Al Duncan
Chief Growth Officer, Webtools
TechFest is an annual event during NZ Tech Week in May powered by Canterbury Tech, the most active technology community in Aotearoa.
Where : Tūranga, Christchurch Central Library, 2F
When : Monday, 19 May - Friday, 23 May 2025
Canterbury Tech brings together technology interest groups, businesses, researchers and city partners doing the hard work in our community, under one roof, to celebrate technology that's good for the world!
If you are a technologist or in another field but tech curious come along to our welcoming and friendly atmosphere to hear talks, panels, participate in workshops or join the community for a drink, nibbles and connections.
Sign up for our newsletter to received more information about the range of TechTuesdays monthly events and our annual Tech Summit in September.
Monday, 20th May 2024
Thanks to Spark Health for their sponsorship of the day.
This day is all about the future of health and wellbeing supported by technology. Come hear about the development of medical devices, digital opportunities to improve our health and wellness, and how digital services connect us with solutions. Starting with an opening address by local MP, Hamish Campbell we hope this day is a chance for technologists, clinicians and entrepreneurs to connect and learn.
Canterbury Tech Members: Free | Non-members: $35 for a day pass (or become a member today to get free passes).
Students need to sign up for a free student membership to access their members ticket.
Ngāi Tūāhuriri welcome you all from 9.45 so we ask you to be seated by then.
Thank you to Spark Health for their Sponsorship of this day.
This presentation focuses on the wellbeing of young adolescents, we explore how technology positively impacts the mental health and overall wellness of young people. We discuss how tech innovations such as mindfulness apps, online therapy platforms, and virtual support communities provide accessible resources for young people to manage stress, anxiety, and other mental health challenges. By harnessing the power of tech, we can empower adolescents to prioritise their wellbeing and seek support when they need it. Angela discusses how technology can positively impact the mental health and wellbeing of young people. How they can manage stress, anxiety and other mental health challenges, using technology.
Angela White, Ngati Mutunga, is an educator who has worked as a classroom teacher, middle manager and senior leader in schools in NZ. Since moving to Australia in 2012, she has remained in education working in the NFP sector as CEO of Adolescent Success. She is an advocate for young adolescent holistic development, growth and education. Angela has extensive experience working with teachers and school leaders, providing high quality professional development for them and collaborating to create programs and curricula. With a passion for building and maintaining relationships Angela now delivers a contemporary Rite of Passage program to schools.
Between speaking sessions, Canterbury Tech invites you to mix and mingle with like minded people working in technology enabled organsations and businesses looking to use tech that’s good for the world!
Exploring how technology is being used in different settings to enhance clinical models of care – better access, more flexible teams, better integration of data – all supporting better health outcomes and better working environments.
John is CEO of Spark Health – focused on supporting and spring boarding clinical digital innovation across the Aotearoa: Connecting people, systems and health outcomes
John has a broad background and many success stories leading change and transformation across the health sector. Government, MoH/HFA NGO: leading one of New Zealand’s largest PHO over 5 DHBs with the largest rural/regional high need population; Clinical start-ups – Tend and Equine Health, and internationally in the UK, US and the Middle East. He has been responsible for major innovations introducing business, technology and clinical changes that have spread to national and international adoption including Indici, Health Care Home and data insight lead change.
John is also involved in governance roles across New Zealand and in a number of settings across health, animal health, IT and education.
Between speaking sessions, Canterbury Tech invites you to mix and mingle with like minded people working in technology enabled organsations and businesses looking to use tech that’s good for the world!
Part 1: Al Duncan, Webtools & Karl Donaldson, Webtools – Setting HealthTech on FHIR 🔥 – Building a connected and standards-based digital health ecosystem
Since launching their Centrik platform in 2022, Canterbury innovators Webtools have been at the leading edge of health FHIR standards adoption in Aotearoa, changing the way health data is accessed and shared. Hear from Al Duncan (Chief Growth Officer) and Karl Donaldson (CTO) on their experience building patient apps with FHIR APIs, how Webtools approached standards implementation, what they’ve learnt, and how they’re continuing to deliver innovative healthtech that is the key to a connected and patient-centric digital health ecosystem.
