Spark teams up with Bastion Shine for the launch of their new initiative

The three-year initiative from Spark is based on findings from a new study released by the leading digital service provider and New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) – Accelerating Aotearoa business one technology generation forward.

The report outlines three opportunities to lift Aotearoa’s productivity. The findings have informed a new programme of initiatives, which will be rolled out by Spark. The first three initiatives have launched and include an AI for Business Mini MBA programme in 2024, run in collaboration with Section – a world-leading business education platform founded by NYU stern professor Scott Galloway. This will be the first time the programme is offered to a country specific cohort, with 150 sponsored places for New Zealand business leaders.

Spark is also committing $15 million to an Innovation Fund for its business and government customers over the next three years. $12 million is allocated to customers already, and an additional $3 million will be available for customers to apply for.

“We are thrilled with the work Bastion Shine has done to help us launch this new initiative. It has been wonderful working alongside the agency’s various business units to bring this project to life,” says Spark Chapter Lead – Brand, Olivia Wright.

“New Zealand’s productivity is a persistent challenge that has seen little change over many decades. What is changing is the urgent need to address this issue. This is a key focus of the report and initiatives we have launched, with a particular focus on how technology can help accelerate Aotearoa businesses one technology generation forward.”
 
Launching with a fully integrated programme of activity that comprised of an event, public relations, social media, design and digital, the campaign demonstrates the power of Bastion Shine’s fully integrated agency model. The launch phase has been delivered in collaboration with Bastion Amplify – the agency’s PR and social media team, Bastion Creative, Bastion Design, and Bastion Make – the agency’s in-house production studio.

Bastion Shine General Manager, Annabelle Pitkin says working with a team and organisation that thinks big for Aotearoa, makes this a very special project to be part of.

“At Bastion Shine, our purpose is to create meaningful growth for people and organisations in Aotearoa. This new initiative from Spark aims to do exactly that, by using the power of advanced digital technology to accelerate our nation forward and make our industries more productive. We have loved working with Spark to help create change for Aotearoa.”

The full report Accelerating Aotearoa business one technology generation forward is available here.