National ICT Innovation Institute opens

The NZi3 National ICT Innovation Institute has opened at the University of Canterbury.

The new purpose-built facility has also been recognised as the most environmentally-friendly educational building in the country.

Prime Minister John Key was the official guest at the opening in late April. He was joined by three other Cabinet members and senior representatives of the institute’s founding partners.

Mr Key said Christchurch’s reputation as a hub of innovation in NZ would be cemented by the establishment of NZi3.

He said economies benefitted from partnerships between universities and industry. The NZ government awarded the University of Canterbury $9.7 million for the development of NZi3 through its Partnerships for Excellence programme, on the proviso that it secured matching funding from the private sector.

NZi3 director Dr Darin Graham said the institute, with its location on the edge of the University of Canterbury campus and its external focus, would allow greater interaction between researchers and industry.

The opening coincided with the announcement that the NZ Green Building Council had given the new purpose-built facility a five-star green rating. The NZi3 building is the first educational building in NZ to be awarded a 5-star rating.