Building Aotearoa’s digital workforce critical to unlocking AI-led growth.

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The Tech Users Associate of New Zealand (TUANZ) is calling for urgent, coordinated investment in home-grown digital capability to ensure Aotearoa can capture the significant economic opportunity presented by artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. 

New Zealand’s technology sector is already the country’s second-largest export earner, generating more than $17 billion annually. TUANZ says sustaining and growing that contribution will depend on addressing widening skills gaps and strengthening the pipeline from education to employment. ,  As part of its 2026 Position Papers programme, TUANZ has today released its Education to Employment policy statement. The paper sets out a pathway to build a more skilled and inclusive digital workforce, with a focus on developing talent domestically rather than relying on offshore supply. 

“We have strong foundations, including high levels of digital adoption and early uptake of AI,” says Craig Young, CEO of TUANZ. “However, demand for advanced digital skills continues to outpace supply. Without a more deliberate approach to building capability, we risk limiting the economic and productivity gains available to New Zealand.” 

The paper highlights the need to view capability as a lifelong pathway, from early education through to workforce participation, and outlines four priority actions for  Government and industry:

  • Mandate Technology Upskilling in the Core Curriculum: Elevate digital literacy to the same status as reading and mathematics, embedding essential digital skills from primary through secondary school to ensure every student is “digital-ready”.
  • Incentivise “Home-Grown” Capability and Digital Apprenticeships: Expand industry-led reskilling programmes by providing tax credits or subsidies to businesses that invest in internal academies to train junior talent, particularly in regional areas and “deep tech” fields.
  • Encourage Diverse Pathways: Take the lead in developing career pathways that dismantle cultural barriers and actively encourage Māori, Pasifika, and Wahine into tech education and roles, ensuring our digital workforce represents our population.
  • Close the SME Digitalisation Gap: Provide government-backed financial incentives to lower the barrier to entry for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) – the backbone of our economy – so they can improve their digital skills and cyber security defences.

“The transition from education to meaningful digital employment is a critical lever for  New Zealand’s long-term prosperity,” Young says. “Targeted investment in local capability will strengthen productivity, support economic resilience, and ensure more New Zealanders can participate in the opportunities ahead.”

To read the full position statement click here.

ENDS

Building on Strong Foundations: TUANZ calls for cross-party tech strategy to unlock Aotearoa’s digital future

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

16 June 2026

Building on Strong Foundations: TUANZ calls for cross-party tech strategy to unlock Aotearoa’s digital future

Aotearoa New Zealand has the talent, capability  and infrastructure to be a leading digital nation. But realising this potential will require a clear, long-term technology strategy that endures beyond electoral cycles, says the Tech Users Association of New Zealand (TUANZ).

Today, TUANZ begins releasing its 2026 Position Papers – Unlocking Aotearoa’s Digital Potential – setting out a practical roadmap to lift New Zealand’ back into the top tier of digital economies. 

TUANZ Chief Executive Craig Young says the opportunity is significant, but the current approach is holding the country back. 

“Technology can make New Zealand a better place – growing our economy, strengthening our communities and improving everyday life,” says Young.

“We have strong foundations, from world-class connectivity to a more renewable energy system. But to translate this into global leadership requires a more coordinated and long-term approach.”

Young says the key issue is not capability, but consistency. “Investment in technology and digital transformation doesn’t operate on three-year political cycles, and neither should our national approach. Without long-term certainty, we risk underinvesting and falling behind.”

Over the coming weeks, TUANZ will release detailed policy papers focused on five priority areas critical to New Zealand’s digital future: 

  • Education to Employment: building the skills for a digital future.
  • Trust and Safety: creating a secure, resilient digital environment.
  • Transparent Data Use: strengthening trust through clarity and control.
  • Responsible Generative AI: enabling safe, trusted adoption of emerging technologies.
  • Access and Inclusion: ensuring equitable connectivity and opportunity.

“Our members are clear: what’s needed now is certainty, coordination, and commitment,” says Young. “We are calling on political leaders to work across party lines to deliver a long-term digital strategy that matches the scale of the opportunity.”

TUANZ will continue to represent the voice of digital users, advocating for outcomes that ensure every New Zealander can participate in, and benefit from, a thriving digital future.

Digital Technology Workforce Development Submission 2025

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IT Professionals and TUANZ have developed a joint submission on the latest moves in the reshpe ofg vocational training in NZ.  In the submission we advocate for the digital technology sector’s unique needs within Aotearoa’s vocational education reforms. We favour an independent work-based learning model to ensure industry control and agility in training. The submission emphasises the importance of a dedicated Digital Technology Industry Skills Board (ISB) to prevent digital skills from being overshadowed by other industries. It calls for funding and support for cadetships and micro-credentials aligning with modern tech employment, rather than solely relying on traditional apprenticeships. The submission stresses the need for government investment in digital technology skills to future-proof New Zealand’s workforce. Finally, we offer their expertise to ensure that the vocational education reform benefits the digital technology sector.

You can read the submission here.

Will we see the return of the cosy duopoly?

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The government is gearing up to sell management rights to the 700MHz spectrum in the next few months and hopefully we’ll see LTE mobile service deployed throughout the country in the not too distant future.

The auction itself is key to the future of the mobile telco sector in New Zealand and there are a couple of worrying signs in the information that’s been released so far.

All together we’re looking at 45MHz in total. We have three mobile operators so that would be three lots of 15MHz each. Nice and simple, it means we have equal opportunity for mobile network deployments and each network operator will be able to offer the same level of throughput as the other operators.

However, that doesn’t take into account the technology itself. LTE is clever stuff and will allow network operators to combine together spectrum from a variety of different bands to create a massive network with potential for hundreds of megabits per second.

If that’s to happen, we need to address ownership of all available spectrum, not just the 700MHz spectrum in isolation.

What really worries me, however, is the note in the press release that says the 700MHz spectrum will indeed be sold off in 5MHz blocks with no operator able to buy more than 15MHz. Unless there’s a lack of interest, in which case the Ministry may increase that limit to 20MHz.

Two operators with 20MHz and a third with nothing or at best 5MHz would destroy our newly emerging mobile network competitive market.

For too long we struggled with a cosy duopoly in our mobile market. Two players does not make for a dynamic market – it makes for a carefully managed, steady-as-she-goes, don’t rock the boat approach to pricing and services. It’s natural, it’s what happens in every industry and it’s entirely hopeless.

Today we have three network operators with two and a half networks. If we want to ensure a three player market in 4G (something the Aussies have already got wrong) then we have to ensure the auction is conducted in such a way as to make that a priority.

I know Treasury thinks it can make a windfall from the auction. I know the government will, in these difficult economic times, be eager for a boost to the coffers from those greedy telcos. But the true economic impact comes later, once the networks are deployed. It’s only then, when we have competition and capability, that we see the benefits such deployment can bring. The government itself acknowledges that – now it must manage the bean counters to make sure they don’t get too carried away with dollar signs in their eyes.

I’d go so far as to simply offer up the spectrum at no cost. Think what 2Degrees could do with its network deployment if it didn’t have to invest $100m or more in spectrum. That’s serious money for a network rollout that will bring competition to the masses.

Think I’m a Communist? We have precedent. We’re talking here about a 20 year monopoly on these spectrum lots, given away in the belief that the economic gain will be tremendous. If that sounds familiar then it should – that’s the argument the government uses to sell its Sky City convention centre deal. Why not use the same logic here?