*hyperLINK***hyperLINK***hyperLINK***hyperLINK***hyperLINK* Here is this week's hyperLINK, your window on the local, national and international IT sector, brought to you by Canterbury Software Inc and editor Carol Webb. It includes news on the next CSI Tech BBQ and other CSI events, as part of promoting success through connections for IT products, services and people.
See the full version at http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/current.htm Sign-up options at http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/news.htm + Please forward this newsletter. You can freely re-use the feature stories, provided you acknowledge the credited feature story writer and hyperLINK as source. ############### FRIDAY TECH BBQ JULY 25: Warm, cosy, private and smoke-free Marilyn's room at LA's Bar and Cafe, 31 Dundas St, from 5.30pm. Food and drinks available at the bar. Dundas St runs off Colombo St between the Smiths City buildings and behind Pak'n Save. Parking is (usually) pretty easy. Anyone interested in cracking the South American market should be there at 6pm to meet Jorge Villazon-Leon ([EMAIL PROTECTED])of Christchurch consultancy Novatek Sharp (http://www.nova-tek.co.nz), who is keen to explore opportunities for NZ software in countries like Chile. See Jorge's note on what he can offer software companies interested in South America at http://www.nova-tek.co.nz/csi.html AUGUST 1: At the Canterbury Innovation Incubator (Cii) from 6pm approx to 7.30pm, following the Elevator Cafe. Come upstairs at Cii, 200 Armagh St, and BYO drinks and nibbles. ELEVATOR CAFE Plan to come along to the CSI's August Elevator Cafe - you may learn a thing or two about presenting a product or service, you may find a potential business partner, and you'll certainly find out about the broad range of opportunities Canterbury's software companies are involved with. You'll get the chance to quiz people about their company, their services and products. And they'll be looking for feedback on their presentations too. It's happening at 5pm at the Canterbury Innovation Incubator (200 Armagh St). It's free to all, and will be followed by the Tech BBQ afterwards (6pm-ish, BYO). For further information (and to see who got snapped by the CSI paparazzi at recent events) go to the Tech BBQ page at http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/bbq.htm + Canterbury Software Inc is keen to promote the Friday Tech BBQ as a meeting point for the Christchurch tech community. If it's been a while since you last checked out the BBQ scene, now could be the time. If you know of anyone who might be interested in coming along, especially those new to the sector or new to Christchurch, forward this to them. The BBQ is an informal social and networking event that takes place every Friday, 5.30pm to around 7.30pm. It gives members of the tech community a chance to meet other similar people in a relaxed environment, talk shop, network and get to know each other better. ############### hyperLINK contents: Issue 12, July 24 2003 + DIY document project puts Hurunui on the map + Call for tertiary shake-up to produce graduates with right stuff + R&D tax breaks: To be or not to be + Tech Newsbytes from all around + Incredibly useful website of the week + Online with CSI + Hot topics at the forum + Contact us, subscribe/unsubscribe etc NEXT WEEK IN HYPERLINK: Who's doing what in IT? ############### *FEATURE* DIY DOCUMENT PROJECT PUTS HURUNUI ON THE MAP By CAROL WEBB Faced with unaffordable quotes for outsourcing, Hurunui District Council took a do-it-yourself approach to a major electronic document imaging and management project that saw 850,000 property-related documents scanned in just three months. A sophisticated access system was also developed in-house using the Windows-based Alchemy platform. [more here http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/current.htm#feature1 ] ------------------------------ *FEATURE* CALL FOR TERTIARY SHAKE UP By CAROL WEBB Marketing foresight and competence has emerged as a crucial requirement for NZ software developers expecting pay off from their products, and a shake-up of tertiary business education providers is overdue, according to a Massey University study of the software sector as a key player in the new economy. + Download Moving Forward in the New Economy: The Software Industry Report from the CSI website at http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/download/SoftwareIndustry_report7 .doc ------------------------------ *FEATURE* R&D TAX BREAKS - TO BE OR NOT TO BE? The British Government provides R&D tax breaks for companies focusing on innovation while in New Zealand such companies are nurtured by way of grants. In this hyperLINK exclusive article, Christchurch tax accountant JONATHAN BASKEYFIELD, who arrived