New Zealand offers IT gateway to Asia-Pacific

Our Corporate Bureau in Mumbai

The visiting New Zealand minister for information technology Paul Swain, in a bid to boost business between the two countries and to tap leading Indian players, will visit Wipro, Infosys and Tatas in Bangalore during this week. The aim is also “to promote partnerships and expand opportunities,” announced Mr Swain after his visit to the Mumbai-based KarRox Technologies Ltd on Monday.

“During my recent meeting, the Microsoft supremo Bill Gates specifically told me to visit India mainly to look into various initiatives for the promotion of IT in schools and training. We are aware there are huge opportunities in view of India’s size, scale and skill,” Mr Swain told reporters. He said that Indian companies comprising Tata Consultancy Services, Kale Consultants, Bangalore-based Qed and KarRox have already set up shop in New Zealand. More companies would come to his country in due course of time, he added.

“New Zealand, which has been recently rated as the safest and most secured country, can be an ideal location for Indian companies to be used as a gateway for entering into Asia-Pacific region. New Zealand is quite cost-effective compared to Australia and it has a school base,” Mr Swain said. Indian companies can get an easy access for their products in China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea and other countries through New Zealand, he said.

According to Mr Swain, his country can provide the ideal data back up or data farm for the Indian companies. Similarly, New Zealand, which has developed an educational content package for primary and secondary schools, can market it in India through the proposed broadband network from Singapore. He added that currently the broadband network was being developed between US and Singapore.
The KarRox Technologies Ltd chief executive officer Jiten Gordia said that the company has recently entered into a joint venture with New Zealand-based AIS Foundation Ltd which is a part of the AIS Group of Companies with a view to further KarRox’s business in the Asia Pacific region.