21 July 2004

Hon Matt Robson MP, Progressive Deputy Leader

Survey highlights need for further collaboration between innovators

Statistics New Zealand's Report on Innovation released today highlights the importance of innovative firms sharing resources in order to better maximize national economic development and high-quality job-creation, says Progressive MP Matt Robson.

"There has been tremendous progress over the five years toward increased partnership between firms and industry groups, across regions and between the government and industry to leverage more out of our natural advantages.

"The Labour Progressive government is committed to transforming New Zealand into a more technologically advanced country of skilled innovators and does this by supporting economic development through intelligent partnerships which create high-quality jobs and higher living standards for all.

"Today's report both validates the progressive approach of the coalition government since 1999, while emphasizing the need for a further deepening of the partnership approach to economic development," the Progressive MP said.

As reported, findings from the Statistics NZ Innovation Survey today highlight the three major challenges to the further successful commercialisation of innovative new products and services as: A lack of management resources, the cost to develop new products, processes or services and a lack of appropriately qualified personnel.

The progressive coalition government has been making a significant investment in training, education and skills-training since 1999 to address the market failures of the wasted years of hands-off ideology. Earlier today, for example, Progressive leader Jim Anderton announced funding for the ICT In Canterbury Growth Pilot Project. "The four year, $1.76 million grant aims to better match industry skill demand with the provision of tertiary education so that ICT companies in the Canterbury region will have a sufficient number of skilled workers in the future," Matt Robson said.

"New Zealand needs the progressive, forward-looking government to keep up the important national work to reverse the country's relative social and economic decline under the Don Brash-type policies which failed New Zealand late last century," Matt Robson said.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>