Part 2 : Jim Brown, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora gives an update on the health API Marketplace and their interoperability vision.
Between speaking sessions, Canterbury Tech invites you to mix and mingle with like minded people working in technology enabled organsations and businesses looking to use tech that’s good for the world!
The Health Technology Centre manager Madeleine Martin hosts a panel of experts discussing the triumphs, ups and downs of the journey to certify their innovative technology for clinical use.
Madeleine is the Manager of the Health Technology Centre in Otautahi and has been working in the health technology sector for 15 years. Madeleine began her career at Fisher and Paykel Healthcare as a Product Development Engineer before moving to Christchurch as General Manager of the high growth orthopaedic engineering company Ossis. Madeleine is passionate about supporting health tech companies to succeed through both connection and collaboration and providing commercialisation support through mentoring and the development of the Health Technology Centre.
Jessica Fitzjohn is an early career researcher and post-doctorate fellow at the University of Canterbury. After completing a mechanical engineering degree she did a PhD helping to develop diagnostic algorithms for a new compression-free radiation-free breast cancer screening technology currently in development. She has since taken on the role of CEO for Tiro Medical, who own the technology IP, and is the commercial lead for this project moving into the business and commercialisation space and hoping to raise capital this year.
Iain is the CEO of Enztec Limited, a company specializing in the orthopeadics instruments. Iain has been with Enztec for 20 years across a wide variety of roles, and brings a deep understanding and experience of developing, achieving regulatory clearance and commercially releasing orthopeadic products into global markets. Iain remains active in all parts of the business, from research through to sales.
With over two decades of expertise in electronic textiles, Steve Leftly is a world-renowned leader in Wearable Technology. As a former research leader at Canesis, he co-invented Softswitch™ fabric sensor technology and holds numerous electronic textile technology patents. In 2004, Steve founded Fibretronic, scaling textile electronics for global brands including Apple, Levis, Nike, Adidas, and the North Face. Since 2010, Steve has been driving innovation in textile-based wearables for Olympic performance, sports therapy, and healthcare. In 2015, he co-founded MYOVOLT™, a groundbreaking medtech trusted by gold medalist athletes during Tokyo 2020 for wearable physio treatment, warm-up, and recovery.
The team from Deloitte will begin by providing an overview of AI and its applications in healthcare and note the potential risks and ethical considerations associated with AI in health. What to expect:
Hadley is a Senior Consultant with Deloitte with experience in hands on laboratory work and data quality assurance and analysis. With a Masters of Biomedical Science focusing on Genetics from Victoria University along with further research with Otago he brings a wealth of experience to the workshop.
The team at Streamliners, Canterbury Tech and the Canterbury Health Innovation Network invite you to join them for networking drinks and nibbles for anyone technologists, business people, healthworkers and tech curious.
Stella Ward, CEO of Streamliners will welcome everyone at 6pm.
Streamliners, is making an impact globally as it fulfils its mission to improve the health and wellbeing of people around the world, enabling:
Tuesday, 21 May 2024
Thanks to See Tomorrow First for their sponsorship of the day.
This day is all about bringing together our Canterbury start-up community or those with ideas that could be a business. Do you have a big ideas you that could grow into a tech-enabled start-up or are you looking to take your tech start-up to the next level?
If you’d like to join David Downs in the afternoon for the free See Tomorrow First tech story workshop and networking session, you’ll need to register here seperately.
For morning and evening Unpopular opinions session please reserve a Tuesday ticket
Canterbury Tech Members Free | Non-members: $35 for a day pass (or become a member today to get free passes).
Students need to sign up for a free student membership to access their members ticket.
We ask you to be seated by 9.50
Thank you to See Tommorrow First for their Sponsorship of this day. Check out their workshop running in the afternoon ( requires seperate registration.
Startup Aotearoa offers a wealth of support for your technology startup journey, whether you have a kernel of an idea or are already in the market. Learn how Startup Aotearoa can introduce you to new pathways and support across a range of industries supported by technology.
