Drawing showing different internet connections

Why is New Zealand Leaning Towards Smart Cities?

In the 21st century, where complex technology and consistent advancement are commonplace, our cities’ convergence with smart living innovations are clearly inevitable. New Zealanders’ desire to become and remain connected via online mediums has become insatiable, and our tenacity to adopt new digital trends and attractions is unwavering. In just three years, the average person is expected to interact with connected devices nearly 4,800 times a day. The current trends and predictive statistics deliver a clear message: our country needs cities equipped to accommodate and adapt to the myriad of technological innovations that we will indeed adopt. Our country needs smart cities.

Continue reading to learn more about why New Zealand is embracing this shift.

Greater Propensity for Connection & Efficiency

While a smart city may not mean the flying cars and robotic wait-staff of the movies, a smart city does mean a more connected and more efficient city than ever before. Think clean, renewable energy, faster broadband, and even automated services that work more reliably. Think of a city that works more like a digital ecosystem, one that can change and adapt alongside the ebbs and flows of the public itself. A smart city, in effect, is a key with which New Zealand can unlock its technological potential and lead the world in contemporary innovation.

More Intelligent Use of Data

With a more connected city, data can be more freely created and shared. A city that can utilise such data is a city set up to cultivate growth and innovation. This enlightened approach to data can help companies learn more about what makes life easier or more enjoyable for everyday people, and local councils can understand how to improve their cities and the lives of their inhabitants more effectively. Most importantly, with the increasing commodification of data, infrastructure, and energy, our economy could reach beyond its current limits into a well of currently untapped digital resources.

Vast Economic Improvements

The economic buck doesn’t stop with digital resources, however. A smart city means greater access to technology for all, lifting the digital literacy of our country amid a technological age, thus creating jobs in smart sectors, and directing our country’s focus toward continuous innovation. Again, the economic repercussions of this are significant and should not be overlooked. Smart cities are a modern way of stimulating the job market and perpetrating growth in the public and private sectors.

How Soon Will These Changes Happen in NZ?

While Smart Cities are an inevitable part of New Zealand’s future, how soon or how far we are from that future remains uncertain. Cultivating smart cities will not be instantaneous; their deployment will come down to how fast governments can act, as well as their dedication to smart city innovation.

The global market for smart cities is projected to grow from just over $539 billion in 2017 to nearly $2 trillion in just two years. However, the roll-out of smart cities will not be consistent across the world, so it’s up to our government to invest in smart city planning as soon as possible. Our government needs to get behind businesses that are waiting in the wings, ready to change over to smart cities. They need to get valuable infrastructure in place now, and not when the rest of the world has beaten us to it.

How Can You Get Involved?

If we start investing in smart cities, New Zealand will enjoy an extremely favourable chance to thrust itself further onto the world stage, becoming a global leader in innovation and data-centricity geared toward economic growth, public utility, and happiness. It’s in New Zealand’s nature to lead the world; we’ve led the charge many times before, simply because of our openness to change when the time is right. For smart cities, it’s clear that the time is right now.

If you are a forward thinker and a decision-maker, we want to hear from you. Get in touch with us today, and we can help your community get involved in the Smart City initiative.