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NZTech Inform – Learnings From The Netherlands
Kia ora readers,
The past week I have been in the Netherlands eating pannekoeken (pancakes), cycling on fietsen (bikes) around the canals and meeting people in the tech sector. It was very interesting to discover how similar our challenges are and to find that we can learn a lot from each other. I posted a short chat on LinkedIn during the week as I drove back from Den Haag (The Hague).
New Zealand and the Netherlands both produce food and have a big focus on agritech, food quality and environmental sustainability. Our governments are trying to digitalise, break down internal silos, be more innovative and do more for citizens by leveraging smart technologies.
We discussed the new well-being budget and there is a lot of interest in how to achieve better social outcomes. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are at the front of many people’s minds in the Netherlands. Every city is required to meet these goals and they are looking to tech to solve the problems. Kiwi tech companies would be advised to study these goals and position their solutions as ways to achieve them as there are millions of euros being invested in the next few years.
I’m hopping on a plane this morning to fly back home and I’m looking forward to a few hours of quiet contemplation on the flight to think about how to maximise the many connections and opportunities discovered over the past week. There won’t be a lot of time to think when I land as it is straight down to Hamilton for Agritech Unleashed at Fieldays. Agritech is another area of opportunity to build a mutually beneficial relationship with the Netherlands. There will be a couple of major announcements coming out at the Agritech Unleashed event that I look forward to talking about next week.
Ngā mihi
Graeme Muller
CEO
NZTech
CONNECT
Join NZSA tomorrow in Auckland for their AGM, followed by their monthly networking dinner with guest speakers John Franich and Ken Brickley from MacroActive.
The first ShadowTech day of 2019 happened last week. Register now to be a mentor in Palmerston North, Dunedin or Hamilton.
Join EdTechNZ and TechWomen this week in Wellington, 20 June in Auckland and 26 June in Christchurch for a discussion on how to achieve diversity in tech.
PROMOTE
Join Agritech New Zealand at Fieldays this week in Hamilton and the Primary Industries New Zealand Summit and Awards, 1–2 July in Wellington. Register for updates.
The Kiwi Landing Pad meets in Auckland later this month for the KLP Summit. The summit focuses on helping startups grow product management, sales and marketing.
Attend Identity Conference 2019 – Identity as taonga: now and in the future, 26–27 August in Wellington, exploring digital identity. Register before 16 July for early bird tickets.
ADVANCE
New research by Digital Identity New Zealand shows that nine out of 10 Kiwis want more control of their digital identity. NZ education needs shake up to cope with new tech says EdTechNZ. The New Zealand Esri User Conference is 12–14 August in Auckland.
Applications are open for the Sustainable Future Farming mission to France, 1–18 October. Attend the 2019 Rural Connectivity Symposium in Wellington on 25 June. The US Consulate is running a briefing on E1 and E2 visas for international trade in the USA on 25 June.
Entries for the New Zealand Spatial Excellence Awards (NZSEA) close 30 June. Applications for the Callaghan Innovation R&D Experience Grants close 31 August. The 2019 AmCham-DHL Express Success and Innovation Awards is on 23 August in Auckland. Finalists to be announced on 4 July.
Visit Techweek TV for highlights from Techweek19.
