ITP Techblog

Kia ora koutou ITP members and supporters. Let me introduce myself. 

Ko Kaukau te maunga te rū nei taku ngākau

Ko Maitai te awa e mahea nei aku māharahara

Nō Whakatū ahau

E mihi ana ki ngā tohu o nehe, o Te Whanga-nui-a-tara e noho nei au Ko MacLennan tōku whanau

Ko Vic tōku ingoa 

Mount Kaukau is the mountain that speaks to my heart. Maitai is the river that alleviates my worries. I'm from Nelson. I recognise the ancestral and spiritual landmarks of Wellington where I live. MacLennan is my family name. My name is Vic. 

It really is a wonderful privilege to be stepping into the role of CEO for IT Professionals. I've worked in this creative vibrant industry for over 30 years now and am confident we are only just hitting our stride. The opportunities digital technologies bring are extraordinary and the ability for us to collectively focus our efforts on solving the biggest challenges facing Aotearoa are boundless. Climate and sustainability challenges, health and wellbeing, poverty and equity - to name a few. 

 In the 2019 Digital Skills for a Digital Nation report 114,450* people identified as digital technologies workers - this number grows every day. Our industry pays double the median salary of Aotearoa, the career progression opportunities, education and personal growth opportunities are almost unlimited. Yet IT roles ranked at only number 47** on the list of careers children aged 7-13 aspire to hold. Being a professional gamer ranked at #13 but game developer didn't feature at all. 

Unfortunately we as an industry are not perfect. Our workforce includes less than 25% women, 4% Māori and 2.8% Pacific peoples, with no recorded status on how many people we employ with disabilities or those who identify as LBTQI. 

Lets face it. As an industry we lack diversity.  

The reasons for this are complex and often systemic. Change will be required across the entire ecosystem from the education sector to employers, the attitudes of our collective workforce and a material shift in understanding what digital technology can offer by the wider population. 

Imagine if digital technologies became the most welcoming industry to work for? better still if we in Aotearoa really embraced Manaakitanga and became the most attractive, exciting place to work in the world. Creating an environment that is safe, supportive and inclusive. 

We could become an unstoppable force for good. 

Many of you have been incredibly generous, congratulating me and sharing your own aspirations for our industry. I wholeheartedly share your vision and am humbled to be trusted to help realise those aspirations. 

I am really looking forward to connecting with you all, ITP members and supporters, working together on changing the face of our industry. 

Ngā mihi nui, Vic

 

Below is a photo from my mountain Mt Kaukau of the fabulous harbour and city vista. 

Sources

* Digital Skills Forum report, Digital Skills for our Digital Future https://nztech.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2021/01/Digital-Skills-Aotearoa-Report-2021_online.pdf

** TEC Report Drawing the Future https://www.tec.govt.nz/assets/Publications-and-others/TEC-Drawing-the-Future-Report-v3.pdf