The government wants to double New Zealand’s exports by 2034, but there’s a missing piece: innovation.

Velocity is New Zealand’s leading university entrepreneurship development programme with a 22-year legacy. Each year’s programme includes seminars, start-up competitions and workshops. Its impact on New Zealand’s start-up ecosystem is exponential, with alumni creating hundreds of start-ups, thousands of jobs and raising billions in capital.

The Business School’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, has long been a catalyst for fostering innovative thinking and entrepreneurial talent. Now, its leadership is continuing to extend its impact beyond campus, with CIE Director Darsel Keane appointed to the Auckland Business Chamber’s Tech Council.

Summer Lab is part of CIE’s wider commitment to developing innovative and entrepreneurial mindsets at university. Since its inception, the programme has grown in size and reputation.

With their world-first superconducting magnet system now in orbit, and investment from one of Japan’s largest venture capital firms, there’s no stopping Zenno Astronautics - or its founder, Max Arshavsky.

The Business School’s new Hynds Lecturer of Entrepreneurship, Dr Marissa Kaloga, is driven by a desire to help address inequities in entrepreneurial outcomes.

Dr Haruna Suzuki-Kerr is a researcher at Waipapa Taumata Rau, the University of Auckland, who is on a mission to revolutionise hearing care—translating cutting-edge research into real-world solutions.

By claiming workplaces need to “man up”, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is ignoring one of the biggest untapped opportunities for economic growth – women entrepreneurs.

Most New Zealanders revel in the country’s existence as an island nation, regularly enjoying our beaches. However, how many people know of our oceans’ economic potential?

New Zealand must prepare for the long game if it is serious about fostering a world-class innovation ecosystem.