WORKING WITH
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES In July 2016, the government announced that, in 2018, digital technology is to become part of the New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. Formally integrating digital technology into the curriculum is intended to support young people to develop skills, confidence and interest in digital technologies and lead them to opportunities across the IT sector. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Occupation Outlook 2016 provides information on the job prospects for the following jobs in Digital Technologies:
ICT Business and Systems Analysts ICT Technicians Software Developers Graphic and Web Designers For all four jobs, they comment “there is strong demand” and “demand is expected to continue increasing“. For more information, click here or visit http://www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/employment-skills/labourmarket-reports/occupation-outlook. To get an insight into what the IT industry is currently talking about, click here or visit http://techblog.nz/ to check out the IITP techblog. However, digital technologies are much broader than only these jobs. Here are profiles of some people who went to school in Hawke’s Bay who are working with digital technologies in a diverse range of jobs.
ABC SOFTWARE SHARON CHAPMAN, the founder of ABC Software, is Hawke’s Bay born and bred. After completing her schooling at Taradale High, her first job in IT was in 1983, as a computer operator for a Napier company. During more than 10 years travelling and working overseas, she progressed to IT Manager for the UK division of Europ Assistance. In 1996 Sharon returned home and started her own business, which has become ABC Software. ABC Software are custom software specialists, who build software solutions specifically to meet the needs of their business clients, and then provide ongoing support. Recently they have focused on the horticulture sector, developing software packages to suit growers, packers and traders. They are active in the NZ and Australian markets; their local clients including Mr Apple Ltd and Rockit Apples. ABC Software is now a team of 10 highly skilled, professional software developers. BRENDAN BIGGS works at ABC Software as a software developer/ systems architect. When he left Taradale High he went to EIT to do a Bachelor of Computer Systems (BCS). In his final year of the degree he worked at ABC as an intern, which led to them offering him a job when he completed his degree; he has been there ever since. Brendan’s day to day job involves designing and writing software and frameworks for clients, and on-site visits to install and set up the software he has written; this has involved overseas travel to clients in Australia. He also does research and development into new technology and how ABC can apply it to their software. He has done projects for Mr Apple, Corson Grain, Hasmate and Lunchonline. Brendan says “Learning to program gives you the potential to create whatever you want i.e. your own tech company, mobile application, website. You can even travel the world and be a freelance programmer.“
BAND AL MACKIE was inspired by his graphics teacher at Taradale High to pursue a career in graphic design. After working in many different companies in NZ and overseas, Al and Tom Allan started Band in 2009. Al wanted to be self-employed, and do something different, and saw an opportunity for a new creative agency, where he’s the Art Director. Of the Band team, Al is the only one with no formal tertiary qualifications, but these days, when looking for new staff, he’s usually looking for people with a diploma or degree in graphic design. But a tertiary qualification won’t guarantee you a job; Al says your approach, attitude, work ethic, presentation (e.g. no spelling mistakes and good English language in your CV), and ability to stand out from the crowd, are equally as important. He recommends that people working in creative roles travel, to get a broad picture of the world. “Up until the age of 30 I’d never lived anywhere for more than 2 years. Rather unsettling in some respects, but the constant moving taught me how to quickly adapt to new situations, and blessed me with an open mind and listening ears – an advantage in the creative industry.” FI TINDALL is a graphic designer at Band. After schooling at Havelock North High and Woodford House, she did a 3 year Diploma in Visual Communication Design at Wellington Polytech (this course is now offered by the College of Creative Arts at Massey University in Wellington). Fi spent 15 years working in graphic design and advertising in Wellington, Hawke’s Bay and the UK, which included a stint working part-time when her 2 children were born. After 5 years in Melbourne working in child care, Fi returned to HB in 2014, she worked for 9 months as Graphic Designer for the Hastings City Art Gallery before joining Band. Band’s design work is diverse - including branding, websites, interiors, product and marketing brochures, signage, product labels, advertising campaigns - anything that requires design to communicate a message to potential clients.
