New report reveals critical Digital Priorities to drive technology innovation and productivity for Aotearoa
Tech leaders from some of NZ’s largest organisations call on the government to establish deeper partnerships with industry to address key digital challenges
The Technology Users Association of New Zealand (TUANZ) today released its Digital Priorities 2025 report, outlining the key challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s digital landscape. Digital leaders particularly expressed a desire for greater Government participation and partnerships in the technology space, calling for more visible, strategic and impactful action to drive economic and productivity benefits. This needs to be balanced with the right regulatory settings to enable private companies to thrive.
The fifth annual report, delivered in partnership with One New Zealand and TechLeaders Executive, includes insights from interviews with 36 CIOs and CTOs from around Aotearoa. It identifies six critical priorities that require urgent action to ensure New Zealand’s continued digital competitiveness and inclusivity.
“This year’s report paints a clear picture of the pressing issues facing Aotearoa New Zealand’s digital future,” says Craig Young, CEO of TUANZ. “We are at a critical juncture where we must address escalating cybersecurity threats, bridge the widening tech talent gap, and ensure digital inclusion for all New Zealanders.”
“It’s also vital that we accelerate technology adoption and harness data effectively while navigating Gen AI. We need the Government to step up in the right places, and we acknowledge this requires support from industry to drive meaningful change together.”
The Digital Priorities 2025 report highlights persistent challenges in the digital sector, exacerbated by rapid technological advancements, particularly in generative artificial intelligence (AI). Key findings reveal that while New Zealand shows strengths in areas like e-commerce legislation and online banking access, it lags in technological infrastructure and adoption. Digital leaders express concern that New Zealand is being outpaced globally and rate the country an average of 6 out of 10 for adoption of new technology.
Escalating cybersecurity risks was number one on the priority list. Kieran Byrne, CTO at One New Zealand, and one of the report interviewees, explains: “While One NZ has an expert internal team, and a specialist partner in DEFEND supporting our collective customers, like most CTOs and CIOs cybersecurity is always top of mind in terms of risks that need to be managed. The threat landscape is evolving so quickly, and the industry needs to work closely with partners and government agencies to ensure telecommunications infrastructure remains highly resilient, and our economy and people remain protected from these cyber threats.”
Other digital priorities identified in the report included: Bridging the tech talent gap, Digital inclusion, Accelerating technology adoption, Harnessing data, and Gen AI.
The report also highlights that when it comes to technological infrastructure, New Zealand falls toward the lower end of the global scale, highlighting a key area for improvement and public sector collaboration, especially around digitising government.
Liz Gosling, Co-Chair of TechLeaders, adds: “Our collective ambition is for Aotearoa New Zealand to be a world-leading, trusted and successful digital nation. To achieve this, we must address the issues raised in this report with urgency. We need to bridge the digital divide, invest in our people, and foster a culture of innovation.”
Key recommendations from the report include:
- Prioritising security by design and enhancing collaboration to address cybersecurity risks.
- Investing in local talent, promoting STEM education and partnering to close skill gaps.
- Improving infrastructure, making technology affordable and promoting digital literacy for digital inclusion.
- Implementing robust governance and standards for responsible AI use.
- Developing a national digital strategy and incentivising technology adoption for SMEs.
- Establishing clear policies for data use and enhancing data security.
As Craig Young summarises: “Digital technologies are critical to New Zealand’s success, we need to ensure that Aotearoa is well positioned to benefit and not be left behind due to slow or inefficient technology adoption. This includes the right sort of regulatory invention, and a focus on government support not necessarily legislative action.”
View the Digital Priorities 2025 report here:
