Published on the 08/05/2017 | Written by Newsdesk
New Zealand Techweek rolls out nationwide…
NZTech is clearly unafraid of a challenge. Instead of ‘just a conference’, the industry association is in the process of taking tech to the masses, with a nationwide festival of tech events serving up a landmark. The Techweek event has been taking place in 27 towns from Whangarei to Hokitika and includes tech and innovation events, conferences, school and business events running from 6 to 14 May.
Even if the definition of ‘tech’ may have been generously applied (“Food and the Internet” and “National Co-Working days”, apparently, qualify), it is notable that the ambition of Techweek is to include such diverse sectors of society. It is an indication of just how horizontal the reach of information technology is today. It doesn’t just touch every aspect of business, but also personal lives.
The purpose of the event(sss), said NZTech CE Graeme Muller in a statement, is to promote technology and innovation as ‘the fastest growing and third biggest national industry’. “It has two goals: to build New Zealand’s reputation as a tech and innovation hub in the Asia Pacific region and to build national pride and interest in tech among all Kiwis.”
He said his team has ‘miraculously’ (anyone who has organised something as simple as drinks after work is likely to agree with that) coordinated 258 of the best tech and innovation events into one week, helped no doubt by the fairly broad definition.
More than that, he said the event was promoted internationally and is attracting investors and delegates from all around the world. These investors, said Muller, are coming to join the discussion about emerging technologies that New Zealand is developing a bit of a reputation in areas such as agritech, artificial intelligence, blockchain, augmented reality and the Internet of Things and more.
It is also about getting the kids of New Zealand involved, including a Code Club which youngsters are running at the Beehive. It is surely a significant challenge, as they seek to teach MPs how to code.
A key event is the Future Realities Conference, which took place at Queen’s Wharf in Wellington on Wednesday May 10. This fixture was described as ‘an inspiring and progressive vision of new technologies… exploring how they will change the way New Zealanders live, work and play’.
Speakers include Mark Billinghurst, a Kiwi augmented reality professor at the University of South Australia in Adelaide, and Melanie Langlotz, chief executive of Geo AR Games.
When the film industry went through a challenging period, Langlotz saw it as a timely opportunity to reconsider her career choice and move into augmented reality which led to Magical Park – a digital app that transforms a normal park into a digital playground.
Sounds fascinating (but we still like regular playgrounds, all the same).
While most events have now passed, you can check out the remaining schedule here.
