Hon Amy Adams

Minister for Communications and Information Technology

4 July 2014 Media Statement
New Zealand to host KANZ technology summit

Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has announced that the Korea, Australia and New Zealand (KANZ) Technology Summit will take place in Auckland next week.

KANZ is a trilateral Ministerial-led summit involving government, researchers and private sector representatives to discuss digital developments and explore opportunities for collaboration and new business.

This year’s summit, to be held on July 9 and 10, will see the event transition from a broadband discussion forum to a more contemporary format covering a wider range of future-oriented technology topics.

The theme of the conference is “Tomorrow’s Technology”, with a focus on technology start-ups, online identity, smart cities and smart collaboration.

“KANZ provides a unique opportunity for industry, research and government representatives from each of the three countries to share insights into their experience in developing broadband and to explore joint ventures, business opportunities and research collaborations,” Ms Adams says.

“The event is also a good chance to demonstrate New Zealand’s innovative and technological capabilities.

“Our technology companies are enjoying double-digit growth and much of this growth is coming from markets like Korea and Australia.

“KANZ offers a chance to leverage business opportunities for New Zealand ICT companies by raising the profile of our country as a supplier of niche technologies and highlighting Korea and Australia as an ICT market for New Zealand companies.”

The summit rotates between the three participating nations and is held every 12-18 months. The summit was last held in Seoul.

Ms Adams will also have bilateral meetings with Australia’s Minister of Communications, Malcolm Turnbull, and Korea’s Vice-Minister of Science, ICT and Future Planning Yoon Jong-Lok.

The full KANZ programme, including details about the speakers, is available at www.kanz2014.com.

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