The Digital Cluster Initiative is a new visionary model aimed at accelerating regional economic development through digital transformation. A joint initiative between BNZ and Zeald, it aims to help Kiwi businesses and communities to prosper, and to thrive online.

Starting with a pilot, the Digital Cluster Initiative will partner with three business groups to build them into digitally-advanced "clusters" to show what's possible when state-of-the-art ecommerce and digital collaboration tools are put at the heart of Kiwi business communities.

Groups will be supported to lift performance and to grow, with dedicated digital support.

Each of the three pilots will be set up with ecommerce, a centralised digital marketplace, and wraparound support. They will be helped to establish their brand and position in the market, unlock and leverage digital benefits, and overcome common obstacles that many Kiwi businesses often face.

New Zealand's geography has long been a handbrake on the economy. Being small, remote and sparsely populated, many Kiwi businesses are also very small with limited market access and resourcing.

This initiative aims to overcome these obstacles and strengthen regional economies by building scale and collaboration through clustering, and using digital tools to grow and propel local businesses into new markets.

The pilot groups will become strong case studies for what digital clustering can achieve - and to show other businesses how it's done. Ultimately, the pilot will help create and refine a digital cluster blueprint that can be replicated and applied to other business groups across the regions...

...to shape a more productive, more inclusive, more digital New Zealand.

I've always wanted to help create a high-wage, high-productivity New Zealand economy that serves everybody, within the ecological confines of the planet. There's a lot to love about life in New Zealand, but we absolutely have poverty and deprivation - and I think we can do better than that. I've been talking about the potential for digital to transform New Zealand's economy for years.

Paul Conway, Chief Economist at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (formerly BNZ)

The Digital Cluster Initiative comes from a true 'meeting of the minds'. When Paul Conway (then BNZ) and David Kelly (Zeald) were connected through the Digital Boost Alliance, they quickly realised the potential to create something transformative, practical, and productive for New Zealand, together.

Paul was asking: How do we lift New Zealand's long-run economic performance and build an economy that serves everybody? How can we live up to our potential? "I've always wanted to help create a high-wage, high-productivity New Zealand economy that serves everybody, within the ecological confines of the planet. There's a lot to love about life in New Zealand, but we absolutely have poverty and deprivation - and I think we can do better than that. I've been talking about the potential for digital to transform New Zealand's economy for years."

David was asking: How do we accelerate digital transformation in Aotearoa and help New Zealanders to cross the growing digital divide? How can we do better? "We're very focused at Zeald on helping people to cross the digital divide, and accelerating digital transformation in New Zealand and other economies. But with the global and local context changing so rapidly now, you can see a time coming when if people are not digitally enabled, they're going to be completely left out of the game."

The eureka moment came when they put it all together, and asked: What if we take that focus on productivity and economic growth, and combine it with digital?

Joined by Brandon Jackson (BNZ) and Jarra Borman (Zeald), the four worked together to develop a new, visionary regional economic model with digital transformation and collaboration at its heart. They created the Digital Cluster Initiative.

By taking the shared vision for a productive digital economy and inclusive society, and activating that through a strong national banking network, and adding world-class digital strategy and expertise, the result is an initiative built on purpose, intent, and capability. The Digital Cluster Initiative aims to help businesses and communities in New Zealand to collaborate, grow, and prosper, and to thrive in a digital world.

We're very focused at Zeald on helping people to cross the digital divide, and accelerating digital transformation in New Zealand and in other economies. But with the global and local context changing so rapidly now, you can see a time coming when if people are not digitally enabled, they're going to be completely left out of the game.

David Kelly co-founder and the chairman of Zeald

• Download our Commitment Document This document is our formal Commitment to the Digital Boost Alliance, and outlines the Digital Cluster Initiative.
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