Our 15 minute wrap up from Tauranga and the "10 Billion Mouths" event talking agritech/agtech and foodtech alongside investors from the US and innovative startups. We talked with: - Arama Kukutai - Graeme Mueller - A taste taste of Sunfed Chicken - George Kellerman - Steven Saunders & Alistair Scarfe - Sarah Nolet - Rosie Bosworth - Richard Wildman ------------------------------------------------------ Access Granted podcast featuring Mike Riversdale, Raj Khushal, Pascale Hyboud-Peron, Vaugh...
May 23, 2018•16 min
DAYS 1 and 2 are in the can - we have Techweek TV as a going concern, it's happening! We learned that #ai is writing media, #electric bikes are fun, the passion of the many to #collaborate and grow the #newzealand #tech industry, what #UpStarters is, how awesome #cricket #bats are made, and Techweek NZ is a massive beast! We'll be LIVE tomorrow from the #Tauranga headline event chatting with #Agritech, #foodtech, and all things #food. 12pm-2pm - let us know where you'll be listening from! - DAY ...
May 22, 2018•16 min
We thank Hamish McGregor who took time out of his busy schedule to meet Mike in Miramar between flights, and it was well worth it. Hamish discusses the kin2kin ( https://kin2kin.com/) app that he co-founded in Wanaka, it's origin, the journey of a startup, being an entrepreneur, and how having an idea and even the first release is only the first tiny steps. [Mike: kin2kin is probably one of the few apps we've encountered via the podcast that I have instantly seen how it would help in my life. Th...
May 16, 2018•34 min
Following on from last week's Ben talking AI we have another :) Ben Reid is Executive Director at Artificial Intelligence Forum of NZ and we were extremely fortunate to have some time with Ben on the day that the "Artificial Intelligence: Shaping a Future New Zealand" report was released upon the world. "This report is the culmination of a one year research project led by the AI Forum with research partners IDC and Sapere. The research examined the New Zealand and international AI industry lands...
May 15, 2018•38 min
Ben Rose, General Manager, Direct and Partnerships at nib, joined us via the magic of the Internet to take us through how nib are experimenting with Artificial Intelligence through the use of chatbots and machine learning to automatically answer clients questions. Ben also explains how a seemingly "stuffy" insurance company has an attitude of this century and not the last, and how they have "online" in their DNA that enables agile experimentation. He also advises that companies of all sizes in N...
May 07, 2018•30 min
ALL Wellington events: https://techweek.co.nz/whats-on/filter/?Location=3 At a WREDA organised event we stick our microphone under a number of Wellington event organisers and ask them, "What is your event, where / when and why should people come along?", enjoy the answers from: - Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Edmund Hillary Fellowship / Spacebase NZ Space Challenge Regional Showcase - Monday 21st 5:30pm - 7:30pm / BizDojo, 115 Tory St - Amber Joseph, New Zealand Students' Space Association Students in...
May 01, 2018•23 min
Melissa Firth, a person we have been working hard to get on the show for what seems like a lifetime ;) And it was worth the wait as she takes us through the inner workings of Te Papa, what the Chief Digital Officer role involves, how the team has been built-up in a short number of years. and their goals for the coming years. Melissa also highlights some of the attributes of her team, the organisation and the wider environment that has allowed them to experiment, deliver and ensure they aren't bo...
Apr 24, 2018•39 min
Adam Blackwell, a man on a mission to rid the world of not just terrible Powerpoint presentations but also give back the joy to meetings. Through the use of training and services at Stun Sells he moves people and companies to those that can engage business peers, whether that's to close a deal, sell a concept or merely to inform progress. And it's not just services but using the app, Showcase, he is able to equip those out on the road with the information that they truly need to do their jobs .....
Apr 18, 2018•40 min
In a quiet, yet hot corner of the University of Auckland Faculty of Engineering Mike stole away most (not all, unfortunately) of the speakers at the inaugural Women In Data Science 2018 New Zealand ( https://www.widsnz.org/) to find out what they were going to say on stage - here they all are: - Professor Rosalind Archer - Liz MacPherson - Pieta Brown - Dr Lisa Chen - Amanda Hughes - Dame Diane Robertson - Kat Kolich - Emma Vitz - Alex Garkavenko (unfortunately we missed Agate Ponder, but watch ...
Apr 10, 2018•37 min
Dave Lane chats with Menno Finlay-Smits (@mjs0) about the Cacophony Project that will turn birdsong into data and use the best of breed IT technologies to dramatically improve our trapping ability. It's a cracking conversation and we'd like to thank Dave for his first episode on the podcast, here's to many more. - https://cacophony.org.nz/ - https://github.com/TheCacophonyProject - https://twitter.com/birdsongnz - https://twitter.com/mjs0 - http://menno.io/ --------------------------------------...
