The ministry of foreign affairs and trade (Mfat) mishandled millions of dollars in an attempt to shift its IT systems to the cloud and roll out Microsoft Office.

BusinessDesk's Dileepa Fonseka, who broke the story, walks us through what he learned in his reporting.

Then, there's huge potential for digital twins in Aotearoa New Zealand but our approach has been siloed and slow.

We learn what it will take to get started from Keri Niven, the digital practice lead at Aurecon and leader of the Smart Cities Digital Twin Maturity Taskforce.

Reading list

The ministry of foreign affairs and trade (Mfat) mishandled millions of dollars in an attempt to shift its IT systems to the cloud and roll out Microsoft Office.
BusinessDesk's Dileepa Fonseka, who broke the story, walks us through what he learned in his reporting.
Then, there's huge potential for digital twins in Aotearoa New Zealand but our approach has been siloed and slow.
We learn what it will take to get started from Keri Niven, the digital practice lead at Aurecon and leader of the Smart Cities Digital Twin Maturity Taskforce.
<a href="https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/technology/business-of-tech-podcast-mfat-bungles-it-project-building-nzs-digital-twin">Reading list</a>

The Business of Tech, hosted by leading tech journalist Peter Griffin. Every week they take a deep dive into emerging technology and news from the sector to help guide the important decisions all Business leaders make.

Issues such as cybersecurity, retaining trust after a cyberattack, business IT needs, purchasing SaaS tools and more.

New Episodes out every Thursday. Follow or subscribe to get it delivered straight to your favourite podcatcher.

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@businessdesk_nz

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The Business of Tech, hosted by leading tech journalist Peter Griffin. Every week they take a deep dive into emerging technology and news from the sector to help guide the important decisions all Business leaders make.
Issues such as cybersecurity, retaining trust after a cyberattack, business IT needs, purchasing SaaS tools and more.
New Episodes out every Thursday. Follow or subscribe to get it delivered straight to your favourite podcatcher.
@petergnz
@businessdesk_nz
Proudly sponsored by 2degrees Business!
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The Business of Tech

MFAT bungles IT project / Building NZ's digital twin

Welcome to the Business of Tech

New Zealand's Space Manufacturing Venture

Jamie France's Engineering Background

The Promise of Space Manufacturing

Outlier Space's Mission

From Team New Zealand to Rocket Lab

The Innovation Mindset in New Zealand

Rocket Lab's Electron Launch

The Birth of Outlier Space

SkyCouch: Innovation in Aviation

The Power of Microgravity

Keytruda and the Future of Pharmaceuticals

The Outlier Space Capsule

Team Building and Market Potential

Democratizing Space Manufacturing

The Future of Space Exploration

Reaching for the Stars: Funding and Growth

Revolutionizing Research with Space

Wrapping Up and Call to Action

Subscribe and Share

What if space was not simply a place to launch satellites – but a factory floor for making things that cannot be produced on Earth?

That is the bet being made by Auckland startup Outlier Space, which has raised around US$7.35 million (NZ$12.3 million) in pre-seed funding to build reusable spacecraft that carry customer payloads into microgravity, operate them in orbit, then return them safely to Earth. Its first mission is booked for 2028.

The premise is straightforward, if technically formidable. In orbit, a spacecraft is in continuous freefall, creating a microgravity environment in which the familiar force of gravity no longer dominates. Molecules, crystals, cells and materials can therefore behave in ways that are not possible in an Earth-bound laboratory.

That holds incredible appeal to pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms and advanced-materials manufacturers. Microgravity can allow purer crystals to form, produce novel structures and open paths to materials and medicines that simply cannot be created – or cannot be created as effectively – on the ground.

Bringing the results home

In the latest episode of The Business of Tech, Outlier founder and chief executive Jamie France describes the company as an “anti-gravity chamber” for customers. They provide the proprietary manufacturing equipment and process. Outlier supplies the capsule-cum-satellite that allows access to the extraordinary environment of orbit, then brings the results home.

The opportunity is becoming more urgent as the International Space Station – the world’s most important microgravity research laboratory – approaches retirement. Commercial replacements are on the way, but France believes there is a major role for autonomous, uncrewed spacecraft designed for manufacturing and research missions where astronauts are not required.

France has the background to take on that challenge. He spent 15 years working with Emirates Team New Zealand, helped create Air New Zealand’s Skycouch, and spent almost a decade at Rocket Lab – from senior vehicle engineer on Electron to global director of the launch vehicle programme. Most recently, he sat on the board of FTN Motion, advising the founders as they scaled up production of their electric motorbikes (see episode 160 of The Business of Tech).

