The current wave of New Zealand innovation is a copyrighted article from the World Correspondents
The arrival of the internet has facilitated a global marketplace that is now much less location-specific, and instead it relies upon innovation and creativity in the new digital age. So rather than innovation being focused upon the traditional economic powerhouses of North America, Europe and the Far East, digital developments have brought intriguing activity from areas on the periphery of the globe.
Key amongst these developments has been the surprising rise of New Zealand as something of a tech and entertainment hot-spot. So rather than being a remote nation of farming communities, it seems that New Zealand has caught global attention thanks to innovation in the world of modern media, online casinos and other hi-tech areas.
For a long time New Zealand’s fledgling homegrown TV and film industry had to compete with the cut-price offerings from the US, but recent moves have sought to redress the balance with a great selection of New Zealand global hits.
Key amongst these has to be the comedy series Flight of the Conchords that became a surprise international success story thanks to its irreverent humour and innovative musical interludes. Such was the success of the show that some of its creators even managed to find success with the critically-acclaimed comedy movie What We Do In The Shadows that managed to become a Top 20 USA box office hit thanks to the crowdsourced funding of the film.
And with the likes of the Lord of the Rings series using New Zealand as a picturesque filming location, it was only a matter of time before the likes of the Sundance Film Festival arrived in New Zealand to spur on further Kiwi cinematic treats.
Diversity is key to New Zealand’s creative revolution with gaming companies being noticeable on the global scene. These include the likes of Stickmen Media who are based in Christchurch and have used the latest augmented and virtual reality devices to target over 750 million gamers worldwide with their zombie puzzle game Zombeeze.
Other gaming attractions that have taken the Kiwi nation by storm include the online casino revolution as witnessed at the Lucky Nugget Casino site that has granted these New Zealanders the ability to play a huge range of pokies, table games and video poker all from the convenience of a smartphone.
But thankfully there are a few more traditional Kiwi practices that have also been given a boost through New Zealand ingenuity with these amazing advances in sheep dairy farming positioning the nation as a world leader in this essential and lucrative market.
So whether its the latest casino gaming craze or just facilitating the next Hollywood blockbuster, it looks like New Zealand will have a deeply profitable and innovative 2016.