Loomio
Sun 22 May 2016 10:18PM

Introductions

LHB Loomio Helper Bot Public Seen by 276

Please take a moment to introduce yourself: post a comment in the form below.

Who are you?
What is your background?
What organisation are you with?
Why are you interested in this project?

CB

Connor Boyle Sun 22 May 2016 10:27PM

Alright, let's get this rolling.

Well, I'm Connor, co-founder of Traject. I fell into this role by entering into the R9 Accelerator to work on solving the tech skills shortage in NZ. Before that I was learning to code, working on a number of different social enterprises, and finishing a degree in environmental science.

My higher level drivers are environmental. I think that tech has a part to play in reducing the environmental impact of New Zealand's economy. I don't think tech can solve all the world's environmental issues, that's gonna take cultural change.

On a more grounded level, I'm interested in solving this problem because I know people whom are affected by our current immigration policy in this area.

GM

Gary Mersham Tue 31 May 2016 6:42AM

I am a professor of Communication Sciences and have been involved in ICT's and IT companies for more than 20 years. My current interests are in communication in startups, accelerators, distributed work and maker movements. I believe in the power of digital networks to improve our lives and to revolutionise teaching, learning and training. I currently support a couple of startups and crowdfunding projects and do work for the Open Polytechnic, Massey University and AUT University. I am a volunteer at the Mindlab, Petone. I have researched and published on disruption in Higher Education.

Gary Mersham

AB

Ashlyn Baum Tue 31 May 2016 10:12PM

Hi y'all. I hail from Austin, Texas. I have a degree in Geosystems Engineering and Hydrogeology from the University of Texas at Austin. I spent two years traveling the world as a freelance web designer and developer. When I got to New Zealand. I started working at Datacom. I've now lived in New Zealand for 1.5 years, and I do not qualify for residency based on my skillset.

Seeing my friends, co-workers, flatmates struggle to obtain a visa; and local businesses struggle due to the lack of skilled talent in New Zealand, or at the same time, not being able to retain their skilled workers due to visa related problems, I decided to take on this problem. Connor and I entered r9Accelerator where we spent 3 months validating and formulating a solution for this problem by applying lean methodologies.

I am excited to see change in this space.