NZ tech companies should study the UN sustainable goals

NZ tech companies should study the UN sustainable goals

June 13, 2019

Kiwi tech companies should study the United Nations sustainable development goals and position their solutions as ways to achieve them as there are millions of euros being invested in the next few years, leading New Zealand tech expert Graeme Muller says.

Muller, NZTech chief executive, has just returned from major global tech conferences in the Netherlands and also met Dutch government leaders.

Much of the talk was about the UN’s sustainable development goals, Muller says.

“These goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity and peace.

“New Zealand and the Netherlands both produce food and have a big focus on agritech, food quality and environmental sustainability. We will hear a lot more about the New Zealand agritech story during Agritech Unleashed at the national Fieldays.

“Both country’s governments are also trying to digitalise, break down internal silos, be more innovative and do more for people by leveraging smart technologies.

“The United Nations sustainable development goals are at the forefront of many people’s minds in the Netherlands. Every city is required to meet these goals and they are looking to tech to solve the problems.

“Kiwi tech companies would be advised to consider these goals too. We need to think globally and consider sustainable wellbeing issues in our approach to tech.

“Technology is now New Zealand’s fastest growing and third biggest industry and our tech companies and organisaitons have a chance to lead on this sustainable approach which is so strongly supported across Europe.

“The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which has been adopted by New Zealand and all other UN member states, provides a shared blueprint for prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. We need to act on these goals in New Zealand,” Muller says.

The goals are simply an urgent call for action by all countries in a global partnership. They recognise that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education and spur economic growth, as well as tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

Across the world countries are looking to technology to deliver solutions to these big challenges.

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