$400m Huawei investment will promote innovation and create opportunities

  • Simon Bridges
  • Paul Goldsmith
Economic Development Communications Science and Innovation

A major investment announced by Huawei today will support our efforts to build an innovative, world leading economy, Economic Development Minister Simon Bridges and Science and Innovation Minister Paul Goldsmith say.

Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturer, Huawei, has announced it will commit up to $400 million over five years to research and development and digital innovation in New Zealand.

Highlights of the investment include:

  • $250 million in procurement from New Zealand companies
  • Working with local partners to build a New Zealand Cloud Data Centre
  • Opening an Innovation Lab at Victoria University of Wellington in 2017
  • Building an Innovation Lab in Christchurch
  • Expand the Seeds for the Future University Student Programme to 100 ICT students


“The depth of the investment will touch many areas of the economy and open up global opportunities for New Zealand. The initiatives that Huawei is committing to will also help strengthen our research and development activity and capability building in the digital and technological world,” says Mr Bridges.

“International connections are important if we are to be productive and competitive in the global market place.  Having access to the resources and technology lifts our ability to be innovative, agile and productive. We have identified this as a priority in the Business Growth Agenda,” says Mr Bridges.

“We must attract quality international investment to get the growth we need to deliver more highly-paid jobs for New Zealanders,” says Mr Bridges.

“New Zealand’s hi-tech sector is one of our fastest growing sectors. The Government is investing in the sector through the $411 million Innovative New Zealand package, in order to lift total government investment in science and innovation to $1.6 billion by 2020,” says Mr Goldsmith.

“The establishment of another New Zealand-based Cloud Data Centre will be a step forward for local companies and institutions looking to test new innovations on a locally-based platform, while the expansion of the Seeds for the Future programme will give 100 of New Zealand's brightest ICT and engineering undergraduates the opportunity to learn offshore and bring those skills home," says Mr Goldsmith.