NEWS & ARTICLES
19
Jun
Jun
Today I completed my 169th consecutive day of running as I near the half way point of the ‘365 day challenge’, an attempt to run every single day this year. It takes a lot of commitment to get up every morning for a run, no matter the weather or where you are. Everywhere I look across the New Zealand tech ecosystem, I see this sort of commitment and it makes me proud to be a Kiwi.
18
Jun
Jun
Tech sector continues to expand and accelerate growth across NZ economy
Georgia Taylor 0 comments NZTech News
Ahead of our AGM, I am delighted to report another year of phenomenal growth of the New Zealand tech ecosystem and our engagement across the wider economy. NZTech continues to connect, promote and advance the entire ecosystem.
We continue to deliver even more events, delegations and summits. Our membership has expanded beyond traditional tech firms, highlighting the importance of tech throughout every aspect of the economy and society.
14
Jun
Jun
ShadowTech wins award – go women in tech!
Georgia Taylor 0 comments Media Release, ShadowTech, TechWomen
The TechWomen programme ShadowTech won the engaging youth in ICT gong at the annual New Zealand CIO awards in Auckland last night.
The initiative run by TechWomen, part of the NZTech community, provides years 9 to 11 schoolgirls an opportunity to experience what working in a tech job is like, encouraging them onto education pathways that lead into tech related roles. Only 23 percent of New Zealand females work in tech, the fastest growing sector in New Zealand.
12
Jun
Jun
Low decile students outperforming higher decile schools
Georgia Taylor 0 comments EdTech, Media Release
A cluster of low decile Northland schools is on track to outperform many higher decile schools around New Zealand through digital learning.
Students in the Te Puawai cluster – which includes Manaia View School, Whau Valley Primary, Te Kura o Otangarei, Whangarei Intermediate, Tikipunga High School and Hikurangi Primary School – are making faster progress in learning than the average New Zealand school, according to a report by the University of Auckland’s Woolf Fisher Research Centre.
12
Jun
Jun
Techleaders today released a set of digital principles to support New Zealand’s transformation into a more digitally competitive nation by helping Kiwi businesses and government agencies commit to digital transformation.
12
Jun
Jun
NZ will be less competitive with less government R&D support
Georgia Taylor 0 comments Media Release, NZTech News
Hundreds of fledgling New Zealand tech companies will feel the pinch if stimulating research and development grants are replaced with tax credits, NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says.
Muller says tax credits have a place but New Zealand needs to be as competitive as other countries if it wants a faster growing economy.
11
Jun
Jun
Kia Ora
Even though last week was a short week, it was still a busy one. It was great to get together with many of the country’s EDAs to start thinking about Techweek’19 and share notes on what we are all doing to help increase the uptake of technology throughout New Zealand.
MBIE was also represented and we received a brief update on the progress of the Digital Economy and Digital Inclusion Ministerial Advisory Group, or DEDIMAG, if you like acronyms. This large group has formed focused working groups to work on digital inclusion, maximising the potential of the tech sector, building the digital capability of non-tech businesses, digital connectivity and adapting to technological disruption. On the subject of the appointment of the new CTO, apparently there has been another large response of quality applicants and further announcements on the process are imminent.
The highlight of the week was spending time with the team at Xero and learning about their Small Business Insights. More than 300,000 Kiwi subscribers rely on Xero to manage their finances every day. Xero have created an analytics platform that aggregates anonymised data to show the most accurate picture of New Zealand’s business conditions available in the market, updated every month and available for free. Plus they are happy to work with policy makers to find ways to use the data to help New Zealand succeed. For example, 14.2% of firms that have adopted Xero are construction firms. Xero Small Business Insights has found that construction firms that adopt at least one additional piece of cloud software to help manage their business are 33% more profitable. This is a massive asset for New Zealand, as it is now possible to identify ways to support the growth of our SMEs.
Finally, we have started preparation for this year’s AGM and new Board member nominations. A large part of the success of NZTech over the past few years has been the large, active and diverse Board. If you think you’ve got what we are looking for to help NZTech create a prosperous New Zealand underpinned by technology, visit our site to learn more. We are now seeking NZTech Board nominations.
Ng? mihi
Graeme Muller
CEO
NZTech
CONNECT
Join NZSA tomorrow in Auckland for Pushing Boundaries with Danu Abeysuriya, founder of innovative digital engineering studio, Rush Digital.
Join the FinTechNZ delegation to London FinTech Week, 6-13 July. Attend the 2018 CanterburyTech Summit on 12 September. Registrations are now open. Missed the Hi-Tech Awards? Watch the highlights.
Watch the preview and attend the CIO Summit this week on 13-14 June in Auckland. For a 10% discount, use the promo code: MO4KO4. For $99 off the TechTeam Pass, use this code: MK4KCO.
PROMOTE
Visit Fieldays in Hamilton also this week. Innovation remains the cornerstone of the event, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Attend the ProteinTECH conference on 24 July in Auckland.
Attend Digital breaths: the benefits of bio-engineering in Palmerston North on 19 June, Napier on 20 June, Wellington on 21 June, Nelson on 26 June, Christchurch on 27 June, Dunedin on 28 June and Wanaka on 29 June.
