Only 14 percent of large NZ businesses have deployed IoT
June 19, 2017
New Zealand is well positioned for the Internet of Things (IoT), such as fast fibre, however a national tech leader
urged for the country to do better.
NZTech chief executive and chair of the New Zealand IoT Alliance Graeme Muller says only 14 percent of large businesses
have deployed any IoT. Around 70 percent think it will be strategically important but are concerned about potential
costs and changes in technology, he says.
“We are launching a collaborative national IoT research project report on June 29 which will unveil some major findings.
Internationally, IoT will be one of the technology game changers.
“The project is being managed by the IoT Alliance and brings together major tech users, tech firms, the government,
academia and industry groups such as NZTech, TUANZ and InternetNZ, all of whom have an interest in the potential impact
of IoT for New Zealand.
“We’re seeing billions of things all connecting with each other, analysing information and automating responses which
will drive massive productivity improvements. It is predicted that 100 billion things will be connected to the internet
by 2020.
“As we start using IoT we will start to learn from each other and find new ways of driving our traditional businesses.
There are gains to be had in every sector as sensors and data identify new and improved ways of doing things. In dairy
farming alone, better use of IoT could be worth $448 million in economic benefit to the country.
“IoT connected data will not only help drive economic growth, but can also be used to make New Zealand safer and to
improve social outcomes. The government’s role is to act as a catalyst and to ensure all the right building blocks like
security and connectivity remain in place.
“IoT will soon become critical to helping New Zealand raise its productivity and prosperity. Much of the initial hype
around IoT has been derived from consumer IoT such as fitness trackers and intelligent fridges. The real value to be had
from the Internet of Things is in enterprise and government applications.
“IoT presents a massive opportunity for technology to drive New Zealand’s economic growth. Yet to accelerate deployment
and uptake, a better understanding of the opportunities is needed.
“Compared to the G20 nations, New Zealand scores well for IoT readiness due to ease of doing business, government
stability, regulatory quality, a good innovation ecosystem and education system,” Muller says.
Initial economic analysis has identified potential economic benefits in the hundreds of millions of dollars for the New
Zealand economy through the deployment of IoT in sectors as diverse as agriculture, utilities, manufacturing, logistics
and smart city services.
ends