in New Zealand a year ago after practicing in the UK, outlines the position of large and small innovative enterprises since significant tax changes by the UK Government in 2000 and 2002. He concludes the self-assessment system adopted there is working for both companies and the government, and asks: �Is a self-assessment regime the way forward for New Zealand? [This password protected article is available only to members of CSI, at http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/members/baskeyfieldRD.doc ] ------------------------------ *NEWSBYTES* A CLUSTER IS BORN: Electronics South joins the Canterbury cluster community this afternoon with a launch function starting at 4.30pm at the Millennium Hotel. RSVP to [EMAIL PROTECTED] who is facilitator of both the Electronics South and Canterbury Software Inc. The Electronics South website is due to go live to celebrate the launch, at http://www.electronicssouth.com GO GLOBAL: An Auckland-based initiative designed to accelerate New Zealand�s rate of global success will be in Christchurch next week looking for growth-oriented entrepreneurs to join its 3,2,1 Go Global programme. Put together by The Icehouse business accelerator and NZ Trade & Enterprise, 3,2,1 Go Global will comprise two-day seminars in November and a series of workshops and seminars held over the following 18 months. Costs vary according to whether companies attend just the November seminar or opt for the follow-up 18-month programme. All will be explained at the launch on Wednesday July 30 at 4pm at the Canterbury Innovation Incubator, 200 Armagh St. For details contact CSI facilitator James Saruchera [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; to attend the free launch on July 30 go to http://210.55.12.113/rsvp/rsvp.html WIT TAKES OFF: Women in Technology celebrated its first birthday and Christchurch chapter launch with a lunch event at the Convention Centre featuring dynamic speakers including WIT founder Carol Lee Davidson of Oracle and Vodafone technology supremo Jeni Mundy, who gave a gripping account of terrors and triumphs on her two Whitbread round-the-world yachting adventures. WIT is committed to promoting technology careers and providing networking opportunities for women in the sector. Spotted among about 40 female lunchers were Gary Franklin (RealContacts), Larry Podmore (Canterbury Development Corporation) and Simon Markham (Christchurch City Council). http://www.womenintechnology.co.nz PATENT FIGHT: the government has called for an urgent briefing on issues surrounding software patents in New Zealand, as alarm bells ring through the software industry about North American company DE Technologies� patent claim against some New Zealand e-commerce developers and retailers. Associate IT minister David Cunliffe said he had already received preliminary advice from officials and would be discussing the matter with colleagues over the next week or two. Meanwhile, the Fight the Patent website set up to coordinate opposition to the patent claim has been trying to obtain a report by intellectual property law specialists AJ Park. Among topics covered by the report are the range of DE Technologies� patent, including what it does not cover; possible defences; and the options open to those who have been accused of infringement. A second section is devoted to the current state of New Zealand patent law. For updates, watch Fight the Patent�s website at http://www.e-c.co.nz/fightthepatent FUNDING GROWTH: CSI has assembled a comprehensive line-up of experts for a workshop on Tuesday July 29 about how to tap into funding sources to help your business grow. It�s at the Canterbury Innovation Incubator from 9am-noon on Tuesday July 29. It�s free, and it�s not to be missed, so email facilitator James Saruchera now for advance registration [EMAIL PROTECTED] or turn up at Cii, 200 Armagh St, at 9am on Tuesday. Full programme details at http://www.canterburysoftware.org.nz/fundingsupportwksp.htm ANZA INFO: ANZA Technology Network is coming to town on Monday with a seminar outlining what Christchurch companies can expect from the San Francisco-based expat organisation that aims to help NZ and Australian companies do business in North America. Details will be available of the second ANZA Technology Showcase Conference in Palo Alto on November 9-11. The July 28 Christchurch seminar runs from 1-2pm in Room L233 at the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT). RSVP to [EMAIL PROTECTED] LAB REACHES OUT: HIT Lab NZ has opened a city office on the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) campus. The office, in the School of Computing, will be available to CPIT staff and students to work on collaborative projects with the Lab. HIT Lab NZ�s director Mark Billinghurst and other staff members will spend