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.

Message from the tech frontlines: Stop your blabbing, get to building

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This is an opinion post from Craig Young, TUANZ CEO, published in The Sunday Star Times on 3 May 2026.

We all know that technology has the power to make Aotearoa New Zealand a better place. When we get it right, digital innovation boosts our local businesses, connects our communities, and makes our everyday lives easier and more productive. We’ve got some amazing foundations to be proud of—like the world-class communications networks connecting our homes and our mostly renewable energy grid. But right now, we are sitting at a crossroads.

For the past six years at TUANZ (Tech Users NZ), we’ve taken the pulse of the nation’s technology leaders. To pull together our latest report, Aotearoa’s Digital Priorities 2026, I personally sat down and interviewed dozens of the country’s top digital leaders, from major corporate CIOs to leading tech experts. The aim of this report is simple: to find out what is working, what is holding us back, and what we need to focus on to ensure no New Zealander misses out on the digital future.

What I heard from these leaders was an inspiring belief in what we can achieve, but it was mixed with a heavy dose of frustration. While our global peers are racing ahead, we are at risk of drifting. When I asked these experts about the government’s recent leadership in technology, the responses were pretty blunt—many called it a “talk fest” that looks good on paper but lacks real execution.

With an election year upon us, it is time to turn our digital ambitions into national action. Our tech leaders have laid out five very clear things they want the incoming Government to tackle to get us back into the top tier of digital nations:

Set firm rules to keep us safe online. Right now, our cyber security landscape is a bit too much “carrot” and not enough “stick”. With the rise of AI-driven scams and deepfakes, businesses and everyday Kiwis are exposed. Leaders are asking the government to step up as a shield, looking for mandatory, non-negotiable cyber security standards and a central system to vet international tech vendors so our data stays safe.

Teach digital skills and keep our local talent. We are losing too many of our bright young minds overseas. At the same time, AI is starting to automate the basic, entry-level office jobs that we traditionally used to train our junior staff. To fix this, the government needs to lead a massive push for digital literacy, embedding AI and tech skills into everything from our primary schools to adult learning programs. We have to build a workforce that is ready for tomorrow.

Modernise government tech and create a digital identity. Our leaders are highly frustrated by how fragmented the government’s own technology systems are. We need to aggressively consolidate these separate systems to make things run smoother. Most importantly, it is time to finally implement a secure, national digital identity framework. Having a safe, centralised digital ID will help prevent fraud and make doing business as well as accessing public services so much easier for everyone.

Create a long-term plan that survives elections. Technology doesn’t work on a three-year political cycle. If businesses are going to invest millions into new ideas, they need certainty. Our leaders are desperately calling for a cohesive, bipartisan national tech strategy, especially around artificial intelligence and data, that all sides of politics agree on and stick to.

Invest in the hard infrastructure so no one is left behind. Finally, we can’t have a digital revolution without the physical power to run it. The government needs to continue to invest in our core infrastructure, like ensuring our energy grids can actually power the massive global data centres being built here. This is about making sure that as technology advances, all our communities, both urban and rural, have the foundation they need to thrive.

The message from the tech frontlines is overwhelmingly positive about our potential, but clear about the need for action. We have the tools, the talent, and the infrastructure to be a world-leading digital economy. Now, we just need the national leadership to make it happen.