⏩Fast Forward Aotearoa #38: How technology investment can deliver on national priorities🫧

Do more, quicker

Kia ora,

Welcome to this week’s ⏩Fast Forward Aotearoa, thinking about emerging technology and the unfolding future of my corner of the world, Aotearoa New Zealand. Thanks for reading!

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Aotearoa roundup

A quick roundup of a few news threads I’ve been tracking recently… and then on to the latest book instalment, finally getting to the business end of things...

• ICYMI: I spoke with Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale about AI, including the possibility for “KiwiGPT” localised national AI stack on Friday’s “Hoon” podcast:

Two significant recent reports from publicly funded commissions:

• Last month’s He Pou a Rangi / Climate Change Commission report to government provided robust “do more, quicker” advice:

  “The Commission’s proposed recommendations include: 

  • Accelerating EV charging infrastructure roll out to keep up with demand. 

  • Bringing new renewable electricity generation online faster and making sure local lines companies are able to support growth. 

  • Scaling up efforts to move industry away from coal and other fossil fuels. 

  • Preparing for the rapid roll-out of low emissions technologies and practices on farms. 

  • Retrofitting buildings so they are healthier, more resilient, lower emissions and cheaper  
    to run. 

  • Avoiding new installations of fossil gas where there are affordable low emissions alternatives. 

  • Making it much easier for people to use public transport and active transport. 

  • Improving the capture of methane at landfills. 

  • Accelerating Iwi/Māori emissions reduction by allocating resources directly. 

  • Sorting out the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme and the role of forestry. “

  But how much of this will be actioned in an election year? The country desperately needs a cross-party consensus to elevate these intergenerational concerns out of the shallowness of day-to-day politics.

• Also Te Kōmihana Whai Hua o Aotearoa/ Productivity Commission released the findings and recommendations from its follow-on review of New Zealand Frontier Firms inquiry. Not exactly a glowing report card for government 2 years on:

  “The current course will not shift the productivity dial… key elements needed for a successful focused innovation policy are lacking…While some progress has been made, existing arrangements, including those for developing industry policy and the research, science and innovation strategy (Te Ara Paerangi: Future Pathways) fall short. Industry Transformation Plans lack sufficient resources, co-investment by business, connections with researchers, and enough focus and ambition to spark transformational change. In addition, material decision making for Industry Transformation Plans, National Research Priorities, and other processes remain largely centralised and top-down, rather than being collaborative and devolved.”

  (Agree. See my latest book instalment below for my thoughts on the matter…_)

• Media outlet Stuff started putting up paywalls for news rather than relying entirely on advertising. (The H****y N****n weekend newspaper cover sheets are pretty vile, eh…) I wonder if Substack’s rapid growth of subscription-based independent publishing is having some discernable industry impact in Aotearoa?

  • (See also: interview last month with Chris Best: Substack’s CEO on ads, bundling and what’s next).

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Rollcall

The usual shout-outs around the Motu:

• Living pantry is an Auckland startup installing outdoor vertical farming tech for private homes and gardens, with remote-control for temperature, light, and water levels. I like this approach: why doesn’t every home have an automated rooftop garden?

Living pantry via RNZ

• Waipapa Taumata Rau / University of Auckland civil and environmental engineering researchers led by Enrique del Rey Castillo have developed world-first carbon fibre patches to strengthen damaged or earthquake-prone concrete walls, columns and floors. In-depth interview with RNZ’s Katherine Ryan.

• Kiwifibre is an Ōtautahi-based startup developing harakeke​ (Aotearoa flax) fibre for hi-tech industrial uses, recently raising NZ$1.5 million from IceHouse ventures

  “Our harakeke-based composite material, KiwiComp,​ is a direct swap for fibreglass and carbon fibre in any composite manufacturing method, and is far less CO2 intensive to produce”

🗓️Some upcoming dates for your diary:

• At the end of the month 30th May I’m looking forward to this virtual fireside chat on Generative AI with my great friend Kaila Colbin, founder of Boma: register online here. (Still loving the artwork…)

• Gibbons Lecture Series on Generative AI starting this Thursday 11th May, lectures include:

  • Tim Gibson: AI and the New Creative Revolution

  • Karaitiana Taiuru: AI Colonisation and Mātauranga Sovereignty

  • Jiamou Liu: How does generative AI work and what is its future?

  • James Maclaurin: ChatGPT and the Road to Artificial General Intelligence?

• Also on 11 May: Digital Boost online panel discussion on How will AI Reshape New Zealand's Urban Future? (thanks @Jen Stevie for spotting)

• Techweek 23 starts next week (with Tomorrow Expo on at the Viaduct Events Centre, Tāmaki Makaurau this week) - lots on, a few interesting picks:

  • (Date TBC) Quantum Systems: A glimpse into the immediate future of technology dev with CTO of Optica Jose Pozo, Tāmaki Makaurau

  • 13-14 May: Bioengineering the future, the Cloud, Tāmaki Makaurau

  • 15 May: Future of Transport Day at EPIC, Ōtautahi

  • 15 May: WNT Ventures - The future of energy – is there a silver bullet?, Te Whanganui-a-Tara

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Kōhatu huna

A stunning photo of an almost cloudless Te Waipounamu from the ISS on April 29 (photographed by astronaut Don Pettit). Can’t get enough photos from space.

Credit: @astro_Pettit

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⏩Fast Forward Aotearoa #38: How technology investment can deliver on national priorities

(Following on from ⏩Fast Forward Aotearoa #36 On National Missions…)

So here’s the goal: a transparent, targeted national portfolio of technology investments to help achieve a set of democratically-validated priority “national missions”. Simple enough, yes?

In four steps: