Techweek’18: A festival of the future

At Techweek‘18 the people leading New Zealand’s innovation and technological revolution share their secrets. We asked the experts for their festival recommendations. The description of Techweek‘18 as a festival of the future is perfect. The pace that science and technology is reshaping our society and economy is often alarming and overwhelming. Techweek’18 is a diverse … Read more

Magnify VR/AR: Hooked into the machine

Techweek! Demos, prototypes, presentations, discussions, and keynotes, all radiant with the reflected glow of futurist optimism. Tof Eklund got steeped in digital dreams last week, spending Sunday afternoon at the Magnify VR/AR Expo, and the next day at the subsequent Business Summit. The atmosphere at the Expo was carnivalesque, as techies, gamers, entire families, and … Read more

‘We created it for New Zealand’: A TechWeek wrap-up with director Jennifer Clamp

As TechWeek’17 comes to an end, Henry Oliver spoke to national director Jennifer Clamp about what she’s learned from the newer and bigger 2017 event.  TechWeek’17 has wrapped up after 173 events in 24 towns across the country. Branching out from an Auckland-focused week last year, TechWeek’17 went national, with events even being held in Mahia, … Read more

Could Christchurch become New Zealand’s Silicon Valley?

With Christchurch’s first Techweek over and done, Jonathan Cotton takes a moment to look back and ask the question seemingly on every tech-conscious Cantabrian’s lips: Could Christchurch become the centre of New Zealand’s burgeoning tech boom? ‘The Next Silicon Valley’ seems to be a term that describes everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The … Read more

What will we eat in the future? And how will we grow it?

Jonathan Cotton goes to Techweek’17’s Future of Food event in Christchurch to find out how New Zealand can innovate our way to a bigger slice of the $1 trillion global food market.  It’s the brutal hour of 7:30 in the morning and I’m at the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce on Kilmore Street for The … Read more

Eight simple rules for destroying boring stereotypes in the tech industry

Alex Casey reports back from the Techweek’17 ‘Breaking Stereotypes’ panel with a bevy of useful life advice.  The room for the Breaking Stereotypes panel was built to inspire, from the shaggy aqua rug to the bespoke mismatched seats, to the wall art that literally said “inspire”. ‘Twas the middle of Techweek’17, the coffee was steaming, … Read more

Synthetic milk? Lab-grown meat? Microgrids? How New Zealand can disrupt climate change

Jonathan Cotton hears how technology can help literally save the world at Techweek’17’s Disrupting Climate Change event in Christchurch. Big-brained idealistic-types made up the crowd at Wednesday night’s Disrupting Climate Change event at the EPIC (Enterprise Precinct and Innovation Campus), part of Christchurch’s Techweek’17 offering. There’s was lots to hear and lots to learn. The … Read more

How Holly Cardew of Pixc learned from the best in Silicon Valley

Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand, with the interview available as both audio and a transcribed excerpt. One day a few years back, Australian Holly Cardew was trying to … Read more

‘Where are all the women? We’re here! There’s lots of us!’ : An engineer talks gender diversity in tech

In the midst of Techweek’17, Alex Casey talks to The Next Billion’s Priti Ambani about shining a light on the women in tech. We had only been talking for five minutes, but engineer and company co-founder Priti Ambani had already taken me on a journey into exponential technologies, big data and the future of work. … Read more

On the future of paying for stuff: ‘You don’t need a phone, you don’t need a card, you *are* the money’

At Techweek’17, over breakfast baps and muesli cups, Henry Oliver looked into the future. Of money. In the ASB cube in Wynyard Quarter, upstairs from an enormous version of Michael Parekowhai’s Six60 cover art (jokes – it’s called ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ and it’s cool), a room full of young bankers in smart casual, ex-bankers in … Read more

Catching up with the reality mechanics at the GridAKL AR/VR Garage

Since opening in October last year, the AR/VR Garage in Uptown has become home to more than 20 companies working across virtual and augmented reality. Don Rowe visits ahead of their ten day programme at Techweek’17. There are few things in pop culture more futuristic than the idea of virtual reality. Slipping on a headset … Read more

The Spinoff’s Techweek Glossary 1.0: A minimum viable guide to disruptive techspeak

Next week is Techweek’17! So if you’re planning on attending one of the 100+ events across the country, but don’t know your pivots from your MVPs because you’re not in scrum sprints and hackathons in your everyday life, we’ve got you covered. Here are the 13 words and phrases you’re most likely to hear, explained! … Read more