NZICT elects new chair

The IT solutions and services Group Simpl chief executive Bennett Medary has been elected chair of industry lobby group New Zealand Information & Communications Technology (NZICT).

Medary takes over from Cisco Systems chief executive Geoff Lawrie, who did not seek re-election.

Medary says his election will give the organisation a more New Zealand face and moderate the dismissive reaction of some local sources who consider NZICT is primarily a lobby for big multinationals.

He says NZICT will continue to lobby and advise government - not solely on procurement, though that has been a recent emphasis, but on how government might use ICT to smarten up its own processes for the benefit of the economy.

Medary also sees the skills market as another area where NZICT and government could profitably collaborate.

He believes the government-backed Ultrafast Broadband project is clearly crucial for the enabling role of ICT in the economy.

NZICT is working on Hybrid SmartStreet, a series of case studies it intends to put together with the aid of TVNZ and Australasian TiVo agents Hybrid TV on practical ways of using broadband to increase efficiency and productivity.

NZICT will also be forging stronger links with complementary ICT organisations such as the NZ Computer Society. There is scope for "symbiosis" there, Medary says. NZICT will also be exploring how best to collaborate with user organisations such as TUANZ.

The third plank of collaboration ties NZICT in with specific sectoral organisations such as the Health IT Cluster and the Spatial Industries Business Association in Communities of Interest (COIs).

These partners can advise and recommend initiatives in their own specialist areas and feed into the general push to enable New Zealand with ICT, Medary says.

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