Mr. G (Galeno Chua) from Startup Aotearoa will explore and give actionable insights for startup ideation level startup founders together with Pete Howard from University of Canterbury School for Entrepreneurship, looking to validate and bring their ideas to market. This session is perfect for those looking to understand the journey and gain an understanding of the ecosystem of support and players in the market.
Mr. G is a Sustainability and Startup Coach improving startup and sustainability journeys for founders, companies, NGOs and Governments from Cambodia, to Poland and now at home in New Zealand.
His mahi has won him the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation’s Green Business Awards in Cambodia and helped push the sustainable business agenda for organizations such as the United Nations to the Royal Government of Cambodia. Currently, he’s a leadership and corporate governance trainer for Google’s AI and Impact Accelerators in Europe, and a Startup Coach for Callaghan’s Startup Aotearoa Programme.
Pete works to support the development of early-stage ventures at the UC Centre for Entrepreneurship, where he gets to fulfil his passion for supporting students to launch their dreams and the development of impactful ventures.
Pete has a diverse background, having been a professional artist and designer, was a founder of a purpose-driven arts development business, and has worked in community and economic development.
With a passion for entrepreneurship, Pete believes that our future will be shaped by changemakers, innovators, and entrepreneurs who have the ability to make a positive impact in the world.
Emma co-founded Teiny, a brand focused on high-protein oat milk powder. They aim to expand globally, starting with entry into supermarkets in NZ next year. Emma’s entrepreneurial journey began at the UCE Summer Startup program, where Teiny earned recognition with the Impact and People’s Choice awards. Currently, she’s participating in MoA’s “Electrify” accelerator program to further develop Teiny’s growth strategy.
Between speaking sessions, Canterbury Tech invites you to mix and mingle with like minded people working in technology enabled organsations and businesses looking to use tech that’s good for the world!
Ministry of Awesome presents a dynamic panel of expert advisors offering quick-fire advice to guide you through the early stages of your business journey. Our experts will demystify industry jargon about governance and structure and clarify how today’s decisions can impact the future success of your business.
Zach is responsible for developing and managing the startup innovation programmes at Ministry of Awesome. After spending two and half decades in the Valley immersed in and surrounded by entrepreneurship and innovation, he is incredibly well equipped to helping Aotearoa’s startup sector realise its potential as a unique and powerful incubation nation.
Jeff is a long-time Bay Area resident who works with global startup ecosystems, including governments, corporations & startup accelerators/entrepreneurs, to help catalyze startup environments & create a bridge to Silicon Valley. He is an Adjunct Instructor at UC Berkeley and is co-founder of Silicon Valley in Your Pocket, a global virtual startup accelerator, serving 1000s of companies across 40+ countries. He is co-founder & former President of Batchery, an incubator for seed stage startups. He is an active angel investor with equity positions in 250+ companies and an active advisor & investor at Berkeley SkyDeck. He is an Executive Board Member for the Rutgers Business School Road to Silicon Valley Program (RSVP). Previously, he worked at Cognizant & Brillio as founder & Global Head for Mobility & UX practices. He is a frequent keynote speaker at global tech & startup events. He holds a BA in Economics/Finance from Rutgers College & an MBA from UC Berkeley.
Flip Grater is an author, musician and activist, founder and CEO, chef and entrepreneur. After 15 years in the music industry as a music label owner and singer-songwriter, touring the world and releasing five albums and two books she moved home to Otautahi and started plant based food production company and restaurant Grater Goods. She is currently the CEO of Grater Goods and a Press columnist.
Steven Moe is a Partner at Parry Field Lawyers with a focus on start-ups and small business and helping them succeed through practical support on topics such as structures, shareholders, raising capital and IP. He has edited free guides for startups including this one on raising capital and this one on common start-up issues. He has worked as a lawyer for 20 years including 11 years overseas based in Tokyo, London and Sydney, and since 2016 has been based back in Aotearoa. Steven hosts seeds podcast which has a focus on “for purpose” organisations and people doing inspiring things which has 388 episodes and another on governance for the IOD called Board Matters.
Between speaking sessions, Canterbury Tech invites you to mix and mingle with like minded people working in technology enabled organsations and businesses looking to use tech that’s good for the world!