CROSSMAN RICHARDS When NICK BRYAN left Taradale High he chose to study a BE (Hons) majoring in Mechatronics at Massey. It is a requirement of the degree that students do 900 hours work experience during the summer breaks; during one summer Nick worked for Fiserv (the leading provider of mobile banking technology in the world) in the Auckland CBD, developing and testing mobile banking applications. Two weeks after he completed his degree in November 2015, Nick started work at Crossman Richards in Hastings, as a Graduate Engineer. Crossman Richards are specialists in industrial automation; they have clients in food and beverage processing, water and waste water, wine, materials handling, cool storage, meat and wool processing, and general manufacturing, in Hawke’s Bay, around NZ and overseas. Their local clients include Craggy Range, Wattie’s, Mr Apple and Hawk Packaging. Nick’s work currently involves programming of automation systems and computer and networking programming. Nick says “Engineering is a great career to be involved with and has many different opportunities to further your career and learning.”
543 DESIGN When JAMIE TWIGG left Napier Boys High in 2002, he went to the University of Otago to do a Bachelor of Laws (LLB). After 5 years working as a lawyer in NZ, and 3 years in Melbourne as the general manager of an event management and marketing company, Jamie decided law wasn’t for him. He returned to Napier, and in 2015 started 543 Design. The company does websites, online advertising and social media, targeted at small businesses. Jamie has no formal qualifications in digital technologies, although he did study second year papers in computer science in conjunction with his Law degree. “Getting into the digital space definitely didn’t require that specific study, but I’m sure it would have sped me along the path a lot quicker. I’ve self-taught myself the basics of coding, and the design side I’ve just picked up along my early career path. I’m in a lucky generation that has grown up right at the front of technology and computer use - as we move forward I suspect the IT degrees and digital knowledge coming through even high school will really make it a competitive market. My advice learn to code, and if you like it, you’ll walk into a job - a well-paid one at that.” Asked why he chose to set up business in Hawke’s Bay, Jamie says: “My big focus has been that Hawkes Bay is an incredible place to live, but I haven’t been restricted to a client base here. Because the world is so mobile now I’ve got clients all over New Zealand and am constantly looking for new opportunities in the tech space. The big benefit I have over companies in big centres is my overheads are so much lower in Hawkes Bay; I can offer far better pricing, and the local business community is extremely loyal and friendly, so I was welcomed very quickly when starting something new. You just have to look at companies like Fastway and Xero, whose owners are Hawkes Bay locals, to realise big things can start around these parts.”
FASTWAY GLOBAL When AMANDA PRICE completed her schooling at Sacred Heart College she went to Victoria University to complete a double degree in Law & Commerce. After two years she decided that law wasn’t for her, and moved home and enrolled in EIT’s Bachelor of Business Studies, cross crediting a number of the papers she completed in Wellington. At the end of her first semester at EIT she spoke to a number of professors and students and decided to also undertake the Bachelor of Computing Systems. Amanda is currently completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology. Amanda started working for Fastway Global as an IT intern in 2011, during the final year of her BCS, and was offered a job when she completed her degree. Established in 1983 in Napier, Fastway Couriers is now a globally franchised courier company with over 30 years’ experience and a presence in five countries: New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Northern Ireland and South Africa. Amanda started out as a Business Analyst, developing specifications for the company’s IT solutions. She is now doing a combination of both this and product management - working with Blackbay, the external provider of the courier scanner application. The company uses Blackbay computer technology and online parcel track and trace facilities, so their courier drivers and customers can track their parcels in real time. Amanda works with Blackbay to ensure that the Courier Franchisees have streamlined processes for data collection, to improve their time management, ultimately enabling them to pick up and deliver more parcels. Amanda says “There is high demand in the IT industry in NZ and overseas for graduates with all round IT knowledge who also possess people skills; it’s not as nerdy as you might think! My job involves A LOT of talking to our Franchisees across NZ, Australia, South Africa and Ireland; it’s a fun job with huge opportunities and plenty of room to upskill and diversify into other roles.” GRACE PATTERSON works as a Business Analyst at Fastway Global. When she left Havelock North High School she studied a Bachelor of Computing Systems at EIT. During her final year of the degree, she did a 6 month IT Internship at Alto Packaging, where she designed, developed and implemented a product specification database / system, which is now in use at the business. Grace has been working as a Business Analyst at Fastway Global for just over 3 years. Her role involves working with the head offices in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Ireland to understand their IT requirements and effectively communicate these to the company’s software developers. It also includes testing software, writing documentation for users when new software is released, and coordinating system releases. Grace says “Working in this industry has allowed me to gain a broad range of skills which are in high demand; I could easily find work almost anywhere in the world.”