Join the Ally Skills Workshop on 15 June in Wellington. Attend the Kea World Class New Zealand Awards gala dinner on 21 June in Auckland. Hear AI Forum’s Ben Reid at the IoT Waikato Future Tech meetup on 26 June in Hamilton.
ADVANCE
Our AGM is soon and that means election season is upon us! We are now seeking NZTech Board nominations. In other news, Banqer’s Kendall Flutey says teachers need to be better paid for the tech revolution.
Have your say in the NCEA review. There’s still time to provide feedback on the proposed changes to the NZBN Register. EHF have launched a new website and are now accepting applications for a new cohort.
Want to know more? Sign up for the NZTech weekly update, it’s free and will take less than a minute!
07
Jun
Jun
Teachers need to be better paid for the tech revolution
Georgia Taylor 0 comments EdTech, FinTech, NZTech News
Teachers need to be better paid as they adjust to educating kids in the fastest growing sector in New Zealand, – technology, an award-winning Maori chief executive of a fast growing ed-tech company says.
Kendall Flutey, who runs Christchurch company Banqer, says one of her main concerns facing education and schools dealing with technology is that teachers are underpaid and overworked.
07
Jun
Jun
Seeking NZTech Board Nominations
Georgia Taylor 0 comments NZTech News
Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) is coming soon and that means election season is now upon us!
NZTech is the voice of the organisations that are redefining the world we live in. NZTech’s vision is a prosperous New Zealand, underpinned by technology. Our purpose is to connect, promote and advance the use of technology to help the tech sector and economy grow.
To continue building on our success it is critical to have the drive and support of a purposeful Board. We are now seeking nominations for our Board and encourage you to consider the role or nominate someone who can make an impact. In line with our Board Diversity Policy, we have actively identified skills and experience needed to help us accelerate our strategies and ensure diverse thinking.
05
Jun
Jun
Last Friday, submissions for feedback on the proposed R&D tax credits were due. For several years NZTech has been encouraging the introduction of some form of R&D tax credit system. However this is in the context of being an additional method of stimulating R&D and not as a complete replacement to growth grants. Unfortunately, the proposed solution will create a situation where previous recipients of growth grants will receive less when transitioned to tax credits. Additionally, for several years, NZTech has been encouraging a review of how R&D is defined, particularly with respect to software development and high growth technology firms. The impact of the proposed system on startups was detailed by Nat Torkington last week (read here) and again by Toby Littin in another article (read here).
As a result, NZTech has placed a submission recommending that the consultation process also provides the opportunity for the Government to undertake a full review of R&D incentives on software, startups and high growth hi-tech firms. We will continue to raise these issues and will keep you posted.
Last week, Minister Curran announced an accelerated timetable to rollout rural broadband to help close the digital divide. Its aim is to ensure everyone can benefit from the jobs and access that a digital future brings, regardless of what part of New Zealand they live in. The Minister also announced that she was travelling to Singapore this week to attend an international conference on building a digital economy and digital transformation with Ministers and high level government officials from around the world. Let’s hope she brings back a few good ideas from other countries to share with her new Chief technology Officer who should be in place by July.
This week, I will be in Auckland attending the Techweek’18 debrief, an AI Forum event, the monthly Digital Skills Forum meeting, the quarterly Economic Development Agencies tech strategy meeting and weather permitting, my eight year old daughter’s cross country event.
Have a great week.
Ng? mihi
Graeme Muller
CEO
NZTech
CONNECT
Join NZSA on 12 June in Auckland for Pushing Boundaries with Danu Abeysuriya, founder of innovative digital engineering studio, Rush Digital.
InsurTechNZ next meets on 7 June in Auckland to discuss Customers and Data – Shaping the Future, including AI and privacy. Join FinTechNZ on a delegation to London FinTech Week, 6-13 July.
Attend the CIO Summit on 13-14 June in Auckland. For a 10% discount, use the promo code: MO4KO4. For $99 off the TechTeam Pass, use this code: MK4KCO.
PROMOTE
Attend The Future of Data: what’s in store for society, culture and innovation? on 12 June in Wellington. For more on AI read Artificial Intelligence: Shaping a Future New Zealand here.
Last week, NZ Hi-Tech Awards double winner Angie Judd of Dexibit highlighted the importance of mentoring when she spoke at ShadowTech in Auckland. Diversity is the cornerstone of success, she says.
Attend Burn Your Brochures, a digital marketing workshop for hi-tech companies on 26 June in Auckland. Save the date for the 2018 CanterburyTech Summit! This year on 12 September, registrations open soon.
ADVANCE
Read CERT NZ’s Quarter One 2018 report. More than 500 incidents were reported, with those aged over 55 years of age reporting highest losses. CERT will receive an additional $3.9 million over four years as part of Budget 2018.
Congratulations to NZTech and FinTechNZ’s Chair, Mitchell Pham who is receiving a Kea World Class New Zealand Award. He is joined by Rocket Lab’s Peter Beck and Soul Machine’s Mark Sagar. Attend the gala dinner on 21 June in Auckland.
Have your say in the NCEA review. There’s still time to provide feedback on the proposed changes to the NZBN Register and the Open Data Charter Refresh. Applications for Massey University’s Sprint Launch for tech startups close on 11 June.
Check out UpStarters, the New Zealand Tech and Innovation story.
Want to know more? Sign up for the NZTech weekly update, it’s free and will take less than a minute!
