Since 1998, there has been a global moratorium on charging tariffs for digital services but that may soon come to an end, depending on what happens at the World Trade Organisation conference later this month.

Ben talks to BusinessDesk senior correspondent Dileepa Fonseka about his research into the matter, and what it might mean for Kiwi software companies looking to go global.

Plus, Peter and Ben discuss the need for sovereign artificial intelligence infrastructure, the US’ plan to undermine Huawei, and Electric Kiwi’s criticism of broadband notice periods.

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After years of bringing together cloud products, adding a little engineering and business strategy magic, and then implementing and managing bespoke cloud services, Dave Howden is out to do the same thing with AI.

While an AI consulting and services business may not sounds as flashy as an exciting new platform, it's the kind of company that makes up the backbone of a major technological transition.

Peter speaks to Dave about why he decided to start his new company, SupaHuman, and what he's got planned for the coming year.

Ben and Peter also dig into the tech-based content from the Briefings to Incoming MInisters (BIMs) that reveal some of the inner workings and plans inside the public service.

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Already in 2024 we are seeing big tech companies like SAP point at AI as a reason to slash headcount, and it's likely we will see more of that to come. This week, technologist and educator Frances Valintine joins to talk about how to stay relevant in the age of AI, and what responsibilities businesses bear to their employees when it comes to learning.

Ben and Peter also share their thoughts on the topic, and look at some recent news stories and research that give a glimpse into an AI-dominated future.

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Tech reporter and commentator Rob O'Neill says he likes to "get down among the weeds" and in our first episode for the year, he does exactly that.

We speak to Rob, senior writer for Reseller News, about what he's seeing in his reporting on the IT industry in NZ, and his view of the future for all of the work that's been done on the now-dead water reform and Te Pūkenga IT transformation projects.

Plus, more AI talk, VR/AR, disinformation, and expecting the unexpected.

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In March of last year, Judith Collins was but a senior member of parliament for the opposition. Today, she is a senior member of the government, with more ministerial positions than any other member of the National Party government.

Collins spent a significant amount of her time in opposition learning about NZs tech sector, and wooing its members.

It was in March when Peter Griffin spoke to her to ask her thoughts on tech in NZ and what she would focus on if she made it into cabinet, which we played in our first-ever episode.

Listening back, one of the most interesting things is thinking about just how far we’ve come with artificial intelligence in less than a year. You can also hear the beginnings of one of Collins’ other portfolios – digitising government.

With the new Government’s first full year in power ahead, it’s a great time for us to replay this interview with the now-minister for space and see what could be in store for tech in 2024.

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Jackson Henry is an Australian ethical or white hat hacker who we spoke to last year.

We only featured him briefly in episode 29 because he was guesting on a lot of shows, but our interview with him was a little different.

He spoke a little more widely about his career path and how he went from cheating at video games to being a part of the white hat team that breached the United Nations

He also delved into what cybersecurity means at different sizes of business, and how enterprises can entice ethical hackers to test their own systems.

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Back in July of 2023, now last year, Rocket Lab finalised its plans for recovering and reusing engines for its rockets.

Founder and CEO Peter Beck spared some time to chat about what that means for the company.

Plus, he spoke about how he saw the space industry in Aotearoa New Zealand, and where he thought we stood on the global stage.

Since then, Beck hosted the National Party’s pre-election space policy announcement, and the industry has made some significant strides.

Listening back to the interview is a timely reminder of the value the industry can bring to NZ’s economy.

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Mark Clare is the founding and managing partner at Clare Capital, a boutique investment bank that releases a regular tech insights newsletter.

We chose this conversation to feature because not only does Mark offer fantastic insights about listed companies and the public market, but goes wider than that.

He talks about the private capital market, about the value that a strong NZX can bring to the country, the benefits of selling to offshore companies, and what he sees as the industry’s biggest weakness.

Spoiler – it is not a lack of technical talent.

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It's episode 33, the final full episode for the year. To put a bow on what has been a full on year of tech news, we quickly recap the biggest stories from 2023 from across the world, and in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Then we speak to Merja Myllylahti, a senior lecturer at AUT and co-director of the universities research centre for journalism, media and democracy (JMAD). She recently published her book From Papers to Platform, which scrutinises how major digital platforms exert ever-growing influence over news, journalism, our everyday lives, personal rights and access to information.

Merjia shares her view on why it's so important for news media to break away from reliance on Big Tech and social media platforms and learn how to be independent operators once more.

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This week we look back at the NZ tech stock market in 2023 to get a sense of where priorities lie for those investing their capital into the industry, and which stocks to watch in 2024.

We speak to three financial markets specialists, Clare Capital’s founder Mark Clare, and Joshua Dale and Stephen Ridgewell from Craigs Investment Partners to hear about the positives and negatives of higher rates and constrained capital for tech.

Plus, they share what they expect to see as things start to warm up again next year.

We also discuss the NZ winners and losers on the NASDAQ and how AI has helped boost the big US stocks.

Reading list

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