Explore the topic of experiment driven design and riskiest assumption testing as a way of operating a start-up. Imagine a jenga tower – your job as a founder is to try and pull the riskiest blocks first, if it doesn’t fall over you know you have a robust foundation for your business.
Andy is a technology leader and entrepreneur, fascinated by the power of decentralization and technology to transform work and life. As a Solutions Architect at Alliance Group, his projects range from decommissioning mainframes to ideating digital twins of manufacturing plants. Andy is a board member of Canterbury Tech and an active participant in the local startup ecosystem. In 2022, as Head of Tech at Onside, he was instrumental in leading his team to the finals of the NZ Hi-Tech ‘Start-up of the Year’.
Outside of work, Andy goes ‘all-in’ playing poker, competing in chess at a national level, and performing stand-up comedy.
A separate registration is required for this free workshop – Register here
2.30pm – Registrations Open
3.00pm – Welcome & Power of Collective Story-telling
Value of Brand NZ and why you should leverage it. Introduction to New Zealand values and Brand New Zealand tools, leveraging See Tomorrow First.
David Downs – CEO, New Zealand Story
3.25pm – Technology and Economic Development
Hon Melissa Lee, Minister of Economic Development
3.35pm – Market Research Perceptions
How New Zealand tech companies are perceived in four global markets. Why country of origin matters to tech buyers and what drives purchase decisions.
Jordan Gunn – Campaign Activation Manager, NZTE
Emily Lynch – Research Specialist, NZTE
3.55pm – Insights from the Market
NZTE’s in-market experts beam in from San Francisco, Singapore and Sydney with their latest market insights (via Zoom).
Mike Fuller – Business Development Manager, Denver
Hamish Campbell – Trade Commissioner, Sydney
Erika Sirimanne – Business Development Manager, Singapore
4.20pm – Leveraging New Zealand’s Tech Story – See Tomorrow First
Understanding New Zealand’s tech story and how best to leverage it to benefit your business.
Courtney Peters – Brand and Marketing Manager, NZTech
4.40pm – Break
4.55pm – Breakout Sessions
5.35pm – Scaling your tech to the world
A panel of tech leaders discuss their experiences.
6.00pm – Drinks & Networking for participants
(if you’d like to stay for the next evening session from 6.30pm you will required to register for this separately)
If you’d like to attend this free See Tomorrow First Workshop, make sure you register!
Register here
David Downs BSc, CMInstD is a consultant and board director, with a portfolio of interests keeping him busy, across some key theme areas of technology for public good, healthcare and education. David is CEO of the New Zealand Story, an ambitious organisation marketing New Zealand to the world.
The ever popular Unpopular Opinions event is back to tackle one of the spiciest entrepreneur debates – is it better to bootstrap or find investment for your next big tech venture? Pitting six big brains with big ideas against each other, this rowdy event is sure to get the blood boiling one way or another. Not ones to shy away from a hot take or a big idea, the team from Publica are bringing Unpopular Opinions to TechFest with support from Canterbury Tech.
Each side of the argument will be represented by three speakers, each taking turns to share their Unpopular Opinions within five minutes. If they’re still going at five minutes we get to unceremoniously boo them off stage. Not for the faint of heart, this event brings the perfect mix of content and unfiltered vibes to TechFest 2024.
Please note
There will be some liberal use of the English language and the occasional/frequent expletive can be expected. We take no responsibility for the opinions or content of the speakers and if you believe you may take offence to this, best to choose another session.
Tammara Lowdell – Investment is for people pleasers
Emily Heazlewood – It’s easy to get to $1mil
Clive Antony – Investment will be the downfall of our economy
Pete Howard – Stop chasing unicorns – they don’t exist
Delphine Ducaruge – You’re too old to bootstrap
Jeremy Wyn-Harris – DIY isn’t for everyone
Anna Guenther – You need investment to be successful
Michelle cofounded Publica a thought-led brand and digital agency based here in Otautahi.
Combining her expertise in finance and accounting with a passion for innovation, she sets the tone by prioritising people and fostering a collaborative environment. Michelle holds the role of CEO at Publica and also sits on the board for Canterbury Tech. She runs her own speakers series event Unpopular Opinions and is active in Christchurch emceeing, speaking and moonlighting on podcasts.
