“According to the Ministry for the Environment (NZ) climate change is the biggest environmental challenge of our time and if left unchecked it will have broad social and economic impacts. Technology has a role to play in our fight against climate change and we wanted to host an event that provided an opportunity to hear from people already utilising technology in this way around the region” says Craig Young, Chief Executive at TUANZ (Telecommunication Users Association of NZ).
Hosted by KPMG, the event was focused on providing the audience with information on available technology solutions, or the potential possibilities, and an understanding of how these will help meet the environmental challenge, equipping members of the wider community to make sustainable life choices, and hopefully also inspiring our future leaders in technology to pursue innovative solutions of their own.
Attendees heard from Fonterra Sustainable Dairying Change Manager Andrew Kempson, Energy Management Consultant Martin Lynch of Hamilton City Council, where he also works with the Smart Hamilton team, and Cameron Chapman, Commercial Engineering Manager at WEL Networks.
FLINT Waikato Chair Travis Corrie, VP Global Sales at Shift72, felt the session was well received with "some good conversation around the topic and three very different perspectives, which was great”.
FLINT - Future Leaders In Technology, is a programme for individuals at the beginning of their careers and aims to facilitate the development of knowledge and exposure of members to senior people and ideas within the industry so that in years to come FLINT members will be in executive roles with communication technology responsibility.
CultivateIT and TUANZ have signed a memorandum of understanding highlighting the opportunity for the two organisations to collaborate more in regional NZ starting with working with the FLINT Waikato team, which includes representation from The Instillery, KPMG, UltraFast Fibre and Genesis, and other stakeholders to support the development of a labour market strategy for the Waikato ICT Sector.
