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Maori firms showed they are footing it with the best at this year’s Hi-Tech Awards held in Christchurch over the weekend.
Aroha Armstrong, the head of Maori innovation at government technology promotion agency Callaghan Innovation, says the barriers for inclusion in the competition are high, but there was a packed field of five companies in the Maori section.
That award was won by Straker Translations, which was also a finalist for the supreme award.
"We had Nikora Ngaropo, who does young animation, training our young peole around the country and internationally in animation anbd graphics . Code Avengers is another Maori business that focuses on upskilling young people. Takiwa Origins which is a traceability software for our honey industry and Kiwa Digital were all our top finalists on the night," Ms Armstrong says.
Code Avengers was highly commended in both the Maori innovation and the Hi-Tech Start-up Company of the Year sections, while another Maori business, Healthcare Applications, took the Most Innovative Hi-Tech Solution for the Public Good award for its Emergency Q software.
Callaghan Innovation's Hemi Rolleston leads a haka in honour of Straker Translation's win (Photo: The Heather & Doug Records)
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