Wellington, once a vibrant hub for New Zealand’s tech innovation, has faced stagnation in recent years. 

Last week, a packed audience at a Vision for Wellington event on Wellington’s waterfront heard from the city’s tech luminaries about how the city can embrace its strengths, particularly in technology, and foster a more supportive, connected ecosystem.

Sitting in the audience was Ralph Highnam, founder of breast screening software maker Volpara Health, which was started in Wellington in 2009 and, after listing on the ASX, was bought in 2024 by South Korean AI medical imaging company Lunit in a deal valued at around $300 million. 

On this week's episode of The Business of Tech, Ralph outlines his own vision for Wellingtion and his plans for WellyForge, a new organisation started with the aim of breathing new life into the city's tech ecosystem.

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If the novelty of seeing AI-generated videos popping up in our newsfeeds has started to
wear off, Google has something new for you to feast your eyes on.

Last week, the AI giant released Veo 3, the latest version of its AI content generator. Its claim to fame? Veo 3 not only generates short video clips based on prompts from users, but also audio, syncing sound effects and character dialogue with the video.

That’s yet another step towards generating entire video clips solely with the use of prompts fed into a chatbot, and serves as a stark reminder of the disruptive power AI represents for the creative industries.

On this week's episode of The Business of Tech, Datacom’s Director of AI, Lou Compagnone, who last week hosted an AI Forum summit on AI's use in the creative industries, outlines how the creative sector can
embrace AI to enhance productivity, foster new forms of creativity, and address existential dilemmas.

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Litmaps, a Wellington-based startup that’s just raised $1 million in a Series A funding round, is redefining how scientists navigate the sea of academic literature by merging citation network analysis with generative AI. 

Founded in 2016 by Axton Pitt and Kyle Webster, the platform now serves over 2 million researchers globally, including institutions like Harvard, Stanford, and the University of Cambridge. Its mission? To "accelerate impactful science" by helping researchers identify gaps in knowledge and avoid redundant work.

The playbook is the same pursued by many Kiwi startup founders with Kyle and Axton, who was a University of Auckland biomedical and computer science student at the time, growing frustrated with legacy systems poorly equipped to meet the needs of modern researchers. 

“We just found the tools that you had to use very clunky,” Axton told me on this week’s episode of The Business of Tech. The acquisition of rival Research Rabbit now gives Litmaps an audience of millions worldwide. Find out how better scientific research discovery, powered by AI and visualisations, is changing how science is done on episode 99 of The Business of Tech.

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The Technology Users Association has issued a stark warning that New Zealand risks falling further behind in the global digital economy unless the government urgently reforms its approach to digital and technology skills, with a particular focus on vocational training. 

In a wide-ranging interview on this week’s episode of The Business of Tech, TUANZ CEO Craig Young expressed deep frustration at the lack of strategic leadership and investment in building the local tech talent pipeline, calling current government proposals “disappointing” and “a step backwards” for the industry.

“We’ve missed a trick here,” Young said, referring to the government’s plan to wind down the Workforce Development Councils and replace them with new industry standards boards that largely ignore the unique needs of the digital and creative sectors. We also delve into AI, cybersecurity, and the digital divide as we unpack the pressing issues outlined in the latest TUANZ digital priorities report. All that and more on episode 98 of The Business of Tech.

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Reuben Davidson, Labour’s new spokesperson for science, innovation, technology, broadcasting and the creative economy, isn’t shy about the scale of the challenges facing New Zealand’s high-value sectors, or the damage he says the current government is doing. 

In this week’s episode of The Business of Tech, the former TV producer, who won the Christchurch East seat in the 2023 general election, is scathing of the coalition Government’s approach to science and innovation, particularly funding cuts and redundancies, and the “rolling change” that’s left researchers and innovators in limbo.  

“It feels very much to me… that this is a crisis that’s been created. If it’s unintentional, then that doesn’t make it any better,” he told me on the podcast. 

So what would Labour do differently? Tune in to find out on The Business of Tech featuring Labour MP Reuben Davidson in his first major interview on science, innovation and media.

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New Zealand, like many smaller nations, has become deeply reliant on American technology platforms for everything from government operations to daily business functions. 

In this week’s episode of The Business of Tech, Canadian journalist and author Paris Marx warns that this dependence is not just a matter of convenience, it’s a growing vulnerability that puts the country’s digital sovereignty at risk.

The issue has gained urgency amid rising geopolitical tensions, especially with the resurgence of Donald Trump in US politics and the increasing weaponisation of tariffs and regulations against countries that challenge the dominance of American tech firms.

What should we do about it? Tune in to hear Paris give his take on how New Zealand can forge a path towards digital sovereignty.

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As global trade becomes increasingly protectionist, New Zealand’s tech sector faces a welcome anomaly for now: digital exports are tariff-free. 

Unlike goods, software and digital services still move relatively freely across borders, and nowhere is this opportunity greater than in India—a vast, fast-growing market hungry for innovation. 

The story of Valocity Global, founded by Auckland-based serial entrepreneur Carmen Vicelich, is a masterclass in how Kiwi tech companies can thrive in India which with its 1.4 billion people, youthful demographics (over 50% under 28), and ambitious “housing for all” and financial inclusion policies, is digitising at speed. 

Valocity Global now offers services to 20 banks in India, streamlining the process of valuing property with an app-based system that replaces manual and time-consuming valuation processes. Carmen joins me on episode 94 of The Business of Tech to explain how Valocity cracked the indian market, and how other Kiwi digital exporters can do the same.

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Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative has sparked global debate about balancing disruptive reform with sustainable public sector innovation. 

In a panel discussion on this week's episode of The Business of Tech, former Te Whatu Ora chair Rob Campbell, futurist Ben Reid, and crypto expert Paul Quickenden critique Musk’s approach while proposing alternative strategies for New Zealand to drive efficiency in government while harnessing technologies like blockchain and AI.

Episode 94 of The Business of Tech is streaming on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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Microsoft is marking its 50th anniversary, celebrating five decades since Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded what would become one of the world's largest technology companies. 

In this week’s episode of The Business of Tech, the managing director of Microsoft New Zealand, Vanessa Sorenson, reflects on the company's journey and its vision for the future. 

Featuring the hits and misses from Microsoft over 50 years in business and its more recent push into artificial intelligence and establishment of its first hyperscale data centre region in New Zealand.

The Business of Tech is streaming on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.

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On this weeks episode 

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