Apr 02, 2018•36 min
Corin Healy (@corinhealy78) is a man with two sides - one is the IT manager of a team at a well respected telco company (Chorus), the other is a stand-up comedian ... how on earth does he know when to do which? We have a cracker of a conversation with Corin, covering off the trials and tribulations of middle management, the over use and bad design of Powerpoint slide decks, what's it like to be a team lead and, surprisingly, Avatar. Underneath this is the ever constant crossover between your pas...
Mar 28, 2018•38 min
Kowhai Montgomery has moved amongst the Wellington tecch scene for a while and, after working with NGO's and small startups before heading the sales for one is now working in the online/"blended" learning space. Kowhai has many comments on the archetypal sales approaches, the language used and the approaches that can be taken - discussing the difference between "hunter" and "gatherer" (and even saying those words aren't really correct. Sales, an issue for many Kiwi companies, takes many differin...
Mar 20, 2018•45 min
We have Lucas, Kay, Mike, Raj and off course Mauricio gathering around a the table at Golding's Free Dive to discuss the tech issues of the day! - https://twitter.com/freitasm - https://twitter.com/JennyKayNZ - https://twitter.com/lukaszfromwelly - http://www.goldingsfreedive.co.nz/ We cover: - Telcos – 2G is no more – forced upgrade off handsets - (lack of) Service providers - Netflix hacking - Some Devs teams don't think User Experience - Those dam updates! - The Olympics - How we judge people...
Mar 14, 2018•1 hr 5 min
Adam Shand is enjoying a journey that involves a lot of learning. He has learnt about setting up WiFi for communities before it was a thing, he has learnt how movies work (and don't), he is learning how to become sustainable, and he is learning what makes great managers tick and how to support them. All of this learning is not just for himself though is one that he does with others and wants to share as far as he can. This podcast has so much gold in it we just say - listen up! - http://adam.nz/...
Mar 12, 2018•58 min
Gavin Knight (@gavinknight) has a story that is both typical and individual as he takes us behind the word "consultant" and exposes what it's really like to work for many clients, a handful of agencies and ultimately for oneself. http://www.gavinknight.com/ Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/gavinknight LinkedIn: https://nz.linkedin.com/in/gavinknight ------------------------------------------------------ Access Granted podcast featuring Mike Riversdale, Raj Khushal, Pascale Hyboud-Peron, Vaughan R...
Mar 05, 2018•45 min
Merridy Marshall is a powerhouse taking the world of tech to the kids (big ones and small ones) through bringing Code Club Aotearoa to Wellington and touring with the Robotics Roadshow. And all this whilst she is an active mum, and principal consultant at Assurity ... that's one busy person. But the passion for tech for all shines through - enjoy! Contact Twitter: https://twitter.com/merridymarshall LinkedIn: https://nz.linkedin.com/in/merridy-marshall-96412030 Code Club Aotearoa https://codeclu...
Feb 27, 2018•33 min
Kate Kolich ( https://nz.linkedin.com/in/katarina-kolich-28881a118) has worked in the Wellington banking industry for many years, most notably at BNZ where she is currently the Head of Enterprise Data and Information Services. Whilst we touch on her work at the BNZ, as we sat in their sparkly new Partner Centre, we focussed mostly on her role in engaging more women into tech and specifically into the data sciences arena. This work includes New Zealand's first ever Stanford Women In Data Sciences...
Feb 21, 2018•38 min
(recorded December 2017) We finish off our chats with the 2017 Mahuki cohort by finding out what the teams had worked upon, how they found the programme and, most importantly, what next. SIMPLYFI LTD SimplyFi are a family team of three dedicated to two things: simplicity and sharing. They are developing an application that will help artists, private collectors and everyone in between to simply and securely catalogue their collection. http://simplyfi.co.nz/ Showcase video: https://www.youtube.com...
Feb 20, 2018•1 hr 6 min
Mahuki pt 1 (of 2) - Collaborate, I Want To Experience, LocalFlair & ScimitAR After an introduction about Mahuki ( https://www.mahuki.org/) from Bronwen Newton (2017 Mahuki Entrepreneur in Residence), we found out what the teams had worked upon, how they found the programme and, most importantly, what next. COLLABORATE We are a Social Enterprise called Collaborate run by four young Wellington women. We have designed a platform for matching volunteers skills with opportunities in community an...
Feb 19, 2018•1 hr 17 min
Dave Knight ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidcknightnz/) is a salesman at heart. He knows how to sell. He also knows how to not be a dick, stay away from the politics and focus on the outcomes required and it's from all of this that he started Hear:Say:Do ( https://www.hearsaydo.co.nz/) his sales coaching company. Why do we on Access Granted even bother talking with "sales people" - well, it's for exactly the reason you're thinking that, because we believe that New Zealand tech and media has a...