I-NET CORPORATION MIKE CARIAN, a past pupil of Hastings Boys High, founded I-Net Corporation in Hawke’s Bay in 2011. The company is a telecommunications provider, specialising in providing a 2 way radio service to industry clients. Their customers need a “mission critical” service, and cannot rely on cellphones - they don’t work in the location or are too slow. For example, 2 way radios were used by the emergency services after the Christchurch earthquake, as the cellphone services were overloaded. I-Net’s clients include Napier Port, Pan Pac, Landcorp and Silver Fern Farms, and customers overseas. The Port uses I-Net’s services for communication between the crane driver loading/unloading the ship, and the stevedores on the ship, where the two may not be in sight of each other and need to be able to communicate in real time. Mike learnt everything he knows on the job, working for other companies; there are few relevant industry training courses. He says the work is very varied; everything from installing communications towers in remote locations, to commissioning the radios and training the operators. No two days are the same. It suits someone who can think on their feet, thinks outside the box, pays attention to detail, works well under difficult circumstances (e.g. after the snow storm in August!), doesn’t take risks, and enjoys working outdoors in all weather. Many of the people doing this work are close to retirement, so there are job opportunities for young people with the right attitude and life skills.
MOGUL When GEORGINA MILLER left Woodford House she went to Massey University to do a BA in Social Anthropology. She spent several years working in hospitality, travelling overseas and working in London. Georgina’s first job in IT was working part time for MSGTAG, providing technical support to their clients worldwide, while being a Mum to two young children. In 2007 Georgina and husband Matt established Mogul Limited, a digital marketing company. Based in Havelock North, Mogul provides a full suite of digital services, including web design, web development, email marketing, social media and digital marketing consultancy services. In addition, they have developed two proprietary software products that they’re selling to an international market. Their customers include schools, local, national and international businesses, Hastings District Council, Te Manawa Museum of Art, Science & History in Palmerston North, World of WearableArt, and Xero partners across the globe including Australia, Asia, the US and the UK. Georgina is the Managing Director of the company, which now employs 8 staff, including account/project managers, graphic designers and web developers. They have a diverse range of degrees/diplomas, including qualifications in e-commerce, graphic design, physics and electronics, information science, computer science, information systems, media, visual art and design, multimedia and web development, photography, arts, commerce and administration. She says: “Mogul is always looking for talented people to join the growing team.”
NEED A NERD Need a Nerd was established in Hawke’s Bay in 2004, by ADAM DUNKERLEY, a past pupil of Hastings Boys High. The company now has 13 branches, from Whangarei to Invercargill, providing computer and technology support for homes and small businesses. JARROD SMITH was their second employee. When Jarrod left Napier Boys High he worked full time while studying electro-technology part time through the Open Polytech. While working in the UK for 6 years, he completed a course to become a Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert. He returned to NZ in 2004 and joined Need a Nerd in 2005, where he sets up and troubleshoots networks and software. As well as on the job training, he recently completed the Microsoft Office 365 certification. JULIA NORTON, a past pupil of Havelock North High, studied a Bachelor in Business Management and Business Information Systems, extramurally through Massey, while being a mum to 3 young children. When she completed her degree, she worked as a volunteer in IT at the hospital, to gain work experience; this lead to her being offered a position as Software Compliance Analyst in 2014. In 2016 Julia became a Nerd, where her job involves customer service and fixing computer hardware and software problems. BLAIR TURPIN is also a Nerd. Blair attended Karamu High and Hastings Boys High, before doing a BCS at EIT. In the final semester of his degree, Blair did a project for an industry client – he built a website for the Citizen’s Advice Bureau. A few days after completing his degree, he started a job at the company.
