New Zealand has announced a global first today becoming the first nation in the world to have all of its local Council’s join the Smart Cities Council.
Under the partnership the Association of Local Government Information Management (ALGIM) and Smart Cities Council Australia New Zealand (SCCANZ) will work together to provide world leading resources to the Council’s, including SCCANZ’s leading Smart Cities Academy and Smart Cities Practitioner Certificate program.
Both parties will engage in a range of networking, thought leadership and collaborative project engagement activities.
New Zealand Director for SCCANZ Jannat Maqbool said, “We are excited to continue to build and showcase to other nations how New Zealand is using technology and data to enhance liveability, workability and sustainability”.
Maqbool continued, “New Zealand lends itself well to collaboration and through this new relationship we are exploring a number of opportunities where we don't reinvent wheels or cause greater confusion when it comes leveraging the potential of technology and maximising return on investment where it really matters, for our communities and the environment.”
Billy Michels, ALGIM President and Team Leader ICT Operations, Community and Services at Waikato Regional Council, stewarded the partnership on behalf of the ALGIM Board.
Of the partnership, Michels said “We’re excited by this initiative. ALGIM and SCCANZ have similar goals and this partnership will give our members access to a variety of opportunities to upskill, interact and collaborate on digital projects.”
ALGIM’s Chief Executive Mike Manson congratulated the ALGIM Board’s decision on the partnership saying “ALGIM’s mission is bringing people and technology together to deliver better Local Government services and this partnership advances that journey of Digital Transformation. We are excited to be collaborating with Smart Cities Council to develop smart cities, towns and regions across New Zealand.”
Executive Director for SCCANZ, Adam Beck, said “with ALGIM’s strategic mission to bring people and technology together to deliver better local government services, SCCANZ feels we have strong alignment in values and goals.”
The new multi-year partnership will ensure that all Council’s in New Zealand have the opportunity to engage and contribute to the nation’s smart cities agenda, and also internationally. The more visible benefits from the partnership will include a New Zealand specific smart cities newsletter, training under the Smart Cities Academy, and Council networking opportunities. More broadly, this partnership will benefit and include solution providers, knowledge and research partners and members of the startup-up ecosystem, by providing a stronger voice and more strategic approach to advancing data leadership for the nation and ensure a focus on achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