Feb 14, 2018•38 min
Dean Johnson ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-johnson-03142b1/) is an experienced consultant that has worked in many countries, mainly in the banking industry - check out his roll of roles: CEO, CIO, IT Director, Pre-Sales Director and Programme Management. As we cover all of the tech industry we were honoured to hear Dean's story AND to get to grips with his THREE tips for all people that work in tech, no matter at what level: 1; There's No Such Thing As An IT Project 2: You Don't Manage Proj...
Feb 13, 2018•1 hr 7 min
Sam Jarman (@samjarman) is a man on a mission and has the focus and goals of someone with many more years his 'senior'. From working as a dev (at time of recording it was Sailthru, but he is now at BNZ), to being a futurist and technology commentator he has a passion to share the world of technology - a mission we wholeheartedly approve of! This was a redo interview as we had technical difficulties and we quickly dive into what makes Sam tick, where he sees it all going and how he IS going to ma...
Jan 28, 2018•37 min
Josh Forde (@JoshForde) co-founder of Rabid Technologies the tech company behind many of New Zealand's online companies such as PledgeMe. Raj and Josh talk a little about what they do but focus more on where they are taking the company, the challenges within (re)focusing a fairly well established company. Josh explains how they have grown out of their Enspiral roots and are now looking at supporting "social good" using the skills and experiences they have at their fingertips. They also discuss t...
Jan 24, 2018•41 min
Jo Eggers (@IslandBayGirl) works as senior project administrator inside New Zealand central Government and we can to chat about what it's like being deep inside the machine. We also divert into what iot's like being a woman inside IT, a common thread we cover in many episodes ( https://www.accessgranted.nz/women-in-tech/) . Jo has a fascinating take on the differences (or none) between the works she does and many IT Departments do and those out in the so called "start-up" and commercial world - ...
Jan 17, 2018•39 min
Deborah Robb (@robbdj) is a powerhouse of positivity, joie de vivre, and seeing all things glass half full. Working in, and loving (of course), the world of banking for many years she takes Mike and Raj on a journey from South Africa to New Zealand and how we can all learn from the advantages we have in life to ensure we give back as much as we possibly can. (and Deb and Raj had a wee dance as well - check out the photos on the website) ------------------------------------------------------ We s...
Jan 13, 2018•53 min
Jim Donovan (@jimisambard) loves change and positive disruption! He began his career as an information systems engineer, progressing through project management, sales, marketing and general management in Britain and New Zealand. As a CEO, he led the transformation and expansion of several substantial technology-based companies: Electra, Fronde and Deltec (Hi Tech Company of the Year in 2000). He's advised major corporations in New Zealand, Australia and SE Asia on business strategy and performan...
Jan 09, 2018•57 min
What a monster of an 2017 ending we have for you! In between the fantastic interviews with the #WellyTech Xmas Do guests, Raj and Mike name their top episodes of 2017 ending with their picks of the year - what was yours (leave a comment) We take the #WellyTech interviews in batches of 3, thus: - Hon Clare Curran (@clarecurranmp) - "Minister of the Future" (Mike's supplied title, not official) - Liz MacPherson (@GovStatistician) - CEO of Stats NZ - Vic MacLennan (@optimalhq) - best person, Direct...
Dec 18, 2017•1 hr 9 min
It's always awesome when we have people back to share their ongoing stories and with Vaughan catching up with Jenene Crossan (@Jenene), founder and CEO of and winner of the 2016 Most Inspiring Individual at NZ Innovation Awards, that's exactly what we have* Vaughan and Jenene discuss the changes that have happened, the growth in the company and the challenges therein. They also discuss how important it is, as founders and CEO's of young growing companies, to take time to look after oneself, a le...
Dec 14, 2017•50 min
Julie Treanor (@domesticexec) has worked in "HR / leadership" (people focussed areas) at all levels of the corporate ladder but recently decided to stride out on her own and found herself in Wellington's BizDojo surrounded by "startups". Through a number of workshops, sitting down with people and listening she discovered that the differences in challenges were ones of scale not content. Julie has recently started her own business, Just Lead, set-up a woman-focuses mentoring service (Triple Twist...
Dec 11, 2017•47 min
Pia Andrews (recently married, you probably know her as Pia Waugh, @piawaugh) is a deep thinker, a deliciously cohesive speaker and one of the most active and effective people we have ever met when it comes to making changes in how governments work. Mike and Pia discuss her work in various parts of the Australian Government, the recent challenges therein, and how she is now (openly) working on Government As A Platform (GaaP) within the Lab+ team within DIA for us Kiwis. We also find out why she ...
Dec 07, 2017•35 min
