‘It's the Whanganuis of this world that get forgotten about': New AI-assisted service launches for Techweek
One of the collective's directors, Lisa Lightband, said the success of the first phase gave them confidence to launch phase two.
'We have already successfully trialled our service with a number of organisations in Whanganui, and we believe it is time to open it up to others in the region so that they too can benefit,' Lightband said.
Another director, Stephen Lee, said it was important for an AI-assisted service to be as simple and easily explained as possible, coupled with the human touch.
'A human with whom you can get in touch, talk to and laugh with.
'The current economic climate is hurting a lot of non-profits. We believe we provide the answer to many struggling with finding the time or expertise to access grant funding, and then managing it in such a way so as to increase their chances of continued funding in the future,' Lee said.
Lee and Lightband are part of a five-person board of directors with Tanya Harnett, Sonja Davenport Petersen and Rachel Hoskin.
'Together we bring expertise in grant funding, AI and IT, strategy and local knowledge of our community,' Lee said.
The service operates on a success-based fee structure, ensuring that not-for-profits can access support without upfront costs.
Lee said it was important for WriteFund Collective to adopt a different approach to services in larger cities to appeal to Whanganui and other rural areas.
'The big centres are well catered for and operate differently; it is often the smaller places like the Whanganuis of this world that get forgotten about,' he said.
Writefund Collective is one of two start-ups that emerged from the launch of the AI-Biz Hub at last year's Whanganui Techweek.
'We set up the AI-Biz Hub as an incubator for entrepreneurs and local businesses to learn about AI tools that could help them use AI to help start or improve their business,' Lee said.
'We felt that we needed something that suited smaller places like Whanganui, and we didn't want anyone left behind due to 'AI ignorance' in Whanganui.'
Six months later, the AI-Biz Hub created two new businesses and has made a difference to one other.
'One of the biggest impacts of the Hub has actually been the breaking of social isolation that comes from working on your own, and the burst in creativity that comes from working as part of a group that meets on a regular basis.'
Lee and Lightband will share more about the AI Biz Hub at noon on May 19 at Techweek.
Whanganui Techweek 2025
Techweek 2025's theme is 'tech that's good for the world', focusing on how innovation drives sustainability, exports and the future of work in New Zealand.
A wide range of events are happening on May 19-25, such as drop-in sessions, expert panels, flight simulator experience, quiz night and more.
Whanganui Tech Network Charitable Trust chairman Alan Nixon encouraged people to get involved.
'Whether you're starting a business, exploring AI or just curious, Techweek25 in Whanganui offers something for everyone. It celebrates the energy and innovation already alive in our region.'
All public events are free to attend but registration is encouraged because of limited spaces.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Techday NZ
an hour ago
- Techday NZ
Agentic accounting the next frontier for CFOs
Australian CFOs and their teams are now caught in a perfect storm as they navigate global and local economic uncertainties, mounting pressure to adopt AI-driven solutions across the enterprise, ESG compliance and finance reforms. These challenges highlight the urgent need for sustained business efficiencies throughout organisations by ensuring streamlined finance and accounting processes from procurement, invoicing and expense management through to tax compliance and financial reporting. Ironically, even though AI is a challenge for Australian CFOs as illustrated in a recent ADAPT survey, fast tracking its adoption is likely to be the silver bullet to resolving many of the issues that finance teams are facing, with the next generation of agentic automation technology providing a new frontier for finance operations. What is agentic automation? Agentic automation brings together proven robotic process automation, AI models and human expertise into cohesive workflows where people, robots and AI agents work synergistically to optimise processes and drive enterprise efficiency. These agentic workflows are intelligent, adaptive and governed — enabling automation that is not only powerful but trusted. More simply, AI agents think with human-like reasoning and learning, the robots conduct tasks with precision and tireless consistency, and people provide the strategic direction, creativity and human judgement that machines can't match. For finance teams, an agentic automation platform creates reliable workflows whereby AI agents operate within clearly defined guardrails to ensure security, predictability, and performance. The platform should deliver robust governance, real-time vulnerability assessments, and stringent data access controls to protect enterprise environments, while at the same time enhancing efficiencies and streamlining operations on a cycle of continuous sustained improvement. This provides significant benefits for day-to-day finance processes, while also helping to ensure compliance is maintained even in a dynamic regulatory environment. The shift to agentic automation in finance processes Mirvac is among many Australian enterprises that are already reaping the benefits of agentic automation across core finance and operations processes, from procurement to employee support. Currently, Mirvac is using agentic automation to route invoices for complex and changing utilities needs, which are beyond the capabilities of robotic processes that require a strict script of instructions. Instead, agentic automation directs utilities invoices to the right Mirvac development or construction site with high accuracy. Mirvac's procurement teams have also realised significant advantages in the company's