Published on the 12/01/2010 | Written by Newsdesk
Strong performance of kiwi companies in the annual Deloitte Technology Fast 500 shows local innovation is alive and well, says ICT industry body…
New Zealand has outperformed other Asia-Pacific countries with the performance of its technology sector in a major annual survey.
Fifty-one New Zealand companies were included in this year’s Deloitte Technology Fast 500 report.
NZICT – the group that represents ICT companies and organisations involved in the provision of software, hardware, services and networks – hailed the result, which comes amidst a tough trading environment.
“Innovation is alive and well in New Zealand. This is a huge result that we must build on to grow these companies further. This is a massive improvement on last year’s results, which included 31 New Zealand companies,” says NZICT CEO Brett O’Riley.
“With four New Zealand ICT-related companies in the top 50 (NextWindow, Telesmart, Sonar6 and TracMap NZ) it shows that New Zealand is strengthening its ICT position.”
While the report indicates that the New Zealand hi-tech sector is vibrant, O’Riley says that we need to ensure growth continues. Many of NZICT’s recently released Near Future Digital Priorities focus on areas that influence growth.
“We are looking for support from government policies and improved infrastructure. The forthcoming findings from the Capital Markets review are important in creating an investment environment where capital is available through multiple investment tiers,” he says.
“With ubiquitous high-speed broadband eventually reaching more places, New Zealand’s technology sector will have a better framework to not only improve its products and services in the domestic market, but internationally.”
As the global economy recovers from the recent recession, ICT and the digital economy are increasingly seen as a driver for global economic activity and growth.
“New Zealand companies need support from both the public and private sectors including investors to propagate ICT growth and export potential,” says O’Riley.