NOW NZ BEC MITCHELL was born and bred in Napier. When she left Tamatea High she knew she wanted to work in Business, and fell into IT in her early 20’s. Over time she worked in Wellington, London and Melbourne in various roles, starting as a Project Coordinator and progressing to IT Project Manager. Bec says ”I never completed a diploma or degree, rather I had the drive and ambition to prove myself and worked hard. That said, I have done industry specific training over time related to Agile software development and project management methodologies, and I am currently the Project Manager for NOW NZ. I have worked for DHL, Reuters, Yellow Pages and News Corp as a Contractor over the last 10 years, before returning to live in Napier a year ago.” NOW NZ was founded in Napier in 2002 as Airnet, and is rapidly expanding, now providing telecommunications services to business and residential customers in Hawke’s Bay, Wellington and Rotorua. Asked why she returned to Napier, Bec says “I couldn’t wait to leave 20 years ago! I yearned for the excitement of a big city and better opportunities and never thought I’d move back to New Zealand, let alone Napier. But fast forward 20 years and 2 children later, and you see Napier in a different light. We’ve travelled the world, worked for big companies internationally, lived the fast city life but we moved back for a lifestyle change. Our commutes aren’t an hour anymore, they’re 5 minutes, we have family support which makes life so much easier with kids, and funnily enough many of my good friends have done the same thing – left school, left Napier, lived overseas, then come back to settle in their 30s and have a family because Napier is an amazing place.” In her role as Project Manager for NOW, Bec manages a team of 7 including a Business Analyst, Database Administrator and Software Developers. The team is responsible for building and maintaining the systems that support the business and NOW’s customers. Bec is currently looking for 3 new senior technical staff, and cannot find them in Napier, so is recruiting overseas. NATASHA DREW works at NOW NZ as a Provisioning Coordinator. When she left Taradale High she did a Bachelor of Computing Systems at EIT. In her final semester at EIT, Tash did an internship, in Technical Support, at NOWNZ. On completion of her degree, they offered her a job in Technical Support. A year later, Tash successfully applied for the Provisioning Coordinator job. She works in the provisioning/ service delivery department of the company. Her role has a strong customer focus, specifically owning the router deployment process and address moves. On a daily basis, she also organises new connections, disconnections, additions and changes, portability of phone numbers and Customer on-boarding and off-boarding. Tash recently started a Post Graduate Diploma IT at EIT, and plans to continue on to do Masters. She says: “My main reasoning behind doing the Postgrad/ Masters is to further my education/knowledge in IT and make myself more employable in the future. I’m not sure where I might be in 5 years’ time, but the qualification demonstrates a commitment to learning.”
NZ DIGITAL ADAM HARRIS is the Managing Director of NZ Digital, a digital marketing agency he founded in 2011. When Adam left Napier Boys High, he went on to EIT and completed a Diploma in Visual Arts & Design. After graduating he held roles within newspaper and traditional advertising agencies. NZ Digital offers design and development services, including web design and development, software development, digital strategy, search engine optimisation, email and social media marketing. Their client base includes over 150 different businesses from many industries, 40% are based outside of Hawke’s Bay and 60% are based locally including, Agrecovery, Gevir Premium Deer Velvet and Property Tax Returns. NZ Digital has collaborated with local design house Band, on a number of high profile projects, including Unison and Learning Hawke’s Bay. In 2015 NZ Digital won the Westpac Chamber of Commerce Business Award for the “Best Small Business”. Their interdisciplinary team is made up of 9 currently, including two visual design interns from EIT, and two dogs. ALICE LEE works at NZ Digital as a Visual Designer. When she left Napier Girls High she studied politics at Victoria University. After taking time out to travel, she returned home and went back to study a Bachelor of Visual Art and Design at EIT, where she graduated as top design student. In the final year of her degree, she interned at NZ Digital and was offered a full-time job there at the completion of her study. As a Visual Designer, Alice does a range of work for clients, from web design and content management to branding and social media management. She has worked on projects for many types of businesses, from law firms and agricultural companies to yoga studios and health products. Alice’s advice to students is: “Don’t turn down any opportunity, at least give it a go, you might turn out somewhere unexpected and love it.”
PROPHECY NETWORKS When RICHARD EARWICKER left Tamatea High in 2002, at the end of Year 12, he went to EIT to do a BCS. After graduating he worked in Hawke’s Bay for two and a half years in web development and IT support, before moving to Wellington to work for IBA Health as a Solutions Consultant. In 2009 Richard returned to Napier “to escape the Wellington weather” and joined Prophecy Networks. The company is 100% New Zealand owned and operated, and was established in Wellington in 2001 by a team of senior networking and security engineers passionate about technical excellence and complex problem solving. Prophecy specialises in Telecommunications, IT networks, hosted services and operations support throughout New Zealand. The Napier office hosts their main data centre, and employs 8 people servicing local clients, which include Napier Port, Whakatu Coldstores, Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga and Goodtime Foods, and clients all over New Zealand. Richard is contracted full time to Napier Port to design and support their IT infrastructure, including networking, servers, phones and camera systems. Asked what he enjoys about working in IT, he says ”Seeing the implementation of new technology change how an organisation operates is very rewarding. I’m always being challenged, problem solving and learning.”
