The Whanganui Tech Network has put forward a proposal for how the district's technology sector might develop over the next three to five years, and it is asking for a response.
It was written to open a conversation
The Whanganui Tech Sector Proposal is not a strategy, and the Tech Network is careful to say so. It sets out a direction for how technology, design, creativity and innovation could contribute to the district's economy, alongside practical actions that could be progressed in the near term.
What does it propose?
The document is built on three principles: attract, retain, develop.
Attract people, enterprise, ideas, investment and customers. Retain talent, capability, ambition and momentum. Develop skills, confidence, leadership and pathways. The proposal's own test is that every initiative should strengthen at least one of the three.
Underneath sits a claim that Whanganui is uniquely positioned to pursue a design-led approach to tech sector development, drawing on the district's UNESCO City of Design status.
Where did it come from?
The proposal was introduced at Hive HQ on 22 May during Techweek 2026, at an evening session presented by David Alexander of Hive HQ alongside the Trustees of the Whanganui Tech Network. More than sixty local leaders, industry voices and community stakeholders attended.
"Whanganui has untapped tech potential," says Rach Hoskin, Strategic Lead - Tech & Education at Whanganui & Partners. "Tech Network's work to activate that potential stands to deliver real economic benefit for the district."
What happens next?
A proposal is only useful if someone does something with it. The questions it raises - where a design-led position genuinely differentiates Whanganui, which initiatives deserve investment first, and who carries them - are the ones the district needs to answer together.
That conversation is now open and if you have a stake in Whanganui's tech and innovation sector, it is worth being part of it.
