Waikato innovators gathered at the University of Waikato’s co-working space, the HIKO Hub, this week to drive the region’s tech industry to new heights.
Tech professionals, University leaders and sector enablers connected with Members of Parliament at a Tech in the Tron event at the HIKO Hub.
On Monday, tech sector business leaders and professionals, University leaders and sector enablers connected with Members of Parliament at an event organised in partnership with the Tech in the Tron project.
The event fostered an open discussion between attendees, focusing on how the region can continue to attract, connect and grow its tech and innovation sector. Sector leaders also shared ideas on how to better support and enhance knowledge-intensive industries, essentially jobs where economic activity is created through the use and generation of knowledge rather than manual labour.
University of Waikato Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research, Professor Gary Wilson, opened the event, emphasising the HIKO Hub’s role in fostering connections between University research, graduate students and business.
Through the HIKO Hub, tech and innovation businesses can reach much further into the University to make connections with the people undertaking research, while connecting, strategising and problem-solving with industry peers.
“It's more than based in a city of the future; this is where we’re making the future.”
Company-X, a Waikato-based tech company established by a University of Waikato alumnus, focuses on transport and infrastructure, virtual reality and simulation. It exports services globally and co-founder David Hallett wants to see tech as the largest export out of New Zealand.
“To achieve this, we need the people and the resources to build the products, solutions and the services. The University of Waikato is renowned for its Computer Sciences and Artificial Intelligence Institute, and we need to work more with people like these to grow our presence in Waikato,” Mr Hallett says.
Attendees gathered in the main community space to share professional stories and experiences and offered ideas on how they could strengthen New Zealand’s tech sector.
Racheal Morrison, Senior Test Engineer at Tuatahi, relocated to Rotorua from Wellington for love, where she lived for nearly seven years before relocating to Cambridge for her husband’s job.
“I followed confident that I would get work anywhere and was pleasantly surprised at the tech industry that exists in the Waikato. We need to get better at screaming it a bit louder and prouder,” she says.
The event also showcased the University’s commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting its innovation hubs, research collaborations and incubation programmes that support start-ups in contributing to a low-carbon economy.
Hamilton City Council’s Strategy, Growth and Planning General Manager, Blair Bowcott, shares the University’s vision for a sustainable future.
Let's grow the Hamilton and Waikato tech sector without consuming resources and our natural environment. We have amazing success stories in Waikato that are exporting knowledge and intelligence internationally but bringing in export dollars into the country.
“With demands of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data, there’s huge potential for us to utilise our stream of graduates to work with these companies and showcase tech and innovation for businesses.”
