This is a sad, sad development indeed. NZRise has been a strong and, in so many ways, very effective voice for local IT companies. They championed local talent and growth in our IT sector, fighting government procurement systems that structurally excluded them in favor of overseas giants.
If you are in a position to hire local companies to do your IT work, I strongly encourage you to do that. Those businesses put the money you spend right back into our economy. The alternatives siphon money out of our economy sending it overseas. Local companies also pay their fair share of taxes, supporting civil society in that way. Many of the multinationals have tax avoidance strategies that results in them paying next to nothing in taxes here.
As a small business owner, we go local first - in IT and anything else possible. You can do that too.
Why is NZRise winding up now?
Despite these achievements, keeping momentum has grown increasingly difficult. Like many volunteer-led organizations, we’ve faced declining engagement—a challenge impacting not just NZRise but many other not-for-profits. The current government has shown little interest in addressing issues critical to NZ-owned digital businesses, while multinationals gain increasingly easier access to agencies and politicians alike. This stark contrast is hard to reconcile: digital technology is touted as a key export sector, yet our government continues to prioritise large offshore companies over buying from or listening to local businesses. Finally, recent changes to the Incorporated Societies Act add compliance requirements that, without dedicated resources, are difficult to meet.
itp.nz 