request for proposal process, which involves stripping out data and conducting side-by-side comparisons of responses from vendors. To address a time-consuming manual process, Mirvac has been using agentic automaton to read a Request for Proposal response, extract key data, and pre-populate evaluation sheets so that employees spend less time copying and pasting and more time on decision-making. Fiserv is another early adopter and is already achieving 98 percent end-to-end process automation for its merchant category codes process through agentic automation. The future of the finance team in an AI world While most financial processes can now be done by agentic automation, it still requires human intelligence and oversight to ensure the data fed into the AI model is clean and fit for purpose, and the results are analysed in a way that drives a sustained positive return on investment for businesses. One significant benefit that comes from agentic automation is the ability to quickly upskill and reskill finance teams in the use of AI tools to drive faster decision making, compliant and accurate reporting, and a much stronger focus on strategic planning that truly shifts the needle for an organisation. In these turbulent times, it is clear that finance teams take the brunt of the impact when it comes to financial and regulatory changes. While it can be tricky to continually anticipate market shifts and their business impact, agentic automation enables finance teams to get ahead of the game by alleviating them from the burden of processes to focus more on corporate strategy. Even a small step toward agentic automation is likely to deliver big gains for CFOs and their teams. UiPath is hosting Agentic Automation Summit events in Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland this month. To register visit: agentic-automation-summit- roadshow
Techday NZ
2 hours ago
- Techday NZ
Cybercriminals harness AI to boost phishing & malware attacks
New research has brought to light the growing use of artificial intelligence tools by cybercriminals behind lesser-known ransomware and malware attacks, highlighting a swiftly evolving threat landscape. The investigations indicate that small cybercriminal groups, including CyberLock, Lucky_Gh0$t, and Numero, have harnessed AI capabilities both to develop more persistent malware and to trick users into downloading malicious payloads. The study outlines how these criminal organisations are adopting AI-driven lures to infect unsuspecting victims, departing from traditional manual techniques in favour of automated, highly convincing fraud. The proliferation of new, seemingly innovative AI services has created opportunities for attackers to blend fraudulent tools with legitimate ones, making it more difficult for individuals and organisations to distinguish between benign and malicious actors online. Steve Wilson, Chief AI and Product Officer at Exabeam, explained the nuances of these new threats. "While AI delivers massive benefits to security teams, we must stay open-eyed about the risks in today's rapidly evolving threat landscape. The recent wave of cybercriminals exploiting AI hype underscores the importance of vigilance," Wilson said. He added, "In some ways, these incidents are classic phishing scams repackaged, but AI puts a concerning new spin on them." Wilson points to two significant risk factors. "First, the sheer excitement and constant emergence of new AI tools mean users are increasingly comfortable trying services from unknown vendors, blurring the lines between legitimate new solutions and malicious impostors. Second, AI technology itself makes it alarmingly easy to craft high-quality counterfeit websites and sophisticated phishing campaigns. Attackers can now mimic authentic brands with unprecedented realism, greatly increasing their chances of success." For users, this evolving threat means that caution is more critical than ever. Wilson cautioned: "Both individuals and organizations must ramp up their vigilance. Users should approach new AI services with scepticism and heightened awareness, carefully verifying legitimacy before engaging. Meanwhile, corporate defenders need to proactively adopt advanced detection tools and modern techniques tailored to counter these AI-enhanced threats. Staying ahead demands constant vigilance and aggressive adaptation." Mike Mitchell, National Cyber Security Consultant at AltTab, echoed these concerns while highlighting the double-edged sword AI presents for the sector. "AI is transforming the world of cyber security, acting as both an ally and a rising threat. On defence teams, AI helps detect and respond to attacks faster by automating tasks like threat hunting, alert triage, and incident response. But attackers are also using AI to launch smarter sophisticated phishing campaigns, automating attacks, and bypassing traditional defences," he said. "This has created a constant race between offensive and defensive innovation." Mitchell emphasised the importance of responsible use and adaption. "As AI agents become more advanced, the focus must shift to ethical use, responsible adoption and strengthening human-AI collaboration. One thing is certain; the future of cyber security is intrinsically linked with the evolution of AI and staying ahead means we must continue to adapt quickly." The findings reflect broader concerns within the cybersecurity community regarding the unpredictable consequences of fast-moving innovation in AI. As both attackers and defenders race to leverage the latest tools, organisations of every size are being urged to educate their users, refine their detection and response protocols, and remain vigilant when navigating the crowded field of AI-enabled products and services. Industry leaders recommend a cautious, informed approach to all new digital tools, particularly those involving AI. By staying alert to the latest tactics employed by cybercriminals, and investing in advanced defence strategies, businesses and individuals can help to reduce their exposure to the next wave of AI-powered threats.
