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Hightened border security may be a pain for air travellers but it means big business opportunities for IT firms. For one global supplier of Government security systems - Hewlett-Packard - software development work by its staff in New Zealand is helping it win international contracts.
HP's Business Application Services Centre in Christchurch employs about 140 staff and has become a global hub for the company's "national identity" work for Governments around the world. The Christchurch centre is one of 14 "centres of excellence" HP has dotted around the world, each contributing to the global business's intellectual property development through their specific areas of expertise.
While it may be based out of a fairly nondescript three-storey office building in an Addington business park, the Christchurch centre is a significant part of HP's global development initiatives.
Tony Redmond, a vice-president and chief technology officer for HP Services (HP's consulting arm) popped down to check out the centre earlier this year.
At the time of that March visit Redmond said: "It's absolutely obvious to us that there are some very talented software developers in HP Services in New Zealand and we want to make sure we can use them on a worldwide basis."
The centre's expertise in identity technology was sharpened by winning a Department of Internal Affairs contract to develop New Zealand's own e-passport system. Those skills are being put to use around the world as Governments rush to update the technology behind not only their passport systems, but also national identity cards and other forms of identification, such as driver licences.
The US's visa waiver programme, which requires visitors from participating countries (including New Zealand) to be issued with machine-readable microchip-enabled passports once their existing passports expire, is one driver behind the global interest in updating technology.
Several other factors are also behind the upgrade in Government systems, says Alex Bouma, the head of HP's applications services business in New Zealand.
These include the general tightening of security procedures following the 2001 terror attacks, growing fears about identity theft, and the need to replace and modernise ageing Government systems.
"There are requirements to protect borders. There are citizens' demands to have protection of their identity and there are international standards that are coalescing because of those things stimulating a very keen interest," says Bouma.
"So it's not all post 9/11 but it is certainly a very big market segment and there is a lot of opportunity for vendors like HP to help a lot of these customers."
While HP's Christchurch security experts often travel overseas to share their expertise with colleagues working on projects in other countries, the exchange of skills works in both directions.
The company's Sydney-based regional director of global delivery, Eric de Vos, says at any one time, the Christchurch office is likely to be home to several HP global project staff. That flow of staff between global offices benefited both HP and its customers, he said.
"We've got a number of project people here right now working on specific projects in New Zealand that have come from the global delivery centres. What's allowed this to happen and where it's an advantage is that HP has always had some of this global expertise but we haven't necessarily leveraged it to the point that it makes sense for the customer.
"But right now we're seeing a skills shortage in our customer base. There's a lot of project work they need to do. There's a lot of upgrade or modernisation work and by leveraging this global expertise in and out of countries we can fill the peaks and troughs a lot more quickly than each country trying to do it themselves." As long as security systems remain good business, and Christchurch retains its allure as a destination for software developers, New Zealand looks set to retain a place on HP's global radar.
