Hi there,

Getting New Zealand back to business is a key topic at the moment and there’s plenty of discussion on how exactly to do just that. SAP is among those throwing its ideas in the ring with a public policy paper advocating greater use of data-driven systems. Xero, meanwhile, has issued a call for a subsidy to get SMBs onto cloud, with NZIER modelling showing a boost cloud use could lead to a big productivity boost and up to $6.2 billion in annual GDP growth.

While Covid has knocked all economies for six, it also has the potential to be a catalyst for change, and technology can play a key role in that. For New Zealand, it could also be an opportunity to address our woeful productivity levels, which were called out by the Productivity Commission last year.

But, as many have noted, it will need a joint effort from government, business and the tech sector.

Remember all those Facebook posts while we were in Level four lockdown? You know the ones – the ‘Let’s not be keen to rush back to normal, because normal was broken’ slogans we saw ad nauseum. Turns out there is some truth in them…

In other news this week:

(Ex)terminate: Clearview AI hits rough water with new investigations, termination
Looking to SMB cloud growth for Kiwi GDP boost
Aussie Oovvuu’s big WordPress win to drive online video content
Leading with digital loyalty

When you’re a not-for-profit, there can be extra challenges with finances. Enter dimensional accounting. We take a look at how it could help simplify the lives of your finance team while providing greater insight and helping build a compelling story for donors.

Enjoy the read,

Heather Wright
Editor
editor@istart.co.nz

ECONOMY

Getting A/NZ back to business with data and tech

Can we do it? Yes we can, says SAP…

Good data, and an agile, data-based approach to government, will be key to getting NZ and Australia back up and running and out of the Covid crisis.

“Even a modest one to two percent reduction could translate into billions of dollars of savings.”

[Read more]

FACIAL RECOGNITION

Privacy watchdogs lining up against Clearview AI

Tech subterfuge and the dark arts of biometric algorithms…

Privacy watchdogs up against Clearview AI

Clearview AI’s future is becoming increasingly murky as the controversial AI facial recognition-for-cops system becomes mired in new investigations.

The investigation will focus on Clearview’s use of scraped data and biometrics.

[Read more]

CLOUD

NZIER: Big GDP possible boost from SMB cloud increase

Xero pushes cloud subsidy for NZ growth – but will govt bite?…

A 20% uptake in cloud by Kiwi SMBs could significantly boost productivity and contribute up to $6.2 billion in annual GDP growth, according to NZIER – but half of all SMEs say cloud is just too expensive.

“Now’s the time to maximise these technology gains for the long term benefit of New Zealand.”

[Read more]

VIDEO

Oovvuu strikes it big with WordPress

Media-tech start-up brings better video to website giant…

Oovvuu has been named a WordPress VIP Feature Technology Partner, in a deal that will see the Aussie company’s technology integrated into some of the world’s biggest news websites.

“The future of news-telling will be video-led, but given recent scandals, it’s unlikely that will be built by Facebook or Google.”

[Read more]

DIGITAL LOYALTY

Digital loyalty a ‘prized differentiator’ in post-Covid retail

A/NZ privacy concerns not stifling digital growth…

Digital loyalty is becoming a prized differentiator for retailers, particularly bricks and mortar outlets struggling to recover from lockdowns and an increased move to online sales.

“Although people have become more wary of sharing personal information to receive rewards, there has to be give and take.”

[Read more]

CLIENT INSIGHT

Dimensional accounting can convince donors and support your not-for-profit mission

Running a not-for-profit organisation is certainly no picnic…

You’ve got the challenges for-profit businesses to deal with, such as increasing revenue, consolidating across multiple entities, budgeting, implementing internal controls, and facilitating audits.

You can create contextually rich reporting that includes critical outcome and performance metrics.

[Read more]

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