Kelsie is the General Manager, strategist, problem solver and Chief Potty Mouth at Publica. Present her a problem and she’ll draw you six different diagrams, create a Miro board, throwback three coffees and convince you she’s right within the hour.
With over a decade of experience in marketing and brand across everything from economic development, cyber security, film, rugby and peanut butter, she has been there, done that and holds some pretty big opinions of her own.
Wednesday, 22nd May 2024
A community collaboration between Te Ao Matihiko, Tagata Moana Trust, Learning City, ChristchurchNZ and Canterbury Tech.
A day for tamariki
A fun, inspiring day at Tūranga for 180 kids of ages 8-11 to experience digital and technology career inspiration from awesome people intertwining their culture with technology. Talks, hands on workshops, kai and community.
To book a primary school group please contact Nina on [email protected]
Assistance with buses, parking and kai may be available so please reach out.
A fun, inspiring day at Tūranga for 180 kids of ages 8-11 to experience digital and technology career inspiration from awesome people intertwining their culture with technology. Talks, hands on workshops, kai and community.
To book a primary school group please contact Nina on [email protected]
Thursday, 23 May 2024
Thanks to Invest Hong Kong for their sponsorship of the day.
This day is all about the future of the environment and technology that helps us create a sustainable future and reduce impact on the environment. Come and hear from local and international speakers about tech that’s good for the world!
Canterbury Tech Members Free | Non-members: $35 for a day pass (or become a member today to get free passes).
Students need to sign up for a free student membership to access their members ticket.
MC for this Day is international sustainabiity superstar Mr G
Thank you to Invest Hong Kong for their Sponsorship of this day.
Grace De Leon from the Christchurch City Council’s Smart Cities Team will present on current projects, initiatives, trials and future ideas that Smart Christchurch are creating now to build a city of tomorrow.
Smart Cities are a global phenomenon with a vision to bridge the gap between the digital transformation and city planning. This presentation will deliver the Christchurch story of our smart city progress, and a few ways that we are leading way.
Grace is a dynamic and visionary professional with a passion for leveraging technology to enhance communities and drive positive change. She thrives on pushing boundaries and transforming ideas into impactful initiatives that benefit the community and the organisation at large. Her track record boasts pioneering initiatives that have significantly improved community welfare while enhancing organizational value.
With a strong commitment to collaboration, Grace has successfully cultivated partnerships with a diverse array of stakeholders including private and public sectors, academia and industry associations. Her commitment to fostering teamwork and facilitating partnerships has played a pivotal role in successfully navigating challenges and delivering impactful outcomes.
Callaghan Innovation’s Advanced Engineering and Materials team will talk through a few projects where we are working with businesses to develop sustainable solutions to some of the gnarly environmental challenges facing our society. From finding ways to reduce waste, using cryogenic expertise to build lighter motors to allow long-haul aircrafts to be fueled by electricity, or innovating a new flood pump design to provide fish safe passage to the sea for spawning, we will share our problem solving processes that may spark solutions for your business challenges.
Miho Tanaka Gumpp has had a multidisciplinary career as a founder of a mobile app startup and then of a Data Protection company, as an award winning advertising creative and UX/UI person, mentor to startups and global advisory board member to a number of institutions.
Miho is currently the R&D Solutions Specialist for Applied Technologies at Callaghan Innovation, where she facilitates their world leading engineers and scientists to help solve industry’s gnarly technical challenges.
Nathan is a research engineer in the applied technologies group with a special focus on advanced engineering and materials. His work involves solving challenging engineering problems.
His experience encompasses a diverse range of fields including cryogenics, superconductivity, stroke rehabilitation, additive manufacturing, and collaborative robots.
He’s particularly proud of his contribution in developing and testing a world-leading high-temperature superconducting transformer, and ongoing work developing lightweight motors for electric aircraft. Nathan is excited by the potential of these technologies to revolutionise the energy landscape.
I’m a mechanical engineer and the leader of Callaghan Innovation’s Advanced Engineering and Materials team.
