Leader of the Opposition Judith Collins says technology will create exciting careers and higher paying jobs and has the potential to transform the New Zealand economy.

The National Party has today launched an issues paper entitled Growing the Technology Sector as part of its Big Fixes plan to develop solutions and policy to address key challenges facing the country.

“We’ve been world-leading in some tech areas before – from electric fences to Eftpos to the rollout of ultrafast fibre broadband under the last National Government – but, in a highly competitive world, we need to do far more to encourage and embrace technology in this country.

“We need to empower the private sector to get on with creating and disrupting, and we need a Government that helps them do that.”

As part of the Big Fixes process, National MPs will be engaging with academics, the sector, businesses and the public to identify some of the key challenges and opportunities. They will ask the big questions, such as ‘how do we nurture a growing tech sector that creates more and better paying jobs and competes on the world stage?’

In the first part of next year, National will hold a tech summit to explore the issues in greater detail as it works towards issuing its technology policy for the next election.

“I took on the Technology portfolio because I believe technology can offer solutions for many of the big challenges New Zealand is facing from social, environmental, economic and health,” Ms Collins says.

“Investment in technology will also allow New Zealand to meet its environmental and climate change obligations without imposing extra costs on Kiwi households that are already struggling. It means agricultural production can contribute more to the New Zealand economy – not less, as is the case under a Labour-Greens government.

“The adoption of technology and the support of a vibrant tech sector through a regulatory system that enables not restricts is one of the most important things New Zealand can do to drive up productivity and lift incomes.”

The Big Fixes Issues Paper: Growing the Technology Sector and full online launch video available here: national.org.nz/big-fixes-technology

https://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/2111/Nationals_Big_Fixes__Tech_Issues_Paper.pdf

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