NEC New Zealand hosts Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister visit to showcase smart cities projects at Technology Innovation Centre

(L-R) Head of Smart City Solutions Tim Packer, NEC New Zealand; Head of Innovation Philippa Bowron, Wellington City Council; Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister Andrew Barr; General Manager of Corporate Strategy Takashi Tada, NEC Australia

Wellington and Melbourne, 18 July 2016 – NEC New Zealand, a leading New Zealand ICT services and solutions firm, hosted Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister, Andrew Barr, at NEC’s Technology Innovation Centre in Wellington for a demonstration of NEC New Zealand’s Smart City projects in partnership with Wellington City Council.

Chief Minister Barr, who visited Wellington to sign a new sister city agreement with Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown, and his delegation were presented with an in-depth look at NEC’s innovative smart city technology, such as sensors that can ‘smell’ solvents to detect graffiti in action and reduce street light energy use, lowering city energy costs.

“It was fantastic to see firsthand how Wellington City Council and NEC New Zealand are working together to achieve real solutions to city problems by implementing innovative technology. It is clear why this is such a successful partnership and a model that Canberra can draw inspiration from as we work towards becoming a leading international smart city’, said Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister, Andrew Barr.

The tour featured technologies implemented in Wellington, such as CCTV camera software to support the monitoring of traffic for asset management, NEC’s Cloud City Operations Centre (CCOC) for real-time visualisation of city operations and NEC’s Kite Flexible Sensing Platform that enables a city-wide sensor network.

“We look forward to collaboration opportunities with city councils to explore how NEC’s Smart City solutions can enable high-quality urban living for the community while contributing to a safer, eco-friendly environment,” said Tim Packer, Head of Smart City Solutions, NEC New Zealand.

The visit to NEC New Zealand was part of a tour organised by Wellington City Council to showcase Wellington’s key economic and innovation opportunities. The sister city agreement will bring the two capital cities of Canberra and Wellington closer together, strengthen economic ties and increase the impact of both cities on the global stage.