DEVINE COMPUTING CRAIG MCCONNOCHIE works for Devine Computing, a company specialising in providing IT support to small to medium sized businesses in Hawke’s Bay. When he finished at Napier Boys High, Craig did a Bachelor of Computing Systems at EIT. In the final semester of the degree, he did work experience at Devine Computing, and they subsequently offered him a job in November 2014. Craig is an IT Technician, working alongside the company’s experienced engineers, setting up and maintaining servers and networks, and providing hardware and software support to their clients.
RCR ENERGY When JUSTIN MAGON left Taradale High he went to EIT to do a Diploma in Design Technology. Since graduating he has worked at RCR Energy, as a CAD Draftsman, working his way up from a cadet to Senior Draftsman. Justin works in a team with mechanical and electrical engineers to design multimillion dollar, large scale heavy fabrication projects, including thermal energy pressure vessels and supporting plant equipment. He’s designed projects for Nestle Chile and UK, BlueScope Steel, Millennium Chemicals, Westland Dairy and Silver Fern Farms. He has been on many site visits around New Zealand, and has travelled overseas to assist RCR design teams. Justin says: ”I love the constant challenge to think of design solutions to solve issues that arise throughout a project’s life. I enjoy seeing my design from start to finish, from initial concepts to finished rendered computer models, to the final product that is out operating in the field. Sometimes I forget how large the equipment is; one site visit changes this instantly! I enjoy designing every aspect of such large scale projects.”
T & G PIPFRUIT HELEN JAMIESON (nee Burnett), a past pupil of Karamu High, completed a Diploma in Information and Communication Technology at EIT, then went on to do a BCS majoring in Computer Programming. After graduating she worked part time at Heretaunga Intermediate as Systems Administrator/ ICT Support, whilst also working part time as a Technical Writer for Cumberland Systems. She then spent nearly 3 years tutoring adult students at Quantum Education Group. In 2016 Helen joined T&G Pipfruit as IS Field Support, where she is a member of the team looking after the company’s information systems. Information systems are used for tracking every bin of apples coming into the coolstores, through the packhouse into a carton, and every pallet of cartons going out to markets around NZ and overseas, so they are a critical part of the business. Helen says: “I’m responsible for fixing IT related problems as they occur, be that in the packhouses, coolstores, orchard offices, or admin office; all sorts of places! I also help to roll out new infrastructure and systems. I love how diverse my role is.” When not working and being a Mum, Helen is heavily involved in Girl Guiding NZ, with whom she has volunteered for 9 years.
UNISON After finishing his schooling in Hawke’s Bay, MARC GULLIKSEN completed a BE (Hons) majoring in Electrical Engineering at Canterbury University in 2010. In 2011 Marc joined the Unison graduate development programme, and for 1 ½ years journeyed through the company working with many of the different business groups. Marc is now a Network Integration Engineer, involved in developing Unison’s Smart Network. The Smart Network uses ‘real-time’ data from the electricity network, to optimise decision making around network investment, improve the ability to use existing capacity in the network, enhance asset management, and provide additional services on the modern network, all for the ultimate benefit of Unison’s customers and shareholders. To do this, they continually research, trial and deploy the latest communications technologies and emerging trends in electricity distribution, to ensure their network really is ‘world-class’. Unison has been leading the deployment of world-class technology - in some cases being the first company globally to install the latest innovations in smart network technology.
XERO BEN VIDULICH, a past pupil of Taradale High, completed a BE (Hons) majoring in Network Engineering at Victoria University in 2014. He is now on the Xero Graduate Programme, in the Platform Services team, after completing an internship there during the previous summer. His work there as an automation engineer involves building software to manage infrastructure in the cloud, automating the provisioning process of web application servers, and developing continuous deployment systems. Ben says: “Learning to code gives you an amazing skill that presents many opportunities and challenges - even in areas previously not thought possible.”
Photos and diagrams courtesy of ABC Software, Band, Crossman Richards, Haden & Custance, Mogul, Napier Port, NZ Digital, RCR Energy and Unison. AUGUST 2016
