NZTech Update – An eco taste of the future!

Kia Ora

Today I am at the Board meeting for AgriTech New Zealand.  It is interesting times for the primary sector as they face unprecedented change.

The recent announcement by Air New Zealand that they are offering meat free burgers on flights has been a case study in missing the point.  With politicians and meat industry bodies lobbying Air New Zealand to remove the burgers, it reminds me of other eras when incumbents thought they could halt change.  This is best captured in the seminal book Innovators Dilemma by Harvard’s Clayton Christensen.  The point they are missing is that Air New Zealand are responding to customers.

Meat substitutes might not conquer the world, but there is no denying that the technology is improving and demand is increasing.  While meat substitutes are making headlines, the big opportunity for New Zealand is environmental. As food demand increases so does farming intensification, which is taking an enormous toll on our planet.  By comparison, plant based meat alternatives use far less land, water and create less greenhouse emissions.  As our agritech sector comes together I am optimistic that we can re-think the way we develop, seed, cultivate, and harvest food in New Zealand.

From Wednesday, I will be in Wellington at ITx, a collaboration of 12 tech-focused conferences, focused on innovation, technology and education.  I hope to see you there.

One last reminder, if you have ever considered an intern, or even if you haven’t, please complete the Digital Skills Forum survey, so we can help improve the flow of talent into tech roles.  The average time to complete the survey has been three minutes.

Ngā mihi
Graeme Muller
CEO
NZTech
PS: Don’t forget to register to attend our AGM on 26 July in Auckland.

Register for the Canterbury Tech Summit

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CONNECT

Network with NZSA tomorrow in Auckland.  Join the AI Forum on 24 July in Wellington, 7 August in Auckland and 8 August in Christchurch.

Join FinTechNZ next month in Auckland and Wellington.  Also, save the date for the New Zealand FinTech Summit 2018 on 29 November in Auckland.

Join EdTechNZ on 25 July in Wellington for The Future of Education is Now panel discussion and a tour of Te Papa’s H?n?tore Learning Lab.

PROMOTE

Thank you to everyone who completed our recent membership survey.  Your feedback helps us better understand your needs. Congratulations to Anthony McMahon! You are now the owner of a brand new HP ENVY laptop.

Register to attend Massey’s ecentre Innovation Showcase on 18 July in Auckland and meet the next wave of startups.  Tickets are now available for NZGDC18  in Auckland 1-3 August.

Register to attend the 2018 AmCham DHL Express Success and Innovation Awards on 16 August in Auckland.  Also attend Four Disciplines of Execution with Chris McChesney on 10 September in Auckland.

ADVANCE

Last week NZBio rebranded as BIOTechNZ and joined  the New Zealand Tech Alliance.  Launching this month, 100TechWomen, featuring a collection of inspiring stories from New Zealand’s brightest tech talent.  Also, read how AI and IoT are changing the local dairy sector.

Help grow our tech talent pipeline. Register your internship listing with Summer of Tech before 31 July for maximum student attention.   Don’t forget, the Digital Skills Forum wants to know how you work with digital tech interns.  Please complete this quick survey before 15 July.

Entries for the 2018 New Zealand Spatial Awards (NZSEA) close 27 July.  Finalists will be announced on  5 September.  Register to attend the Awards Event on 17 October in Wellington.  CERT’s Cyber Smart Week has been confirmed for 8-12 October and a small businesses campaign begins on 30 July.

Want to know more?  Sign up for the NZTech weekly update, it’s free and will take less than a minute!