Blog

I loved my office in the CBD, on the 10th floor of what is now Spark's building, overlooking the Square. I'd exited my business, and recently joined global SaaS company SLI Systems. Here’s a photo of the last time I saw that office - that’s my desk, with the window fallen on it. Better than Rod, … Continue reading Earthquake recovery bootcamp

With 115 years of rugby history behind them, the All Blacks are up for sale. As they put it in the UK media: “Yes, those All Blacks: not just one of the most successful and famous teams in the world, but a culture and tradition, a heritage and a lineage.”  NZ Rugby has voted to … Continue reading Would you buy the All Blacks?

Aotearoa, NZ's big push on Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths is essential in a knowledge economy, and we continue to create massive economic value through our innovation ecosystem. However, the Arts (humanities, language arts, dance, drama, music, visual arts, design and new media) are more important than ever. Creative marketing campaigns have massive power to … Continue reading Inserting A into STEAM

The recent release of FMA’s targeted review of the NZX is timely on the heels of the ongoing GameStop saga. Technology is taking us to some interesting places, and market operators (and regulators) need to keep up.  The review slammed NZX’s technology capability. A series of issues last year including trading volume-related system issues and outages in … Continue reading Retail investor activism is alive and well

Do you love me, the Boston Dynamics robots dubbed “Spot, Atlas and Handle” ask us? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn3KWM1kuAw These smart mobility robots continue to take the internet by storm, with this latest video certainly changing the narrative from the “robot abuse” feedback the company received back in 2016. It’s interesting to see how public perception of robots … Continue reading The dancing robots are coming

I’m still feeling inspired from my recent Startup Weekend experience as a mentor in Hāwera, South Taranaki. This is the smallest community (of 10,300) the programme has run in, but it could be said with the biggest heart. Throw in some caffeine and sleep deprivation, and hang on in for the ride - it is always … Continue reading The power of an innovation ecosystem

Who would have thought we would have a competitive, thriving private aerospace sector here in Aotearoa? There’s a lot of activity happening around Ōtautahi, Christchurch due to both local geography and airspace, and the talent pool through the University of Canterbury’s (UC) College of Engineering. I first met Mark Rocket some years ago; I was … Continue reading Innovation and aerospace in Ōtautahi, Chch

In a post-COVID world, the services sector has been the most affected. Hospitality, tourism, accommodation, education, retail...the list is growing longer by the week. We are likely to continue with short notice 'level' changes alongside border restrictions for quite some time. The uncertainty around timeframes is difficult for many companies; what IS certain is that … Continue reading Building digital capabilities