France’s career has been defined by teams willing to tackle difficult problems from first principles. At Rocket Lab, he says, the high-stakes peak-performance mindset of an America’s Cup campaign was not an occasional event. It was simply “a Tuesday”.

Outlier is now assembling its own team in Auckland, already numbering more than 20, to build a spacecraft capable not only of operating in orbit but also surviving re-entry and getting valuable payloads back into customers’ hands.

In this episode, France explains why space manufacturing is really about gravity, how a new form of a cancer drug could change treatment delivery, and why New Zealand’s deep-tech future may depend as much on audacity as engineering skill.

Listen to The Business of Tech for the full conversation with Jamie France, available wherever you get your podcasts.

What if space was not simply a place to launch satellites &ndash; but a factory floor for making things that cannot be produced on Earth?
That is the bet being made by Auckland startup Outlier Space, which has raised around US$7.35 million (NZ$12.3 million) in pre-seed funding to build reusable spacecraft that carry customer payloads into microgravity, operate them in orbit, then return them safely to Earth. Its first mission is booked for 2028.
The premise is straightforward, if technically formidable. In orbit, a spacecraft is in continuous freefall, creating a microgravity environment in which the familiar force of gravity no longer dominates. Molecules, crystals, cells and materials can therefore behave in ways that are not possible in an Earth-bound laboratory.
That holds incredible appeal to pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms and advanced-materials manufacturers. Microgravity can allow purer crystals to form, produce novel structures and open paths to materials and medicines that simply cannot be created &ndash; or cannot be created as effectively &ndash; on the ground.
Bringing the results home
In the latest episode of The Business of Tech, Outlier founder and chief executive Jamie France describes the company as an &ldquo;anti-gravity chamber&rdquo; for customers. They provide the proprietary manufacturing equipment and process. Outlier supplies the capsule-cum-satellite that allows access to the extraordinary environment of orbit, then brings the results home.
The opportunity is becoming more urgent as the International Space Station &ndash; the world&rsquo;s most important microgravity research laboratory &ndash; approaches retirement. Commercial replacements are on the way, but France believes there is a major role for autonomous, uncrewed spacecraft designed for manufacturing and research missions where astronauts are not required.
France has the background to take on that challenge. He spent 15 years working with Emirates Team New Zealand, helped create Air New Zealand&rsquo;s Skycouch, and spent almost a decade at Rocket Lab &ndash; from senior vehicle engineer on Electron to global director of the launch vehicle programme. Most recently, he sat on the board of FTN Motion, advising the founders as they scaled up production of their electric motorbikes (see episode 160 of The Business of Tech).
France&rsquo;s career has been defined by teams willing to tackle difficult problems from first principles. At Rocket Lab, he says, the high-stakes peak-performance mindset of an America&rsquo;s Cup campaign was not an occasional event. It was simply &ldquo;a Tuesday&rdquo;.
Outlier is now assembling its own team in Auckland, already numbering more than 20, to build a spacecraft capable not only of operating in orbit but also surviving re-entry and getting valuable payloads back into customers&rsquo; hands.
In this episode, France explains why space manufacturing is really about gravity, how a new form of a cancer drug could change treatment delivery, and why New Zealand&rsquo;s deep-tech future may depend as much on audacity as engineering skill.
Listen to The Business of Tech for the full conversation with Jamie France, available wherever you get your podcasts.

The anti-gravity business

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/8646133c-300d-455a-8817-b4b101506c99/transcript

Auckland Mayor's Tech Vision

A Candid Conversation with Mayor Brown

The Importance of Tech in Auckland's Future

Biotech Reforms and Political Challenges

Auckland's Advantages and Investment

Data Centers and Foreign Relations

The Mayor's Vision for Auckland's Tech Sector

Key Takeaways and Closing Thoughts

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is about to turn 80 – and is still plainly more interested in the next deal, the next big export market and the next practical problem to fix than in winding down.

In this week’s episode of The Business of Tech, Brown delivers a typically uncensored account of how he thinks Auckland should use technology to drive economic growth. He has little patience for glossy AI rhetoric, power-hungry data centres, or Wellington bureaucrats telling him what to do. 

“The government doesn’t know how to grow the economy, so I might as well do it,” Brown told me fresh from a morning visiting startups as part of the Council’s 100 Days of Startups programme, which sees him shine a light on one of the city’s startups each day in the run-up to Startup Week in October.

Brown says the city’s business people told him Auckland was lacking leadership on tech, despite it being home to around 60% of the country’s startups. He established the Auckland Innovation and Technology Alliance a year ago as a public-private partnership to foster collaboration across Auckland’s tech ecosystem.

