Technology is at the heart of improving productivity of government services and the second annual NZTech Advance Government and Technology Summit in Wellington on February 28 will play a landmark role in helping New Zealand become a stronger digital nation, NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says.

 The summit is a high-level event that will host the key players from government, industry and technology to lead discussions on transformative technology aiding the delivery of better public services.

 The event will offer insights from people working behind the scenes about the government’s ICT strategy framework and the complex issues behind the government adoption of the public cloud. The public sector is single largest customer of the tech sector. 

 “This year we focus on advancing the use of technology across the public sector and building stronger collaboration across government,” Muller says.  

 “Among those attending are leaders and executives from government and technology, senior policy makers, senior advisers, controllers and strategists from government agencies and enterprise architects, technology and operations managers from local and central government, health and education.

 “The summit has also attracted risk officers, transformation leaders, performance leaders and business partners within government and industry and finally chief information officers and their top team members from NZ-based and international companies.

 “New Zealanders need to understand the benefits and challenges of implementing the acceleration of public cloud services. We must realise the deeper implications of working with data and security in the cloud.

 “We will discuss how government and industry leaders can build a culture within government to support tech transformation and become a strong digital nation.

 “Transforming government services will lead to better outcomes for all New Zealanders, especially those in most need. With up to 40 percent of all money spent on tech in New Zealand spent by the public sector, enabling agencies to share innovative ways of using technology will drive better public services.

 “Technology is at the heart of the transformation that government is looking for. NZTech is committed to working with government to enable this transformation.

 “Productivity lies at the core of New Zealand’s long-term economic challenges. Hard won in a small isolated economy, productivity in New Zealand has declined over the past 40 years, compared to other small developed economies. With services making up 70 percent of New Zealand’s GDP, it is here that the greatest productivity challenge exists.

 “Technology is at the heart of improving productivity of government services. Discussions between government and industry are now far more “gritty” and open, and able to grapple with real issues faced by agencies.

 “But the environment in many government agencies does little to nurture innovation. While there is a proliferation of data in government agencies, a resistance, or inability, to share and collaborate is undermining the value of the data.”

 Muller says next month’s summit at Te Papa is central to both the government’s aspiration for the economy and transforming the way government operates and delivers public services. The tech the industry believes that more can be done to work alongside government to help bring about positive outcomes, he says.

 For further information contact New Zealand Technology Industry Association chief executive Graeme Muller on 021 02520767 or Make Lemonade media specialist Kip Brook on 0275 030188

The future of transportation has landed at Christchurch International Airport – a future in which drivers and steering wheels are redundant.

The airport this morning launched the fully autonomous (driverless) electric shuttle bus it will be trialling on private roads around the airport campus over the coming months.

The shuttle can carry up to 15 people and has been bought by HMI Technologies, which is working with the airport to conduct New Zealand’s first trial of a fully autonomous vehicle. The trial is being supported by Christchurch City Council, the University of Canterbury and the Transport Agency.

The shuttle will be trialled initially on private roads around the airport but once its safety has been proven the trial will shift to public roads.

Mayor Lianne Dalziel is excited by the possibilities fully autonomous vehicles could bring and pleased that Christchurch – the home of innovation and creativity – is leading the way.

“Autonomous electric vehicles are part of our future. They are coming ready or not  and I’d rather be ready. Christchurch has become a city of opportunity … a place where anything is possible. The significance of attracting this project to Christchurch at this time cannot be over-stated. This is an incredibly exciting time in our history,”  said Ms Dalziel, who was one of the first passengers in the French manufactured shuttle.

Speaking at the launch, Transport Minister Simon Bridges praised the Council for supporting the trial.

“You are the most tech and innovation savvy Council in New Zealand,” Mr Bridges said. “In a number of areas you are literally leading New Zealand and I think it is fantastic.”

Mr Bridges said while the Government was not directly involved with the trial, it would be watching it closely, with great interest.

“I believe  firmly the vehicle of the future … is an autonomous or driverless electric vehicle that increasingly we won’t own,” he said.

They would be safer, more efficient, and bring significant environmental benefits.

“This is an exciting and historic day, not just for Christchurch, but for New Zealand,” the Minister said.

Christchurch Airport Chief Executive Malcolm Johns said the airport team was keen to understand how autonomous shuttles might operate at Christchurch Airport and how people might react and interact with them.

“We can see the potential for driverless vehicles to transform and enhance mobility and transport options on the airport campus. We want to explore the possibility of deploying autonomous vehicles to assist people moving around our campus efficiently and sustainably, so we formed a partnership with HMI Technologies to consider how we might make this happen.”

Source: Christchurch City Council
Link to original Article: https://www.ccc.govt.nz/the-council/newsline/show/1349

This portable handheld device known as an infrascanner can tell in minutes whether a patient has a brain bleed.

Using the same technology as your television remote, a new portable device is about to land in New Zealand that can detect brain bleeds instantly.

The device, called an “infrascanner”, has been approved for use on our shores. It can pick up life-threatening brain haemorrhages and clots in head trauma victims injured on rugby fields, in nursing homes and in car accidents.

It scans a person’s skull, firing infrared signals into the skull to a depth of three centimetres, then shows a negative or positive result.

HAGEN HOPKINS

Conrad Smith of the Hurricanes holds his head after returning from a concussion test during a 2015 game against the Chiefs. The infrascanner could be useful for rugby teams in detecting injury, say its distributors.

“If it shows a red dot, you know there’s a bleed,” Peter Bailey, the sole distributor for infrascanner in Australia and New Zealand, said.