Most of my work has involved the use of modern simulation tools for both fluid and structural applications. These tools give unique insight into how a system or machine behaves and provide a platform to test and validate innovative solutions.
The increasing importance of sustainability has created opportunities to redesign existing machines with new priorities. In my talk, I’ll discuss how we used modern simulation tools and traditional testing methods to design and validate an eel-friendly floodwaters pump.
Between speaking sessions, Canterbury tech invites you to mix and mingle with like minded people working in technology enabled organsations and businesses looking to use tech that’s good for the world!
Melissa Baer, Founder of Backstory explains why data about your food will be the next value-add to food exports and how she went from farm to tech entrepreneur
Melissa was raised at the time when the sustainability movement was just in it’s formation. From on farm enterprises to end consumer psychology, Melissa has founded companies across the value chain and studied the economic and human behaviour intersection. Her latest endeavour is a technology company that brings these learnings together to solve challenges for the long supply chain.
Between speaking sessions, Canterbury Tech invites you to mix and mingle with like minded people working in technology enabled organsations and businesses looking to use tech that’s good for the world!
If you are an architect, engineer or working in building services then a session not to be missed.
Barry Lynch, Co-founder of V-Quest will present on the opportunities that are being missed everyday in construction to reduce carbon emissions but hidden alongside opportunities to increase profits.
Barry, a chartered quantity surveyor and fellow of the NZIQZS, he has over two decades of experience in both the New Zealand and European construction sectors, with a particular focus on low carbon innovations in recent years.
As a co-founder of V-Quest, he and his colleagues are developing cutting-edge design optimisation tools tailored for architects and engineers, ultimately promoting environmentally conscious design practices and reducing carbon footprints.
Between speaking sessions, Canterbury Tech invites you to mix and mingle with like minded people working in technology enabled organsations and businesses looking to use tech that’s good for the world!
There are some great local energy tech research projects and innovators tackling our energy emission reduction targets. Hear about how research and ideas have developed into local energy tech solutions being trialled and used here and around the world. Be inspired by local innovators using software and hardware technology to solve some of our biggest energy challenges, from transport to energy equity.
Sheralee is passionate about supporting innovators, entrepreneurs and commercialising technology that contributes to a lower emission future. She is currently Innovation Facilitator at Orion, facilitating collaboration for a cleaner brighter future at the Energy Hub.
Justin is Director Business Development at ArcActive. Justin brings 30+ years’ experience in the global telecommunications and technology industries in New Zelaand and Hong Kong, including as the CEO of Vodafone Retail in New Zealand and the CEO of Millenium Corp for over eight years. Justin also held senior directorships at telecommunications and data companies, including Centurion GSM and Paciicomm.
Justin oversees all ArcActive’s sales, including direct, via the installer channel, C&I and the telecommunications sector.
Michael has 30 years of experience in customer service, administration and management gained at Air New Zealand, the New Zealand Army, the Maori Land Court and the Christchurch City Council. He is is graduate of the University of Canterbury, Lincoln University and Te Wananga O Aotearoa.
The Empower Energy concept came from his work assisting the Christchurch Mayors’ Welfare Fund, and wanting to find a sustainable system to mitigate energy hardship utilising unused roof-space and solar panels.
Hear from companies succeeding in the Hong Kong market with sustainability at the forefront. Find out more about support and opportunities to take your business global through Hong Kong.
4.15pm: MC Welcome
4.20pm: Welcome: Miss Trista Lim, Director, HKETO
4.25pm: Comments: Mr Graeme Muller, CEO, NZ Tech
4.30pm: Keynote: Ms Jayne Chan, Head of Startmeup, InvestHK
4.40pm: Panel Discussion: Green Tech Development and Opportunities Scaling in Hong Kong and Beyond
5.25pm: Closing Remarks: Dr Luca De Leonardis, Head of Investment Promotion, InvestHK Australia and New Zealand
5.30pm: Networking
Mr. G is a strategist, sustainability consultant, coach and behavioural change analyst with over 15 years working experience with companies, NGOs and Governments throughout the Middle East, Asia, Europe and now New Zealand.
