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NZTech Update – BioTech, Blockchain and GovTech
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
This week!
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Share our storyCONNECT
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.
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