Swain eager to get think tank working

By ADAM GIFFORD

A "short, sharp timeframe" is being set for the Government's new information and communication technology taskforce, aimed at quickly generating ideas on how the sector can increase its contribution to the economy.

The 11-member taskforce, co-chaired by Information Technology Minister Paul Swain and SolNet chairman Murray McNae, will hold a weekend workshop this month and whatever other meetings are needed to get a report to the Government before the end of July.

"What I'm after is a five- or six-page document, not a smooth consultant's report which spends most of its words trying to tap into other people's intellectual property," Swain said.

"These people have been there and done it and they are raring to go, they have stuff in their heads we want to get on to paper.

"Once we have a document we will put it on to a website where we can engage the industry in a broader conversation around the key points, because there were literally hundreds of people we could have chosen for this."

Apart from McNae, who has built a services organisation around the Sun Microsystems franchise, the taskforce will include:

* David Bibby, general manager of science policy at Crown research institute Industrial Research.

* John Blackham, chief executive of software company Xsol, director of Trade New Zealand and a member of the Prime Minister's Science and Innovation Advisory Council.

* Catherine Calarco, former head of the failed Onezone procurement portal and now director of marketing for a management consultancy and deputy chairwoman of the E-Commerce Action Team.

* Dennis Chapman is managing director of Chapman Management Services and was the technical founder of Switchtec.

* Jim Donovan is the managing director of management and investment company Isambard Ltd. He was formerly the CEO and co-owner of Deltec, which was sold to Andrew Corporation in July 2001.

* Steve Harris, the Wellington regional manager of the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union.

* Peter Maire, founder and president of global positioning satellite company Navman NZ, formerly Talon Technology.

* Ian McCrae, founder and chief executive of health technology company Orion Systems.

* Jenny Morel, from investment bank Morel & Co and venture capital fund No 8 Ventures.

* Ian Taylor, of Dunedin-based Taylormade Media, Animation Research and Virtual Spectator.

Taylor said it was a chance to make a difference.

"Paul Swain has told us it is gloves off, he just wants to hear people's views on what is going wrong and what is going right," he said.

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