Almost 10 years on, what Sir Paul Callaghan said while presenting in March 2011 still holds true.
We need to understand the true drivers for our economy – and even back then he knew it wasn’t tourism or politician identified ‘knowledge’.
Niche tech – as identified and researched by entrepreneurs, not bureaucrats and certainly not politicians .
Then he emphasised something so very close to my heart.
We need to be a country where talent wants to live!
We need our environment and communities to be places where our talent wants to remain. We don’t want people flying off to build businesses in Silicon Valley, Hollywood or Tokyo.
It is never a case of the economy or the environment/community. All three are always linked and we must support each of them.
Sir Paul Callaghan – StrategyNZ: Mapping our Future – March 2011
The Optimistic Cynic 