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New Zealand Accelerating Technological Progress

Elected in October 2023, the new National-led Government is committed to industry policies which seek to grow and upgrade targeted sectors into a high-productivity, high-wage, low-emissions economy. To accelerate future growth, the country is putting policies in place to accelerate the development of new and emerging technologies such as clean energy, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and biotechnology.

Here are key sectors identified for new and emerging technologies with opportunities for U.S. companies:

  • Healthcare: Innovative technologies to help the mainly publicly funded health system to transform the way medical professionals diagnose, treat, and manage various health conditions. In diagnostics, interpretable AI to enable doctors to analyze medical images, pathology data, and patient records, enhancing accuracy and efficiency.
  • Finance: Technologies to improve risk, fraud detection, and investment strategies.
  • Manufacturing: Technologies to enhance quality control, production processes, and reduce defects.
  • Cybersecurity: Technologies for threat detection, overall resilience against cyber-attacks as well as technologies to identify vulnerabilities and weak points in IT systems.
  • Transportation: New Zealand’s investment in new roads, traffic management and logistics can be aided by technologies for optimizing route planning, resource allocation, and fleet management, leading to reduced congestion and lower operating costs.
  • Environment: New Zealand’s clean, green image is an important tool for its international brand, driving demand for technologies for sustainable resource management and optimizing energy consumption, water usage, and waste reduction.

Climate change is expected to affect what and how much New Zealand can grow or harvest, on land and in the sea due to unpredictable weather. Climate change is expected to cause primary sector productivity changes, changes in the variety of pests and diseases experienced, and impact fish quantities in important commercial fishing stocks. AI environmental monitoring models represent opportunities for U.S. commercial solutions to help New Zealand analyze data from sensors and satellites; identify patterns of pollution, deforestation, and habitat loss; and facilitate proactive conservation efforts.

For market entry tips, please see our New Zealand Country Commercial Guide.

In April 2024, the average currency exchange rate was NZ$1.00 : US$0.60

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