We’re flipping out at Techweek’17 New Zealand

May 11, 2017

We’re spending time this week at Techweek, with some of New Zealand’s brightest minds and the lucky international speakers that get to visit this beautiful part of the world.

From 6-14 May, Techweek is bringing together New Zealand’s greatest technology and innovation talent to tackle big global issues with local ingenuity.

At Sling & Stone, we go a little gaga for real innovation. So when we heard artificial intelligence, geospatial technology, future realities, and space technology were up for discussion, we kind of freaked out.

The innovation ecosystem here and make-it-happen attitude has the potential to change the world for the better, and we’re excited to be part of it.

Presented by NZTech and supported by WREDA, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, CallaghanInnovation and more, Techweek has been jam-packed with some incredible talks that will and should help shape our future.

Here are some of our highlights so far from Techweek’17:

Kaila Colbin, the New Zealand Ambassador for Singularity University, sharing what has changed in AI, robotics, agritech and more over the last six months.

The future is all about smarter and more efficient agriculture, city planning, energy, transport and more, to help us reduce negative impacts on our planet and ourselves. These are some of the biggest challenges we face as a society, and there are lots of companies flying under the radar that are trying to find practical solutions.

Andrew Tokeley, Global Head of Product at 8i, talking about Augmented Reality for consumers:

8i is designing mixed reality experiences with a purpose. The team constantly ask themselves “Is it better than the 2D equivalent?”. The practical examples Andrew presented were eye-opening. He showed why AR is going to change how we communicate, work and run our societies.

Sara McBride, team leader at GeoNet, outlining how New Zealand is a world leader in keeping communities informed about natural disasters:

New Zealand is leading the way in ensuring communities are well prepared, informed and engaged during natural disasters like earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis and cyclones, and technology is at the heart of it all. Sara spoke about the 650+ strategically placed sensors that send real-time notifications to our smartphones, and how new technology will continue to improve how we respond to natural disasters.