ChristchurchNZ

UPCOMING: Mainland Angel Investors Pitch Night 🗣 Three startups will pitch their unique value propositions, growth potential, and financial projections. This is a fantastic opportunity to network with like-minded investors and entrepreneurs who are interested in supporting the next generation of successful startups. Make the most of the 30-minute networking time from 4.30pm before the pitches kick off at 5pm. 📅 Thursday 24 October ⌚ 4.30pm – 7.00pm 📍 Lane Neave - 141 Cambridge Terrace, Christchurch Central

🚀 Big news for Christchurch's innovation ecosystem: FABRUM. and Zincovery have been recognised as recipients of the Callaghan Innovation Ārohia Trailblazer Grant, announced by Science, Innovation and Technology Minister MP Judith Collins. With $17.5 million in co-funding available for innovative businesses, these grants aim to boost our clean tech sector. Fabrum will establish a hydrogen testing centre, while Zincovery is set to revolutionise zinc recycling, significantly cutting emissions and costs. Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/gacFZUpz #Innovation #CleanTech #Christchurch #Sustainability #ĀrohiaTrailblazer Photo by: Maddie Barrett

We are proud to host International Students in Ōtautahi - and what a win for the city when their study journey turns into a career pathway, working and living in Christchurch 🙌 Four University of Canterbury (UC) alumni from around the globe spoke at the 'From Campus to Career' sharing and networking event last week. Each has a different background and diverse stories to tell about how their studies turned into a career and balanced lifestyle in Ōtautahi Christchurch. They talked about making the most of your time at UC, getting involved in the community and adapting to the Kiwi way of life. International Students add incredible value to our city. Not only for economic benefits - students help locals learn about other cultures and ways of living and contribute to New Zealand’s cultural diversity. Diversity of thought is crucial in business too. People thinking differently means innovation and growth. Big ideas come from unique perspectives 💡 Thanks for hosting us UC!

Congratulations to two Canterbury-based innovators for winning awards at the KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards 2024! 🏆 Momentum Student Entrepreneur Award: Emma Arvidson – Teiny / University of Canterbury 🏆 Bank of New Zealand Researcher Entrepreneur Award: Distinguished Professor Geoff Chase - University of Canterbury Read more about all the winners here: https://bit.ly/3YgYTjR #2024KiwiNetAwards

Meet George Khella, the visionary behind Narix FSD, a Christchurch startup on a mission to tackle wildfires with autonomous drone technology. 🌍🔥 George's journey has benefitted from the guidance of his mentor from Business Mentors New Zealand, Michael K Durie. With Michael's support, George honed his business strategy, developed marketing plans, and expanded his network—crucial steps in turning his vision into a viable product. 💡🤝 Interested in mentorship? Check out businessmentors.org.nz to find or become a mentor. Story here: https://lnkd.in/g2fe5xen

📞 Calling all professionals and organisations looking to advance their sustainability goals! Have you seen this upcoming event hosted by Business Canterbury? A great opportunity to hear from Rod Carr, Chairperson He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission on how businesses can form partnerships to achieve sustainability goals leading to reduced costs, access to new markets and a great way to drive innovation. ♻️📈

✈️ Flying high - congrats to our 'inspirational' winners 🎉 🌟 We were thrilled to participate in two Innovate Ōtautahi events recently - Our Inspire the Next Generation booth was a hub for connecting tech and aerospace professionals with organisations dedicated to sparking excitement and inspiration in young people about the incredible career paths available in rapidly growing sectors. 🚀👩💻 ✈️ We were delighted to host a complimentary flight giveaway with ElectricAir for those who signed up to start their own journey to inspire our future talent. ⭐⭐Big congratulations to Jessica Haddock and Alex Opie for winning this fantastic prize! ⭐⭐ 🙌 Want to get involved and help inspire the next generation? Head over to our information page to learn more: christchurchnz.com/inspire A special thanks to our partner ElectricAir – NZ’s first and only electric plane – for offering an unforgettable experience! ElectricAir Canterbury Tech Aerospace New Zealand Louisa Taylor Victoria Harman Karen Haigh

⚠️ New event alert : Intro to B Corp ⚠️ Want to align your business with B Corp values and create impact? 🌏 Join us for a 2hr online session to explore how becoming a B Corp can transform your business and bring about meaningful change. You’ll learn: - How to integrate purpose into your operations - The financial and social benefits of joining the B Corp movement - To identify trends in sustainability and learn how to prepare your business - Actionable steps to become a Certified B Corp and begin your journey The session will be led by Tim Jones (pictured) one of New Zealand’s most well known and qualified B Corp consultants who has guided more than 50 businesses globally to navigate the process. Date: Tuesday 15 October Time: TBC Sign up: This workshop is registered with the Regional Business Partner Network.  For the event time and link and to explore if your business is eligible for support, contact your local Regional Business Growth Advisor at enquiry@christchurchnz.com

Ōtautahi Christchurch is New Zealand's Antarctic hub. As one of only five Gateway Cities worldwide, we’ve been a launch point to Antarctica for over 100 years 🚢✈ This status has significant economic and social impact. It’s part of our purpose and connection to the WHY – Antarctica. Arguably the most important continent on the planet as its future is tied to climate change. Our gateway plays a vital role in supporting innovation, science, and research that are essential for understanding and addressing these global challenges. A new report out by Antarctica New Zealand dives into the substantial economic contributions of Antarctic-related activities to the Canterbury and New Zealand economies. More here 🧊 https://lnkd.in/gzmAPPwD #gatewaytoantartica

Last week’s Canterbury Tech Summit did not disappoint! Starting with the hilarious Jeremy Corbett as MC, Canterbury Tech Summit CEO Louisa Taylor then revealed their awesome new brand! 💚 Check out pics below to see it! Graeme Muller from NZTech talked about collective impact activity enabling growth. Did you know that every time a new technology job is created in NZ, roughly 4.8 new high value jobs are created around it, outside of the tech sector?  In the past decade, Canterbury has created 505 new technology firms and 1588 new technology jobs. In effect, we've created more than 7600 new high value jobs for the Christchurch area alone. What a way to grow 🙌 BUZZWORD INCOMING 🗣 AI. It's on everyone's lips, all over the world. So no surprises it was big talking point. Keynote speaker Melissa Clark-Reynolds ONZM, ChFInstD from CNZM threw ethics into the AI ring, discussing legalities and ownership. She talked about Carrie Fisher being brought back to life through CGI for her Princess Leia character in Star Wars. Asking the question - who owns you if you die?  That was just one example emphasising the importance of ethical legal frameworks and copyright law in an AI-generated world. There’s not enough space here to cover all the incredible insights - so here's some quick quotes 👇 "Invest in your people, and upskill them" Nikolai Blackie, Adaptiv Intergration "By being a community partnership model, not a supplier customer one, is how we're going to build our success" Stella Ward' CEO Streamliners "Every two days we create as much data as we did from the dawn of civilisation to 2003" Sophie Bolton, Foodstuffs South Island So much inspiring and insightful stuff. Can’t wait till next year to do it all over again! Ngā mihi nui Canterbury Tech 💚 #innovateōtautahi #techsummit2024 #canterburytech