Techday NZ
4 hours ago
- Techday NZ
The Evolution Platform: Empowering businesses to thrive in a dynamic digital world
In today's fast-paced digital world, agility is paramount. But many businesses struggle to keep up, facing challenges in rapidly deploying new services, scaling resources efficiently, and securing their networks. Understanding these pressures, Orange Business developed our NaaS-based Evolution Platform, a pivotal advancement that offers a more flexible and efficient approach to consuming network and security services. It's a strategic shift, empowering clients to achieve their business objectives in a market that demands constant adaptation. According to Omdia, there is a projected 66% annual increase in AI-related network traffic by 2030, with 75% of organisations accelerating transformation plans. This has been identified as a leading concern amongst technology executives worldwide, with 69% concerned about the growing amount of technology investment needed to remain competitive. The Evolution Platform is designed to directly address these concerns, providing a cost-effective path to digital transformation, helping customers achieve their transformation goals while reducing overall network investment by up to 60%. Designed to address key market concerns The Evolution Platform is proving invaluable to large enterprises, representing 80% of the platform's user base. Within this segment, financial services benefit from its compliance features and secure data handling, crucial for navigating stringent regulations. Mining and resources leverage its robust connectivity to maintain operational efficiency in remote locations and navigate a complex mergers and acquisitions (M&A) environment. For businesses expanding globally, the Evolution Platform ensures consistent performance and reliable connectivity, regardless of location. In reimagining the customer experience, the platform transforms how customers access critical services, providing a unified experience that streamlines operations. It delivers both commercial flexibility and operational efficiency through a comprehensive suite of services, including sophisticated SD-WAN, robust SASE offerings, Cloud Connectivity, Cloud Networking, and VNFaaS (Virtual Network Function as a Service). Already, hundreds of customers globally are leveraging its power to simplify network management and accelerate digital transformation. At Orange Business, we understand that integrating new platforms can be complex and time consuming, particularly during M&A. By leveraging native integration with our network partners and offering customisable services deployed on-demand via the platform interface or APIs, the platform streamlines technology integration, enabling organisations to rapidly onboard acquired networks and enforce consistent security policies. This accelerates the consolidation process and minimises disruption to business operations, proven in industries like mining where integration time during M&A is reduced from a typical 6-12 months to just weeks. Building a scalable and secure foundation for growth A scalable, responsive, and secure digital infrastructure is now within reach with the Evolution Platform. It empowers work from any location with optimal performance, supporting growth and security needs, whether a business is just beginning its digital transformation or adapting to new challenges. Its blueprint approach allows for rapid replication across multiple locations without significant investment, a key benefit during acquisitions where consistency and speed are critical. The platform's virtualised nature eliminates the need for costly physical assets, allowing organisations to avoid the challenges of recovering the full Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) on acquired hardware. Further, the platform provides a robust and secure connectivity platform for digital workspaces and cloud-based applications, supporting a global workforce. It maximises uptime and resilience, contributing to operational excellence, and offers multi-cloud visibility via Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) automation, amplifying the quality of the user experience. As indicated by the name, the Evolution Platform is designed to continuously evolve. We are committed to adding new capabilities and expanding our reach, ensuring it remains a valuable asset for businesses seeking to streamline operations, guarantee performance, and shape the future of their networks. As Gartner has recognised, positioning Orange Business at the highest level of the "Ability to Execute" axis of their Magic Quadrant for Global WAN Services for the 23rd consecutive year, we are committed to delivering on this promise. The Evolution Platform is a strategic enabler, empowering businesses to thrive in a dynamic digital world, innovate with confidence, and achieve their full potential. To learn more, visit Evolution Platform Catalog | Orange Business
