NEWS & ARTICLES
12
Nov
Nov
World-first NZ tech changing the global agricultural landscape
Georgia Taylor 0 comments Agritech, Media Release
New Zealand agritech companies are creating world-first technology to help feed the world and lead the way in their industry, AgritechNZ chief executive Peter Wren-Hilton says.
Technology is making life easier, from eco-friendly cars to faster software and tech improvements are benefitting Kiwis in everyday life, he says.
“The same goes for agritech innovation such as crop protection and plant biotechnology which is improving the lives of farmers and consumers around New Zealand.
12
Nov
Nov
Industry experts to show teachers all about tech
Georgia Taylor 0 comments Media Release, ShadowTech, TechWomen
Following the national success of ShadowTech for students, TechwomenNZ and CreateOps is this week running a ShadowTech day for teachers for the first time.
The ShadowTech day for teachers will be held on Wednesday which will create an opportunity for teachers to gain first hand understanding as greater responsibility falls on teachers to pass on tech skills to students.
05
Nov
Nov
NZTech Update – The real digital impact in local schools
Georgia Taylor 0 comments NZTech Newsletter
Last week, I had an interesting experience that drove home to me the need to consider more than just computers and the ability to teach digital technology.
30
Oct
Oct
The founder of one of New Zealand’s biggest biotech companies, Dr Sean Simpson, is back in New Zealand this week attending key board meetings for the next wave of Kiwi success stories, BiotechNZ executive director Zahra Champion says.
Simpson, the founder of LanzaTech which started life in a Kiwi basement in 2005 and has gone on to develop processes to turn waste carbon into fuels, will present at the Angel Association New Zealand annual summit in Blenheim on Friday.
29
Oct
Oct
NZTech Update – Tech sector booming!
Georgia Taylor 0 comments NZTech Newsletter
Last week at the launch of the 14th edition of the TIN100 report, which analyses the largest New Zealand hi-tech exporting companies, it was great to catch up with everyone and hear about so many fast growing tech firms.
The team at TIN have been doing a wonderful job of surveying tech firms over the past decade, allowing us to follow the progress of the sector and a bunch of very talented people. Highlights included revenue growth of the top 200 firms by 11%, employee numbers up by 4.7%, profitability rose by 38%, and international revenues (or as TIN like to call them, exports) were up by 12.4%. Read more in the free Snapshot report.
23
Oct
Oct
Kia Ora
I am looking forward to joining the TIN100 team on Wednesday in Auckland to hear how the top 200 tech exporters have progressed during the past 12 months. It’s fantastic to see the TIN100 team also in Wellington and then in Christchurch to share the great news.
According to a preview, New Zealand’s top 200 tech companies have achieved 38 percent profitability growth in the last year alone, which is the fastest rise since the report first started tracking movement in 2005. Additionally, the stock prices for the largest ten listed TIN100 companies by market capitalisation have risen 57.3 percent in the past year. I can’t wait to find out more!
Last week, at the NZTech Cyber Security Summit I hosted a leader’s workshop on how to enable better information sharing so that we can all learn from the experiences of those that have been attacked. There are all sorts of reputational risks for firms to disclose they have been hacked, but the value from sharing this information is enormous. The answer seems to be encouraging more organisations to share with CERT, the relatively new Government agency that aggregates this information. In a recent global analysis, the average cost of a data breach was $3.8 million. As more firms share data with CERT in New Zealand, the real costs of poor security practices will become more apparent. I believe that ensuring all firms are cyber secure is nationally important, so cybersecurity remains an area that NZTech continues to work closely with the Government and our membership.
I hope you enjoy the short week.
Ng? mihi
Graeme Muller
CEO
NZTech
CONNECT
Join FinTechNZ’s Spring Connect events on 31 October in Wellington and 1 November in Auckland (including Annual Meeting). Register for the New Zealand FinTech Summit on 29 November in Auckland.
The 2018 Agritech New Zealand Roadshow continues on 24 October in Auckland and 25 October in Tauranga. Join TechTalk on 25 October in Auckland and listen to TechLeader Glen Willoughby discuss his collaboration with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab.
Join the AI Forum’s Connect event on 30 October in Dunedin. Join CanterburyTech on 6 November for talks on agritech and bio security. CanterburyTech is also recruiting for a General Manager and an Event Coordinator. Also, Techweek are hiring!
PROMOTE
Make the most of Expo 2020 Dubai, with NZTE’s Gulf Opportunities Showcase tomorrow in Auckland and Hamilton, 26 October in Wellington and 25 October in Christchurch.
The Edmund Hillary Fellowship presents New Frontiers 4-6 November in Wellington. Share, explore and co-create solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. Applications close on 26 October.
Strengthen connections in digital health at the HiNZ Conference, 21-23 November in Wellington. Join the AI Forum at the 31st Australasian Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence 11-14 December in Wellington.
ADVANCE
Entries for the 2019 Hi-Tech Awards open on 3 December. Attend the launch events on 28 November in Auckland, 5 December in Wellington and 6 December in Christchurch.
Is your company ready to scale up with international growth? Enter the inaugural #TechRocketshipANZ Awards. Entries close 23 November.
Save these 2019 event dates; Tech Marketers conference on 28 February, AI-Day on 28 March and Techweek 20-26 May. Save the date for the 2019 Hi-Tech Awards Gala Dinner on 24 May in Auckland.
