Hi Tech Awards celebrate high diversity

Posted 6 years ago on

The finalists for New Zealand’s prestigious Hi Tech Awards have been announced … And KIWA is a finalist in the Callaghan Innovation Māori Innovation Award. 

“The tech sector’s cause célèbre, a lack of diversity, has added a cause behind the celebration of this year’s Awards.”

Run by the NZ Hi-Tech Trust, the Awards, now in its 24th year, recognises success across the software, electronics, telecommunications, mobile, agritech and creative industries.

The Awards will not only go to the country’s best tech companies, which are boasted to be the best yet on display, but in a bid to make the sector more attractive to women, Māori and businesses in the provinces, the most diverse.

“For 2018 we have made a really big push to ensure even greater diversity across the board and it’s great to see so many areas of the country represented, as well as a huge increase in the number of finalists led by women. Whilst we are not there yet, we are moving in the right direction. Our industry is truly in great shape,” says Jen Rutherford, chair of the Hi-Tech Trust.

Local judges will be joined by a world class line up of international judges including Bill Reichert, Pascal Finette, Rohit Shukla, Savannah Peterson, Dr Catherine Mohr, Claudia Batten, Dr Rosie Boswoth, Rebekah Campbell, Katherine Corich, Pat Kenealy, Richard Keyse, Nick Lambert and Andy Lark.

“The Hi-Tech Awards continue to be the New Zealand technology industry’s most important celebration of success and a wonderful showcase for our innovation and talent,” says Rutherford.

The 2018 Hi-Tech Awards finalists for the Callaghan Innovation Maori Innovation Award are:

A gala dinner to announce winners will be held on 25 May.