Tesla and more. It was an opportunity to discover the variety of roles available and different pathways into tech.

During the panel discussions, young industry leaders from Microsoft shared their personal journey’s from education into tech careers, along with advice and lived experience.

Most hadn’t considered working for a large company and discussed how their diverse backgrounds influenced their perspectives in the tech world. They encouraged rangatahi to ‘give it a go’, explaining it’s worth trying something new and you may be surprised at what you find! They emphasised connecting with others for support and not to be afraid to ask questions, always.

CEO of Te Matarau, The Māori Tech Association, Lee Timutimu also encouraged rangatahi to be confident, take risks and believe in themselves.

“Find your tribe, your people and they will support you. Make connections with others, look after your mental health and work towards your personal career goals,” says Lee.

During the Tech23 Tour learners enjoyed augmented, virtual and mixed reality experiences, discovered robotics and more.  Learners also witnessed holograms in action and were inspired to learn more about data and software.

Tech23 was organised by NZTech, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, the Ministry of Education and Media Design School. The aim was simple – to inspire learners to consider technology careers. During the day, schools were able to explore the Tomorrow Expo and see first hand what a career in tech could be like.

“The tech industry is still experiencing rapid growth, offering relatively highly paid roles and abundant opportunities for young people,” says Pam Ford, Director Investment and Industry at Tātaki Auckland Unlimited.

“Events like Tech23 can make a tremendous difference in shaping the future career choices of our rangatahi.  By showcasing a wide range of opportunities, it can ignite a spark of interest that may make a huge impact. It is crucial to support the development of local career pathways and encourage their continued participation for young people, especially for Māori and Pacific peoples, and women. 

“The tech industry holds enormous potential for Tāmaki Makaurau, not only in terms of revenue, GDP, and job growth, but also supporting greater productivity and addressing global challenges.”

Tech23 showed learners there is more to tech careers than just coding and there is a role to suit everyone.

“We’re inspiring school leavers to join our fastest growing and highest paid sector! There is so much variety in tech careers, from game development and visual effects to global tech platforms, software developers, high tech engineering, robotics, rocketry and even electric vehicles,” says NZTech’s CEO, Graeme Muller.

“There is a huge variety of jobs in the tech sector including animation, artificial intelligence (AI), business development, cybersecurity, marketing, project management and more.” 

View the Tech23 video highlights here and check out the photo gallery.

Whaia te pae tawhiti kia tata, Whakamaua te pae tata kia tina! 

Explore beyond the distant horizon and draw it near, take hold of your potential so it becomes your reality!

The Tech23 Tour was a collaborative partnership presented by Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, GridAKL, Media Design School, Ministry of Education, NZTech, Techweek and the Tech Alliance.