ChannelLife New Zealand - Industry insider news for technology resellers
New Zealand

Spark Stories

Kiwi Stories

Spark stories

Microsoft expands AI skills drive across New Zealand
Data Protection

Microsoft expands AI skills drive across New Zealand

The expansion follows early uptake of Microsoft’s previous pledge, as demand for AI training rises across business, schools and community groups.

By Mark Tarre • 4 min read • Tue, 21st Apr 2026
Tuanz warns New Zealand of widening digital safety gaps
Unified Communications

Tuanz warns New Zealand of widening digital safety gaps

Schools, households and agencies face uneven access and safety online as TUANZ urges a national rethink over AI, curriculum and mobile coverage.

By Kaleah Salmon • 4 min read • Fri, 10th Apr 2026
Spark & Ericsson launch private 5G to boost NZ industry
Robotics

Spark & Ericsson launch private 5G to boost NZ industry

Spark and Ericsson launch private 5G service in New Zealand, enhancing industrial connectivity for automation and digital transformation across key sectors.

By Melvin Hipolito • 4 min read • Mon, 3rd Nov 2025
New Zealand's chance to lead in green datacentres
Hyperscale

New Zealand's chance to lead in green datacentres

New Zealand stands poised to lead in sustainable data centres, harnessing 85% renewable energy to power AI growth worth NZD $3.4b annually by 2035.

By Ollie Hill • 4 min read • Wed, 22nd Oct 2025
New service boosts network visibility for emergency services
Esri

New service boosts network visibility for emergency services

New Zealand emergency services gain real-time and forecast cellular network visibility via Next Generation Critical Communications' new service aiding operational planning.

By Kaleah Salmon • 3 min read • Thu, 18th Sep 2025
Spark launches kid-focused mobile plan with parental controls
Cloud Services

Spark launches kid-focused mobile plan with parental controls

Spark launches the Kids Plan, a NZD $20 monthly mobile plan with parental controls and access to digital parenting resources for families.

By Melvin Hipolito • 5 min read • Mon, 4th Aug 2025
Steven Lawrence named Chief Technical Director at NGCC
Network Infrastructure

Steven Lawrence named Chief Technical Director at NGCC

Steven Lawrence has been appointed Chief Technical Director at NGCC to lead New Zealand's Public Safety Network cellular services expansion.

By Melvin Hipolito • 3 min read • Mon, 14th Jul 2025
New government 'alliance' formed to combat online scammers
Cybersecurity

New government 'alliance' formed to combat online scammers

New Zealand's government forms 'Anti-Scam Alliance' with banks, police and tech firms to tackle online scams through real-time data sharing.

By Craig McCulloch • 2 min read • Fri, 11th Jul 2025
New Zealanders switch providers as broadband & power costs rise
Unified Communications

New Zealanders switch providers as broadband & power costs rise

New Zealanders face rising broadband and power costs this winter, prompting a surge in provider switches as households seek to cut bills amid the cost-of-living crisis.

By Melania Watson • 3 min read • Thu, 19th Jun 2025
One New Zealand invests NZD $100 million, wins top network award
Mobile data

One New Zealand invests NZD $100 million, wins top network award

One New Zealand secures 'Best in Test' mobile network award for the fourth year after investing NZD $100 million in 4G and 5G upgrades nationwide.

By Sean Mitchell • 3 min read • Wed, 18th Jun 2025
NZD $9.6 billion cloud spend looms but most are unprepared
Digital Transformation

NZD $9.6 billion cloud spend looms but most are unprepared

New Zealand's cloud spending is set to reach NZD $9.6 billion by 2028, but only a third of businesses are ready to exploit its full potential.

By Sean Mitchell • 3 min read • Wed, 4th Jun 2025
Turning NZ's 3G shutdown into an opportunity for IoT growth
Network Infrastructure

Turning NZ's 3G shutdown into an opportunity for IoT growth

New Zealand's 3G shutdown by year-end pressures businesses to shift to 4G LTE, turning challenges into IoT growth opportunities with expert support.

By Kat Dempsey • 4 min read • Tue, 20th May 2025
Satellite upgrade brings better access at Waitomo sites
Unified Communications

Satellite upgrade brings better access at Waitomo sites

Discover Waitomo in New Zealand's King Country has enhanced connectivity and safety with Spark's Starlink satellite internet, replacing unreliable VDSL access.

By Sean Mitchell • 3 min read • Fri, 18th Apr 2025

Global Stories

Spark stories

Kumo launches KumoRFM-2 for enterprise relational data
Data Analytics

Kumo launches KumoRFM-2 for enterprise relational data

Businesses could cut feature engineering as KumoRFM-2 queries connected tables directly and handles datasets of more than 500 billion rows.

By Catherine Knowles • 4 min read • Wed, 15th Apr 2026
Cisco launches Data Fabric to unify machine data for AI insights
Private Cloud

Cisco launches Data Fabric to unify machine data for AI insights

Cisco launches Data Fabric platform, unifying machine data to streamline AI model training, automated workflows and real-time operational insights for enterprises.

By Jed Nykolle Harme • 5 min read • Wed, 10th Sep 2025
OVHcloud launches all-in-one data platform for analytics & AI
Virtualisation

OVHcloud launches all-in-one data platform for analytics & AI

OVHcloud launches its Data Platform, a cloud service enabling organisations to analyse data with AI while ensuring compliance, cost control, and data sovereignty.

By Shannon Williams • 3 min read • Thu, 24th Apr 2025

Stories from Other Regions

Spark stories

Core tech skills still key for Australian jobs in 2025
Data Analytics

Core tech skills still key for Australian jobs in 2025

Traditional tech skills like SQL, Python and cloud platforms remain crucial for Australian digital jobs in 2025, despite growing interest in AI, says new research.

By Jed Nykolle Harme • 4 min read • Thu, 5th Jun 2025