February 2024 - Bay of Plenty Business News

8 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS February 2024
Reflecting on the past
and predicting the future
A
new year brings the opportunity
to reflect on what
has passed and inject new
energy and purpose into what is
coming next. Undoubtedly, 2023
was another year of challenge
for the IT industry. Economic
headwinds fanned by a post
Covid readjustment and major
armed conflicts continued to put
the global industry under pressure.
Here, this was compounded
by political uncertainty which
seemed to put many businesses
into a holding pattern taking a
‘wait and see’ approach to making
big decisions. The overarching
feeling is that it was a year of
consolidation and riding out the
storm.
As we have moved into 2024,
despite the continued financial
and political challenges, opportunities
are presenting themselves
in most business areas and
success or failure could hinge
on how well the underpinning
and emerging technologies are
embraced.
Technology trends for
2024
The key themes of AI, cybersecurity
and sustainability are hot topics
in the IT industry right now.
While they are familiar themes,
the speed of change continues
to accelerate so it is essential for
all businesses to keep abreast of
them.
Unless you have been living
under a rock, you will be aware of
the explosion in the mainstream
use of AI. People are increasingly
using AI tools, such as ChatGPT
and Microsoft Copilot, daily. At the
recent Canalys APAC conference
I attended, one keynote speaker
went so far as to say that if you
are an executive in a business
and you are not using one of these
AI tools, you might as well resign.
A bit of a dramatic statement, but
their point was that your competitors
will increasingly be using AI,
and with the speed and efficiencies
that AI brings, if you are not
using it you will be left behind ...
very quickly.
Whether we like it or not AI
is here to stay with many analysts
predicting its use will have
a more profound effect on human
life than the introduction of the
internet.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity remains one of the
most important elements of the
technology landscape. Cyberattacks
and the cybercrime industry
continue to grow rapidly with
the predicted cost of global cybercrime
this year over $9.5 Trillion
USD according to Cybersecurity
Ventures. For perspective, that’s
forty times larger than NZ’s entire
2023 GDP!
TECH TALK
BY MIKE BELL
Businesses and individuals
are constantly being targeted by
a myriad of scams and sophisticated
cyberattacks. Tools will
continue to develop to tackle
the ever-growing threat, and the
interweaving of AI in both cyberattack
and defence will accelerate
progress in this area.
Sustainability is a key concern
for the tech industry as it attempts
to balance the present and future
needs of people, business, and
the planet. AI is seen as a tool to
enhance sustainability and make
life more efficient. However, AI
also poses environmental risks,
such as generating large amounts
of e-waste, consuming more
energy and natural resources,
and emitting more greenhouse
gases. The environmental impact
of an AI query is quite staggering
but varies depending on factors,
such as the AI model’s size and
complexity, the data centre’s efficiency
and location, and the electricity’s
source and mix.
Finally, here in Aotearoa New
Zealand the imminent opening of
the Microsoft and AWS datacentres
is also creating a huge buzz.
The ability to retain data in-country
will enable businesses and
organisations to meet data residency,
security, and compliance
requirements. There will also be
an improvement in performance
with users accessing public cloud
data faster.
With all of the above topics
there is a huge amount to explore
and unpick. We will elaborate
further in future Tech Talk columns
over the coming months.
Mike Bell is the CEO at Stratus Blue.
He can be contacted at
mike@stratusblue.co.nz
2024: The year of progress
> By JAMES DENYER, WESTERN BAY OF PLENTY MAYOR
It was a tough year for many
in 2023, with rising costs of
living and severe weather
events. However, there is a quiet
optimism that 2024 is shaping up
to be a more positive year as economic
conditions improve and
we enjoy a cracking summer.
We have some exciting projects
which we will be progressing
this year.
Construction will start on the
development of 26 elder housing
units at Heron Crescent in
Katikati. The funding we have
received from government and
the contract that was awarded
late last year means that Council
will significantly improve our
provision of housing for some of
the most vulnerable in the community.
It also puts the overall
portfolio on a much stronger
financial footing, given that the
new units are fully funded from
external sources.
It will be exciting to see the Te
Puke Spatial Plan progress, which
ultimately will guide how Te Puke
grows in the future. We will be
involving the community from
the start of this planning process
to ensure it is done the right way.
We want to know what is important
to the people who live there,
what needs improving, what
should stay the same and what
other facilities are needed.
Construction of the roundabout
for the State Highway 2/
Ōmokoroa Road intersection
will also be kicking up a gear.
James Denyer
The upgrade will help improve
safety at the intersection and
also unlock critical new housing
potential in Ōmokoroa.
Our decision to defer adoption
of the Long Term Plan (LTP)
until September was supported
by legislation proposed by the
new government, recognising
the uncertainty and change local
government faces. This deferral
has also allowed Council to stand
back and see what other councils
are looking at in terms of future
rate rises.
Finding ways to cut costs but
not services is a perpetual challenge
for councils. Unfortunately,
it is clear that almost all councils
will have large rate increases this
year as the effects of inflation bite
and the costs of essential infrastructure
are factored in. The
infrastructure needed will vary
by council, but most have some
mix of repairing damage from
severe weather, large increases
in the costs of bringing roads up
to scratch, adhering to higher
standards for water assets and
providing quality facilities for the
community.
It is important to live within
our means and the best way we
can do this is by finding out what
projects in our District matter to
people the most. This year we will
be asking our community to join
us in looking at the bigger picture,
as we put together our Long Term
Plan.
We are committed to listening
to what people have to say and
doing the right things for the right
reasons.
But, again, it comes down to
priorities. We will be asking, what
is at the top of people’s lists? What
are they prepared to live with…
and without?
There will be some big decisions
to make, and the community’s
input will be crucial. I look
forward to hearing from you in
due course.
Kuhu mai koe hei āwhina i tō tātou mahi, kia panoni i te ao hei painga mō te iwi
Seeking changemakers
for awesome careers
We’re well on the way to setting ourselves
up to be a real future-focused District.
So, if you want to do extraordinary
things then come join us.
I’m a dog whisperer
(Animal Services)
I’m a TikTok
trendsetter
(Social Media)
I’m an architect of fun
(Playground Designer)
Be the change that matters.
westernbay.govt.nz/careers