His consulting and coaching experience ranges from Activity Entertainment, Education, F&B, Hospitality & Tourism, Healthcare, HR and FMCG. His sustainable business approach has won him the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation’s Green Business Awards and helped push the sustainable business agenda for organizations such as the United Nations and Oxfam to the Royal Government of Cambodia. In the past 8 years, he founded 2 groups of companies and handed over 4 brands through succession planning.
He has a strong belief that empathetic dialogue and design are key life skills to both personal and professional success, and is currently on a mission to solve real world issues through empathy, entrepreneurship and principled leadership.
Jayne is Head of StartmeupHK at Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), the government department responsible for attracting and retaining Foreign Direct Investment into Hong Kong. Her role at StartmeupHK is to attract innovative startups, investors and other stakeholders to Hong Kong, provide information and connections to support these companies setting up in the city, and help build the ecosystem to transform the city into a global hub for innovation and entrepreneurship.
Heather Gallagher is the Corporate Sales Manager for Cathay Pacific Airways in New Zealand and has worked in various roles across the company for the last 20 years.
She manages a portfolio of Corporate Accounts both locally and globally and offers industry support across New Zealand whilst showcasing Hong Kong as both a Global business hub and major tourist destination.
Heather is also the Sustainability lead for the South West Pacific region at Cathay Pacific and has been actively involved in supporting sustainable development across all departments.
Scott Callaway is General Manager Tourism and Trade at Christchurch Airport. A role he has held since 2014. He leads the airports relationship with airlines and tourism and
trade bodies within New Zealand and off-shore to meet the aspiration of “filling planes”.
Scott joined Christchurch Airport after eight years as Marketing Manager of the multi-award winning Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa, and the Hurunui Districts’
tourism organisation.
Pier Smulders is General Manager New Zealand & Australia for the Alibaba Group. He works across all areas of the Group’s activities in the region. In this role he engages directly with great New Zealand and Australian companies and brands; supports Alibaba’s Government partners as they work with exporters to find global success; and last but not least is part of the talented and committed Alibaba team in the region.
Dr Luca De Leonardis is the Head for Australia and New Zealand at Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), the Government Department responsible for attracting and facilitating foreign direct investment into Hong Kong.
With senior management experience in both the private and public sectors, Dr De Leonardis’s work experience combines international marketing, economic and business
development and investment promotion.
Prior to joining InvestHK, Dr De Leonardis spent five years as Deputy CEO of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Australia. He also worked in New Zealand, Canada and South Africa for private companies and trade organizations and in Brisbane as Adjunct Senior Lecturer at Griffith University.
Dr De Leonardis holds a Ph.D. In Economics, a Master in Management & Strategy and a Master in International Trade from Bologna University and two advanced diplomas in
Business and Management and Economics.
The team at Invest Hong Kong and Canterbury Tech invite you to join them for networking drinks and nibbles. Join a range of like minded people interested in technology, sustainablility and environment.
Special Guests:
Mr Graeme Muller, CEO NZ Tech
Friday, 24th May 2024
Thanks to Information Leadership for their sponsorship of the day.
This day is for businesses interested in adopting more technology, and to find out from experts, useful knowledge about how to make the right decisions in choosing, purchasing and adopting technology that will save your team time and build a more scalable business. With sessions relevant to all sorts of businesses – you’ll be able to pick up a variety of tips and make connections to get on your digital journey.
Canterbury Tech Members Free | Non-members: $35 for a day pass (or become a member today to get free passes).
Students need to sign up for a free student membership to access their members ticket.
We ask you to be seated by 8.20
Thank you to Information Leadership for their Sponsorship of this day.
Hear about case studies and examples of how businesses can get started with AI and see immediate wins in a safe and impactful way, delivered by Hannah Hardy-Jones, Co-founder of one of NZ’s leading AI startups.
Hannah is the co-founder of Contented, NZ’s leading AI agency for small to medium sized businesses with a focus on meeting productivity and content. She previously founded The KIte Program, a mental health tech company, and has used her background in HR and psychology within her work at Contented.
Underpinning all of her work is the philosophy that AI is only effective when it is co-created and built with human design and input, and a deep understanding of the problems it is solving.
