Bennett Medary: Technology export chances worth grabbing

We need more investment and support for our innovative companies and entrepreneurs. Photo / Thinkstock

Opinion

The technology industry is in good shape, with export earnings nearing $5 billion a year, but we have higher aspirations.

The New Zealand Information and Communication Technologies Group believes that we can and must double our export earnings over the next decade.

If we want to reach these goals then we need a good level of collaboration between the private and public sectors, research and development with a commercial focus, and more investment and support for our innovative companies and entrepreneurs.

Such companies and entrepreneurs will be showcased at the Technology Trade and Investment Forum which begins at the Langham Hotel in Auckland today.

We can learn from companies that have already done the hard yards overseas such as information management company Pingar, which is a great success story that has come out of collaboration.

Backed with university partnerships and industry and government support, Pingar now has offices in Asia, Australia, the US and Europe.

Technology manufacturer Rakon will also be showcased.

Key to the event will be announcements from the Technology Investment Network 100 (TIN 100), with a preview of the 2011 results. We'll be focusing on emerging talent with elevator pitches from innovative companies such as Konnect.

Auckland's vision of becoming the Pacific's Innovation Hub will be canvassed alongside a discussion about the opportunity to rebuild Christchurch as a high-tech city.