Better, cheaper, faster

Brown draws on his engineering background and the lessons he collated in his 2007 book The Five Minute MBA to set a simple test for government, council and entrepreneurs alike. What is the problem you are fixing – and can it be solved better, cheaper and faster?

Auckland, he says, needs more firms able to turn local capability into global businesses, particularly in areas that play to New Zealand’s strengths: medtech, agri-tech, and biotech.

And he wants them to look beyond familiar markets in the US, UK and Australia. Brown argues the bigger opportunities lie in India, China, Indonesia, Brazil and Latin America – markets where Auckland’s diaspora communities, city-to-city relationships and sector expertise could give companies an edge.

His assessment of the political scene as the general election approaches is brutal. Brown describes the party-political offering as an “unappetising smorgasbord”, rails against bureaucracy and corporate welfare, and questions New Zealand’s reflexive alignment with America on trade and technology.

He’s particularly sceptical of the current data centre boom that Auckland is playing host to.

“If they want to come here, what will you do for us to have your f**king boxes here? It’s not the other way around.”

He has even less time for artificial intelligence.

Expect strong language, challenging claims and plenty of eyebrow-raising takes. This is no polished mayoral interview. It is Wayne Brown, in full: opinionated, impatient and with his own firm ideas on how to make Auckland the tech centre of the South Pacific.

Listen to the full episode streaming on iHeartRadio, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is about to turn 80 &ndash; and is still plainly more interested in the next deal, the next big export market and the next practical problem to fix than in winding down.
In this week&rsquo;s episode of The Business of Tech, Brown delivers a typically uncensored account of how he thinks Auckland should use technology to drive economic growth. He has little patience for glossy AI rhetoric, power-hungry data centres, or Wellington bureaucrats telling him what to do.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The government doesn&rsquo;t know how to grow the economy, so I might as well do it,&rdquo; Brown told me fresh from a morning visiting startups as part of the Council&rsquo;s 100 Days of Startups programme, which sees him shine a light on one of the city&rsquo;s startups each day in the run-up to <a href="https://www.aucklandstartupweek.com/">Startup Week</a> in October.
Brown says the city&rsquo;s business people told him Auckland was lacking leadership on tech, despite it being home to around 60% of the country&rsquo;s startups. He established the Auckland Innovation and Technology Alliance a year ago as a public-private partnership to foster collaboration across Auckland&rsquo;s tech ecosystem.
Better, cheaper, faster
Brown draws on his engineering background and the lessons he collated in his 2007 book The Five Minute MBA to set a simple test for government, council and entrepreneurs alike. What is the problem you are fixing &ndash; and can it be solved better, cheaper and faster?
Auckland, he says, needs more firms able to turn local capability into global businesses, particularly in areas that play to New Zealand&rsquo;s strengths: medtech, agri-tech, and biotech.
And he wants them to look beyond familiar markets in the US, UK and Australia. Brown argues the bigger opportunities lie in India, China, Indonesia, Brazil and Latin America &ndash; markets where Auckland&rsquo;s diaspora communities, city-to-city relationships and sector expertise could give companies an edge.
His assessment of the political scene as the general election approaches is brutal. Brown describes the party-political offering as an &ldquo;unappetising smorgasbord&rdquo;, rails against bureaucracy and corporate welfare, and questions New Zealand&rsquo;s reflexive alignment with America on trade and technology.
He&rsquo;s particularly sceptical of the current data centre boom that Auckland is playing host to.
&ldquo;If they want to come here, what will you do for us to have your f**king boxes here? It&rsquo;s not the other way around.&rdquo;
He has even less time for artificial intelligence.
Expect strong language, challenging claims and plenty of eyebrow-raising takes. This is no polished mayoral interview. It is Wayne Brown, in full: opinionated, impatient and with his own firm ideas on how to make Auckland the tech centre of the South Pacific.
Listen to the full episode streaming on iHeartRadio, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Wayne Brown’s tech plan: look to Asia and ditch the AI fluff

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/6615793d-cc3f-4106-bbbe-b4aa01694797/transcript

The AI Collaborator: Copilot's Impact on

From Brazil to New Zealand: Igor Costa's

The Birth of Copilot at GitHub

The Evolution of Software Development Roles

The Future of Software: Self-Evolving Code

Autohand: Open-Source AI for Everyone

The Unique Selling Point of Auto Hand

Open Source and Intellectual Property in AI

The Rapid Evolution of AI Models

Auto Hand's Global Impact and Language

Democratizing AI Development and National

The Future of Auto Hand and New Zealand's AI

Closing Thoughts on Auto Hand and AI in New

Podcast Subscription and Rating Request

The engineer who helped make GitHub Copilot a global force is building its open alternative from Christchurch

For millions of software developers, GitHub Copilot was the moment artificial intelligence stopped being an abstract promise and became a practical colleague.