Between speaking sessions, Canterbury Tech invites you to mix and mingle with like minded people working in technology enabled organsations and businesses – looking to use tech that’s good for the world!
Manufacturing businesses are massively under-supported and under-represented by the tech companies of the world.
We have all heard of Facebook or Spotify for our personal tech needs and Microsoft, maybe WordPress or Squarespace for our website needs. These are famous US based silicon valley tools, but name some products specifically designed for your business if you make or work with the physical world and it is much harder to find good tools or good support. I will talk about some of the art of the possible in the manufacturing sector or for running your real world business, what to look for and what to avoid.
Doug has 40 years creating technology solutions for organisations all around the world, including robot swarms, geospatial tools for surveyors, ice prediction and monitoring, and driver guidance interfaces. He consults in improving digital possibilities for all types of organisations and is currently the CEO of a startup creating software especially to improve the capability and efficiency of small to medium manufacturing businesses.
Between speaking sessions, Canterbury tech invites you to mix and mingle with like minded people working in technology enabled organsations and businesses – looking to use tech that’s good for the world!
Sarah Heal and Mark Watson from Information Leadership share real examples of how other organisations are preparing and stepping into new tools that combine large language models with data and give some ideas on how to apply the lessons from these stories to your own situation and business.
Sarah is an enthusiastic advocate for the power of information. She has a deep recordkeeping background starting her career at Archives NZ, followed by information management roles in local government before co-founding Information Leadership. Steadily growing over 20 years, with eighty staff now spread across NZ, Information Leadership are now acknowledged as thought leaders in the information and knowledge management space with more than 200 customers.
Mark leads the Solutions and Engagement team at Information Leadership and has 15+ years of lead consulting experience delivering successful transformation projects. Mark is passionate about increasing awareness and the ‘art of the possible’ and is keen to ensure organisations are making the most of their digital investments.
Between speaking sessions, Canterbury Tech invites you to mix and mingle with like minded people working in technology enabled organsations and businesses – looking to use tech that’s good for the world!
The core of getting your business humming is having the right systems (driving your business processes) – but how do you pick the right ones? In this session we will explore tips to help you pick the right tools, and the right partners to support your journey.
With a background in Business Analysis, I have been working to make businesses better for the last decade (and counting …).
Key to this is supporting business owners and operators to pick the right systems / software to better deliver their services. Having worked with many businesses now, across almost all industries, I have developed a standard playbook for how I go about this – something I am keen to share in this presentation!
Enjoy half an hour between sessions to network and connect.
How do you protect your business from cybersecurity threats?
It starts with understanding what data is critical to your business and what is most likely to lead to a compromise. You can then decide how to best protect your business. Glenn and Jess from Pākiki Security will give you their top 3 tips on how to keep your business safe from cybersecurity threats.
Jess is a founder, and Head of Tech at Pākiki Security. She has 12 years of experience in cybersecurity roles with a particular focus on ethical hacking (penetration testing). She previously ran one of the country’s largest ethical hacking teams, and has spoken on a range of technical topics at all of the major NZ cybersecurity conferences.
We will launch expressions of interest for sessions once we have set the day topics. Sessions can include speaking, workshops, debates, technical challenges or anything awesome you can dream up to get people connecting and learning in a friendly atmosphere. Sign up to our newsletter to find out when EOI will open.
Canterbury Tech members can register for free for each day they would like to attend. Individuals will be eligible for one ticket for each day and companies will be eligible for the tickets that align with their memebrship tier.
Tickets are strictly limited so we ask you not to sign up for days you won't attend.
Our membership runs for 12 months from the date of your application - so no matter when you become a member you get a whole year of benefits. You can find out more about the year round benefits at our Join Us Page
First step is to download the prospectus - we have a range of options from an exhibition space to sponsoring the whole week. We find that TechFest is cost effective even for small businesses to try exhibiting and many follow up on their success by securing a spot at Tech Summit in September.
Thanks to Spark Health for their sponsorship of the day.
This day is all about the future of health as supported by technology of all kind. This encompasses the development of medical devices, digital opportutnties to improve our health and wellness and the interconnectedness and accessibiity of services.
