Online fair promotes Kiwi technology, innovation in Korea
New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea Chairman Tony Garrett, left, New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Philip Turner, center, and Kiwi Chamber Board advisor and Roadshow emcee Lukas Beech join the opening ceremony of the New Zealand Tech Roadshow in Korea 2020 livestreamed from Seoul, Nov. 23. / Courtesy of New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea
By Yi Whan-woo
Technology is New Zealand's fastest-growing industry, with tech products accounting for the third-largest portion of export items and projected to be the first by 2030.
In light of this, the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea (The Kiwi Chamber) and the New Zealand Embassy in Korea co-hosted an online fair last week to promote its tech firms and expand business opportunities between the two countries.
The annual New Zealand Tech Roadshow in Korea 2020 ran from Nov. 23 to 27, drawing representatives from more than 40 companies in both New Zealand and Korea, as well as tech and trade organizations, universities and governments.
It was supported by two New Zealand government-affiliated trade organizations ― New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) and North Asia Cape ― plus Gyeonggi Provincial Government.
The roadshow programs included workshops by sectors such as software, games, electronics, and mechanical engineering, one-on-one business meetings and Q&A sessions.
Among the dignitaries on the Nov. 23 opening ceremony was Kiwi Chamber Chairman Tony Garrett, New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Philip Turner, Korean Ambassador to New Zealand Lee Sang-jin, NZTE Trade Commissioner Stephen Blair, Gyeonggi Provincial Governor Lee Jae-myung and Acting Seoul Mayor Seo Jung-hyup.
Garrett expressed hope the annual fair will “build on the enormous success and lessons learned” from the 2019 New Zealand Tech Roadshow and TechWeek 2020. The latter is aimed at showcasing the country's technology and innovation through a week-long exhibition.
Garrett noted the roadshow is part of the chamber's “Inspire with Innovation” initiative with a goal to link the outstanding technology networks both countries offer.
Ambassador Turner underlined technology is the fastest-growing sector of New Zealand's economy, saying it “is important to the future growth and success of both countries.”
He noted the industry marked an annual growth of 10 percent, or 12.1 billion New Zealand dollars ($8.4 billion) in 2019, with export revenue reaching 8.7 billion New Zealand dollars in the same period to become the country's third-largest export sector.
It is also “on track to become our biggest export industry, worth 16 billion New Zealand dollars, by 2030,” according to Turner.
Gyeonggi Governor Lee highlighted the importance of the roadshow in expanding the strong partnership between the two countries and also immense opportunities and support programs available for setting up business in the province.
Seo emphasized the importance of foreign direct investment into Korea and Seoul and the city's support for the Kiwi companies.
Ambassador Lee wished for bilateral technological cooperation to continue.
A total of 13 New Zealand companies from various tech sectors joined. They were hydroponics company Bluelab, AI firm Uneeq, digital publisher Kiwi Digital, earthquake-resilient tech company Tectonus, airport management systems company Vevo, digital platform Chnnl, fruit-sorting machine manufacturer Compac, digital healthcare provider The Clinician, computer vision module maker Teknique, experiential technology company Staples VR, autonomous mobility firm Ohmio, geoscience analysis firm Seequent and space and satellite company Dawn Aerospace.
The 30 firms from the Korean side included Doosan Group and other conglomerates' affiliates such as SK Telecom and SSG.com.