One NZ’s Nick Judd says Kiwi firms that embrace emerging technology can lift productivity and compete worldwide.
New Zealand is at a crucial moment in time where it has the opportunity to unlock more of its potential and grow productivity using the aid of new technologies like AI, One NZ’s CEO says.
Nick Judd believes Kiwi businesses have the chance to connect to the world like never before by becoming “fast adopters” of emerging technologies.
“As a small, geographically isolated country, it has been (traditionally) hard for New Zealand to compete globally.
“But this tyranny of distance is not so much a tyranny anymore because technology is giving us new ways to compete through ingenuity, efficiency and innovation – and our role at One NZ is to help build this foundation and to bring the connectivity that enables the technology.”
Judd says as part of this role, the telco is proud to be involved in partnerships with local companies and organisations – the Department of Conservation (DOC) and agritech pioneer Halter among them – in providing cutting-edge connectivity.
Judd, who took over as CEO of One NZ in September, says technologies like 5G, fibre, satellite, cloud, AI and connected devices can help local businesses overcome distance, work smarter and create products and services that may not even exist today.
“It means even small-to-medium Kiwi companies now have the opportunity to build capability in a way not possible just two or three years ago, and at One NZ our job is to make these technologies simple and useful in the real world.”
He says his vision for the company is to continue to focus on what its customers value and to drive for simplicity.
“I want One NZ to be easy to deal with; people don’t want to think about their mobile phone, they just want it to work,” he says. “Our goal is to ensure people don’t have to call us with a problem but if we do have to fix something, we need to do it quickly.”
Judd says it is understandable people have questions about the use of AI.
“We are at the forefront of AI adoption in New Zealand, but we have a responsibility to operate with good business practice and to help businesses understand how to utilise it.”
He says when One NZ started using AI, it established a framework around its use. It calls for transparency, the protection of people’s data, good human oversight when operating AI and maintaining responsibility and accountability for its safe implementation.
Judd says the partnership with DOC shows what is possible in terms of achieving better productivity outcomes through technology.
“We’re providing them with great connectivity, including One NZ Satellite. This brings coverage to the 40% of New Zealand with no traditional signal and means DOC staff will now be able to access help, share information, receive weather updates and arrange supplies anywhere they can see the sky.”
The company has also recently installed satellite-enabled sensors into remote DOC huts to monitor wastewater levels.
“This means rangers don’t have to make unnecessary trips to check if they’re unsure and can get on with other tasks,” he explained. “It’s a great use of technology and we are told it will save up to $180,000 a year on some of New Zealand’s busiest tracks.”
With major strides being made on improving New Zealand’s connectivity, Judd says the technology to compete globally is already here – the question is how quickly we can embrace it to supercharge productivity.
For more information, visit one.nz