RFUANZ report: people and tech are the answer

Welcome back world, it is good to see you.

On a recent flight to Wellington I realised I have not flown for a while and was very happy that Air New Zealand have once again updated their safety video ‘Tiaki, care for Aotearoa’.

As funny as some of the old ones were, they can get very old, very quick. ‘Kakapo’ was running for several years and it was long, only halfway through and we were already in the air. We have had some terrible ones: ‘Randa’ got pulled after a month, it was just a mess and confusing to boot.

The latest iteration has a quote that for me, as a father, hits home: “We don’t inherit the world from our ancestors, but we are leaving it to our children.” This, along with the recent carbon neutral developments from the government, are driving us to think more sustainably as a country and see how the development of technology is going to afford us these graces.

There are many out there that claim the world is already beyond saving and that cow burps alone will be the downfall of humanity; or: the cobalt mined for batteries is causing more damage to the environment than the burning of fossil fuels, wind turbines will absorb all the wind and cause birds to get lost, solar will take all the sun away and, don’t forget, the earth is flat and the Southern Hemisphere is a myth!

Bravo to you fellow Discworld fans, you have done well, which of these claims could be from US senators? I could go on but, when I encounter these people, I point out that I am a senior government employee that works with government and private agencies and can confirm some things they think may be correct but, I cannot tell anyone which ones, so please do not ask me!

As a boy that grew up in a New Zealand rural setting and travelled the vast farmlands of the south, I feel we are going to be held accountable for the most natural of resources. It is no secret that New Zealand relies on its primary industry to run, but how do we unlock the potential for a transformation to carbon neutrality? Carbon credits, emissions trading, bovine antacids? Sounds like an accountant trying to fix a multi burner.

Are we smarter than this? I for one feel we are and look to the diverse technology we are becoming accustomed to.

The iPhone opened the world to the idea of mobile phones being more than a way to communicate. Now so far developed it is really just bigger, better, faster but with no real new innovation.  Two-way radio is now so reliable and dependable that it is the go-to for any critical communications. Plus, for many small to medium enterprises, even for their day-to-day running.

Add to this its plethora of accessories physical and virtual that you can now leverage with simple radio solutions and there is no excuse for making excuses around communications. Especially now that the added layer regarding IoT integration over WAN is a reality.

I am proud to be part of this innovative and energetic industry.