Source: MIL-OSI Submissions
Source: New Zealand Tech
February 22nd, 2022 New Zealand’s technology story, aiming to create a compelling, consistent way of promoting our tech capabilities to the world, launches at a ‘Go Live” event today. The tech story, “We See Tomorrow First”, is a marketing and sales initiative, created in collaboration with industry and government, with a dual mandate: Support the fast-growing digital technology sector and help take those innovations to the global market, and at the same time attract international investment and tech talent to New Zealand.
“New Zealand has a unique perspective on how we create technology and lead tech businesses. It’s a perspective, building on Māori values of kaitiakitanga or guardianship, that now more than ever, the world needs to help create technology to build a better tomorrow,” says NZ Tech’s Chief Strategy Officer, Julie Gill.
“Our vision is that the Tech Story will have a lasting, positive impact for our tech businesses and New Zealand. The strength of a unified storytelling platform means businesses will benefit from greater awareness in global markets. This will help business growth by attracting investment, talent and exports,” she says.
In 2021 New Zealand’s top 200 tech exporters earned $13.9 billion and our total global digital exports grew by 23 percent. Within the next decade we expect the sector will be New Zealand’s leading exporter. The tech story initiative is a concerted effort to further accelerate this growth by growing the awareness and preference of Aotearoa’s tech sector internationally.
We See Tomorrow First has already received the seal of approval from industry names like Rocket Labs, Xero and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, and NZ Tech expects a similarly positive response from its 1600 strong membership.
“This is exactly the kind of platform our members and industry have been calling for. The tech story and brand We See Tomorrow First can galvanise New Zealand tech companies under one umbrella brand and make it easier to attract the talent and investment they need to continue growing. It will also support them to showcase their digital capability to a global audience,” says Ms Gill.
NZ Tech member and founder of Soul Machines, Greg Cross, says sharing New Zealand’s tech story as a platform for growth is another instrumental step forward in our journey to becoming a knowledge economy.
“New Zealand’s tech sector is growing faster than ever, and our values and cultural identity bring a unique perspective to how we create technology and lead tech businesses. We have a track record of coming up with ground-breaking ideas in this country that will build a better tomorrow, but we are not well known for it. We’re fully behind this initiative to create a New Zealand tech story that can help accelerate that growth, creating a more prosperous future for all Kiwis.”
It is estimated that by 2030 more than 100,000 New Zealanders will work in digital industries. Analysis from NZ Tech says this could result in as many as 151k additional jobs for women, 93k for Māori and 48k for Pacific people, as well as earning billions of additional dollars in new exports.
The new initiative launches today at a “Go Live” event hosted by NZ Tech online, including speakers Julie Gill from NZ Tech, David Downs, CEO, NZ Story and Minister Clark.
NOTES
More about the concept
Here in Aotearoa New Zealand, we’re the first to welcome the new day. It’s a place where we think about the future, and what tomorrow looks like. We see a tomorrow that needs new ideas, new perspectives, and new ways of doing things. In New Zealand our tech communities are focused on meeting the challenges of the future, and together are building a tomorrow that future generations can thrive in. This project is all about sharing this story with the world’s tech buyers, talent and investors.
We See Tomorrow First is the new, unifying brand story for New Zealand’s tech sector. Whether the tech business is just starting out or already established globally, the We See Tomorrow First campaign toolkit offers a ‘ready-to-use’ suite of assets and tools to use in New Zealand tech businesses own marketing campaigns.
BIO: Julie Gill, Chief Strategy & Commercial Officer – NZTech
Julie has held senior management and directorship roles within the Tech sector across local and international businesses for over 30 years. Julie is currently the Chief Strategy Officer at NZ Tech where she is responsible for the commercial strategy and the development of NZTech Group and the Tech Alliance in New Zealand.
Her previous roles include Director and shareholder of The Ad Plain UK (communication & advertising agency), Vice President at IDC (Go to market services) EMEA, General Manager of Fairfax Business Media Group NZ, Managing Director of IDG New Zealand (publishing) and Head of Global Media Europe at VNU Business Publications (publishing).
Working across local and international businesses, from start-ups to large corporates, Julie has been responsible for developing a number of businesses. Plus creating initiatives & programs to meet clients’ needs and successfully deliver on a range of innovative, integrated marketing solutions. Julie has a passion for helping drive the continued growth of the New Zealand Technology industry and ensuring it meets the needs of future generations here and across the world.