time at the office each week spreading the word about the lab and exploring project opportunities with CPIT staff and students. CPIT http://www.cpit.co.nz ; HIT Lab NZ http://www.hitlabnz.org CASH CALL: Christchurch software firm Encos, which specialises food industry production safety and process monitoring systems, is looking to raise up to $3.45 million to fund expansion in the United States. Since its inception in 1995, Encos has invested $5 million in developing a paper replacement system for meeting food-processing regulation requirements. Its software, which went on sale mid-2002, has captured 80 per cent of the New Zealand meat-processing market and is used in Australia. CEO Jason Lopas says the first US clients are ready to sign and Encos intends opening a permanent office in Chicago. Enocs has 140 investors, mostly from the agricultural and food processing sectors in NZ and overseas, with founder Greg Evans the largest shareholder with about 30 per cent of the firm. The public offering is for three million shares at $1.15 each. http://www.encos.com APEC OPPORTUNITIES: Canterbury Software Inc is exploring ways to put the talents of member companies in front of the influential global IT sector players expected in Christchurch next March for the APEC science ministers� meeting and associated events. An Innovation Showcase to be held in conjunction with the meeting will provide opportunities for CSI to help present local IT success stories and some companies will be selected for site visits by delegates. Already CSI member e2-media has scored a slice of the APEC meeting�s business with the contract to develop a website targeted at a global audience. The APEC Science Ministers� Meeting website http://www.apecscience2004.org.nz ; e-2 media http://www.e2-media.co.nz ----------------------------- *EXPORT FOCUS* PRICING: Pricing is critical to export success. This checklist provides advice on how to price for export, including: What currency to quote in; common pricing terms; How to work out prices based on real costs; and an all-purpose costing table, useful for comparing prices in the market. http://www.marketnewzealand.com/common/files/pricing-cl.pdf + From a series of checklists prepared by Trade NZ to help companies work through the export planning process. NEXT WEEK: Marketing plan ------------------------------ *WEBSITE OF THE WEEK* TECHREPUBLIC.COM The buzzwords on this site are Real Time. Real World. Real IT. It's a Very practical site with specialist sections for the likes of CIOs, net administrators, IT consultants and managers, and support people. Free registration is needed to access the articles, opinion pieces, forum, and white papers. There�s also an offer of a free 30-day trial for the pay site TechProGuild, billed as a premium site for IT pros. + Tell the editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) about any sites you'd like to share with hyperLINK's readers ------------------------------ *CSI WEBSITE HAPPENINGS* CSI'S DIRECTORY A searchable Who's Who in the Canterbury Tech Community. It's free to list your company and you'll find it a useful resource when you're looking for products, partners for collaborative work, and much more. Check it out, and fill in the form to get your company listed. http://www.canterburysoftware.org.nz/directory.htm ------------------------------ *MEANWHILE, AT THE FORUM* What do you think of the UK self-assessment regime discussed by Jonathan Baskeyfield (see feature above) as a model for NZ to seriously consider as the clamour grows for the government to come up with a realistic system of R&D tax breaks for innovative companies? What about the recommendations in the ICT Taskforce report (http://www.canterburysoftware.org.nz/download/ICTtaskforcefinal.p df ) Let's get some debate going on this issue to help inform CSI and enable it to lobby for a better deal. The Forum is your online community, where you can: + air your problems and concerns about marketing your software internationally + get rapid and effective suggestions from others like you,who've already done it + raise and discuss subjects of general concern to members Go to http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/forum.htm ------------------------------ CONTACT US ... SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE hyperLINK email options: http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/news.htm Contact the editor, Carol Webb: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------------ --> via Canterbury Software email forum: Success through Connections Email your messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Searchable list archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] Leave or rejoin the list: http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/forum.htm
