New Zealand IT, tech, and telco news and views from our editor.

Technology investments in New Zealand’s 2022 budget.
Investments to ensure the transition to a digital economy, improve the delivery of public services, and keeping existing systems safe are part of the 2022 budget from the New Zealand federal government. These include:
- $220 million total operating and $100 million capital set aside for investments in the data and digital infrastructure and capabilities essential for health system performance and health system reform.
- $25 million total operating and $5 million capital for the Computer Emergency Response Team New Zealand (CERT NZ) to provide cyber resilience support to private sector organisations and individuals.
- Investment in a new digital case-management system to improve the efficiency of court system.
- Investment in critical satellite capability to improve GPS accuracy.
Other investments include $57 million over four years to support a Māori-led work program to increase their participation and offer opportunities in spectrum-related industries and the digital economy. Other investments include $60 million to improve rural digital connectivity, $12 million to address cyber security risks at the Ministry of Justice, and $27.4 million to strengthen cybersecurity at the Ministry of Education and Managed IT Services.
A previously announced $20 million Digital Technologies Industry Transformation plan will focus on ensuring New Zealand is equipped to participate in the digital landscape. This funding will support further development of software-as-a-service (SaaS) ecosystems and increase the visibility of the country’s tech sector in overseas markets.
IT leadership moves
Law firm Tompkins Wake has promoted Matthew Vaughan as its CIO. Vaughan had been the law firm’s IT manager for three years. Vaughan has led the organisation to continually improve its systems and invested in building its IT capability balancing in-house team with external providers, the company wrote in a LinkedIn post.