Suddenly, AI could sit in the coding environment, suggest the next line, explain unfamiliar code and help turn an idea into working software. It changed expectations of what a developer tool could do, and opened the door to a new generation of AI coding agents.

Igor Costa was there as that shift gathered pace.

The Brazilian-born, Christchurch-based founder of Autohand held senior engineering roles across Microsoft, GitHub and AWS, and played a pivotal role in the development and deployment of GitHub Copilot. 

It is an experience that gave him a close-up view of the potential of AI-assisted software development and of the trade-offs that come with putting powerful capabilities in the hands of a small number of global technology platforms.

Now Costa is building an alternative from New Zealand.

His startup, Autohand, is developing AI agents designed to take on more of the repetitive, time-consuming work involved in building and maintaining software. It also treats software as constantly evolving code that refactors itself automatically, avoiding going out of date and becoming a security risk.

But the company’s proposition is not simply that AI should write more code, or work faster. It is that businesses should retain control over the technology doing that work.

That is why Autohand has embraced open source, releasing its code and building around open-source models. For Costa, the issue is one of sovereignty as much as capability. A company using AI to understand its systems, access its codebase and act across its engineering workflow needs to know where its data is going, how its tools behave and what degree of control it can retain.

The market for AI coding tools is becoming crowded, well-funded and increasingly dominated by proprietary platforms. Costa’s bet is that a different model can succeed: powerful AI agents that are transparent, adaptable and deployable in ways that suit the organisations using them.

In this episode of The Business of Tech, Costa talks about the formative years of GitHub Copilot, why he chose to build a company from Christchurch, and why he believes the next phase of software development will be shaped not only by what AI can do, but by who owns and controls it.

It is a conversation about code, autonomy and the possibility that New Zealand can play a meaningful role in building the AI tools of the future.

Listen to the latest episode of The Business of Tech with Igor Costa, founder of Autohand, streaming on iHeartRadio, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The engineer who helped make GitHub Copilot a global force is building its open alternative from Christchurch
For millions of software developers, GitHub Copilot was the moment artificial intelligence stopped being an abstract promise and became a practical colleague.
Suddenly, AI could sit in the coding environment, suggest the next line, explain unfamiliar code and help turn an idea into working software. It changed expectations of what a developer tool could do, and opened the door to a new generation of AI coding agents.
Igor Costa was there as that shift gathered pace.
The Brazilian-born, Christchurch-based founder of Autohand held senior engineering roles across Microsoft, GitHub and AWS, and played a pivotal role in the development and deployment of GitHub Copilot.&nbsp;
It is an experience that gave him a close-up view of the potential of AI-assisted software development and of the trade-offs that come with putting powerful capabilities in the hands of a small number of global technology platforms.
Now Costa is building an alternative from New Zealand.
His startup, Autohand, is developing AI agents designed to take on more of the repetitive, time-consuming work involved in building and maintaining software. It also treats software as constantly evolving code that refactors itself automatically, avoiding going out of date and becoming a security risk.
But the company&rsquo;s proposition is not simply that AI should write more code, or work faster. It is that businesses should retain control over the technology doing that work.
That is why Autohand has embraced open source, releasing its code and building around open-source models. For Costa, the issue is one of sovereignty as much as capability. A company using AI to understand its systems, access its codebase and act across its engineering workflow needs to know where its data is going, how its tools behave and what degree of control it can retain.
The market for AI coding tools is becoming crowded, well-funded and increasingly dominated by proprietary platforms. Costa&rsquo;s bet is that a different model can succeed: powerful AI agents that are transparent, adaptable and deployable in ways that suit the organisations using them.
In this episode of The Business of Tech, Costa talks about the formative years of GitHub Copilot, why he chose to build a company from Christchurch, and why he believes the next phase of software development will be shaped not only by what AI can do, but by who owns and controls it.
It is a conversation about code, autonomy and the possibility that New Zealand can play a meaningful role in building the AI tools of the future.
Listen to the latest episode of The Business of Tech with Igor Costa, founder of Autohand, streaming on iHeartRadio, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Copilot engineer shaking up software development

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/350d4f63-7628-4223-bd8c-b4a40030c778/transcript

MFAT bungles IT project / Building NZ's digital twin

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