July 10, 2014
Iwi urged to bet on digital
A leading Maori digital entrepreneur says too much Maori investment is tied up in the primary industries.
Ian Taylor has grown his company Animation Research over the past 25 years to become a world leader in using real time data to create animation for television and digital media.
He says the Maori economic engine is largely built around industries like farming, fishing and forestry, with a bit of tourism thrown in.
Iwi corporations now seem very risk averse.
"They’re very careful and they've done really well but I keep saying when our ancestors climbed on board these state of the art waka, which they were, and travelled across the third largest ocean in the world, they were taking enormous risks – they backed themselves to do it. I'd like to see some of that attitude come back into the way we look at some of this future technology as well," Mr Taylor says.
He says iwi leaders need to understand the power of new technology to create the high value jobs their young people will need.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH IAN TAYLOR CLICK ON THE LINK
http://www.waateanews.com/play_podcast?podlink=MTk5NzY=
Copyright © 2014, UMA Broadcasting Ltd