Want to know more? Sign up for the NZTech weekly update, it’s free and will take less than a minute!
15
Oct
Oct
Kia Ora
Last week was particularly busy. It began with the Board meeting for the relaunched Blockchain Association and finished with Blockworks, which is the best blockchain event I have ever attended.
During the week I also attended the Board meeting for BIOTechNZ and later listened to Minister Parker share his extensive biotech experience and hopes for biotech in New Zealand. As a country we are on the cusp of a biotech production surge.
The week also included a meeting with major participants in the FoodTech space as some of the major food producers, food innovation networks, universities and local/central governments came together to start building a strong, national ecosystem.
Momentum is also building in Wellington with GovTech. I met with a burgeoning group who are creating an inclusive, neutral group for GovTech, however there are still more critical stakeholders needed around the table. By working together with a Government that has proven its desire to be agile and do things differently we can collaborate to improve the way technology is procured and help agencies design innovative new services for citizens. Ideally, we can also sell some of these offerings into the rapidly growing $600 billion GovTech market.
With initiatives like the Lightning Lab GovTech Accelerator, the new Government Marketplace and service innovation labs it is clear there is desire to do something better throughout the New Zealand Government and tech sector. However, occasionally we still see procurement processes or RFP’s that resemble times of old. IT Professionals, NZRise and NZTech continue to work in close partnership with DIA’s GCDO team and the MBIE procurement team to improve the efficiencies and fairness of the system. Please remember, we can only address what we are told about, so if you come across something that isn’t working well, make sure you let us know.
This week’s highlight will be the Cyber Security Summit in Wellington that we are hosting with our event partner Conferenz. The recent CERT report shows that cyber threats are continuing to grow, so the conference brings the experts together to share best practice. I hope to see you there.
Ng? mihi
Graeme Muller
CEO
NZTech
CONNECT
Join FinTechNZ’s Spring Connect events on 31 October in Wellington and 1 November in Auckland. Register for the New Zealand FinTech Summit on 29 November in Auckland.
The 2018 Agritech New Zealand Roadshow continues. Register to attend this free event on 16 October in Lincoln, 19 October in Dunedin, 23 October in Hamilton, 24 October in Auckland and 25 October in Tauranga.
Join the AI Forum’s Connect event on 30 October in Dunedin. Learn more about the AI Forum’s 2019 research project and how you can be involved, Towards Our Intelligent Future: New Zealand’s AI Roadmap.
PROMOTE
Entries for the 2019 Hi-Tech Awards open on 3 December. Be inspired by previous winners at the launch events on 28 November in Auckland, 5 December in Wellington and 6 December in Christchurch.
Attend Leveraging Spatial Data for New Zealand Agriculture on 8 November in Hamilton. Attend the Geospatial Careers Symposium on 17 November in Auckland. Join SIBA for The Diversity Agenda on 24 October in Wellington.
Make the most of Expo 2020 Dubai, with NZTE’s Gulf Opportunities Showcase on 24 October in Auckland and Hamilton, 26 October in Wellington and 25 October in Christchurch. Register to reserve your free ticket.
ADVANCE
CanterburyTech are currently recruiting for a General Manager. The Techweek team are also hiring! They are currently recruiting for a Community Coordinator, Festival Coordinator and a Project Administrator.
Is your company ready to scale up with international growth? Enter the inaugural #TechRocketshipANZ Awards. Entries close 23 November. In case you missed it, Marketplace, the digital procurement channel for Government, is now live.
Save the date for the New Zealand Tech Alliance end of year celebrations, 29 November in Auckland and 4 December in Wellington. Submissions on the NCEA review close on Friday. Attend the 2018 New Zealand Spatial Awards this week in Wellington.
Want to know more? Sign up for the NZTech weekly update, it’s free and will take less than a minute!
09
Oct
Oct
New Zealand’s biotech industry is on the cusp of a massive surge, boosting the economy and exports through the growth of new world technologies, including the use of gene technology, BiotechNZ executive director Dr Zahra Champion says.
The OECD has estimated the potential contribution of the bio-economy to New Zealand’s GDP will climb to $NZ182 billion by 2030. Champion says biology and technology are merging to form exciting new solutions which will benefit New Zealand.
“Biotech is growing exponentially in many areas including the revolution in gene editing technologies which will play a big part in the future of many sectors including healthcare, agriculture and conservation,” she says.
08
Oct
Oct
NZTech Update – Why regional tech is important
Georgia Taylor 0 comments NZTech News, NZTech Newsletter
Last week I found myself passing through several regional towns as I headed to Taupo to present at a conference. Some like Matamata, Rotorua and Taupo were vibrant and busy with tourists. Others, like Tokoroa, are showing the signs of tougher times with peeling paint and shops shut along the main road. You have to visit regional New Zealand to really appreciate why the provincial growth fund is so important.
03
Oct
Oct
New incentive will boost NZ tech growth
Georgia Taylor 0 comments Media Release, NZTech News
The new research and development tax incentive introduced today by the government will go a long way to helping inject even more growth into the tech sector, NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says.
Given the aim of introducing an R&D tax incentive was to support a broader range of eligible firms, it was excellent to see that the government has listened through the consultation process and taken on board advice to reduce the minimum level to $50,000 and increase the rate to 15 percent, Muller says.
