This week, the headlines about the cloudy situation in West Auckland were hard to miss.  While it is great to have (some) of the investment come online in country, it’s important that we also celebrate the local investment being made. Which poses the question: Why does local matter more than ever?

The debate has heated up with views on each side of the fence when it comes to international vs. local.  International providers are crucial to our economy as they continue to invest more into NZ by bringing their technology and products to our shores (instead of just stopping at Australia).  This puts NZ on the global technology map and enables the customer experiences consumers/businesses demand in their day to day lives.  

However, international companies can’t always do it on their own - they need the local investment, which is why local matters more now than ever.  

Understandably the 7.5 billion head scratches that were witnessed around the country this week has sparked an important debate and Kiwi’s want a better understanding around what it takes to build a digital economy that is both globally connected and locally enabled. We see the opportunity to strike the balance between international scale and the lasting value that comes from investing in infrastructure built here, by people who understand this market.

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Local expertise that enables global reach

As New Zealand’s most connected data centre, we regularly support international players establishing a footprint here, giving them access to the networks and infrastructure they need to launch successfully in our market. Global scale can be enabled locally in a way that benefits New Zealand businesses and customers.

But it’s not just about us.

To put things in perspective, out of the 55 data centres listed in NZ the vast majority are NZ owned and operated and have supported our growing tech industry for decades – plus many of these data centres are the trusted homes for international tech companies.

The NZ tech industry plays an important role in ensuring our country has the capability and resilience needed to support the economy. Together, these organisations represent an industry that is deeply invested in New Zealand which are committed to long-term growth and are capable of meeting global standards while supporting our country.

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Lessons from recent headlines

The recent news around a major international project in West Auckland is a reminder that even the biggest companies can get it wrong. Large-scale infrastructure is complex, and when priorities shift, projects don’t always land the way it was expected.

That’s not a reason to dismiss international investment as it’s vital to our future. But it does highlight why local expertise matters. Projects succeed when they’re grounded in the realities of the market they serve, shaped by people who understand the local environment, and backed by organisations with a long-term commitment to New Zealand.

For government and policy makers, the lesson is clear: while it’s exciting to welcome the world’s biggest brands, it’s just as important not to overlook the investment already being made locally. New Zealand-owned providers are punching well above their weight, delivering resilient, sustainable, and globally competitive infrastructure. Supporting this ecosystem ensures that international players complement (rather than overshadow) the strong foundations already in place.

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And that brings us back to the question we started with: why does local matter more than ever? Because it’s the anchor that ensures global investment builds on, rather than replaces, the long-term capability New Zealand has worked so hard to establish.

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