Tumuhangarau Grant Strang has been named as one of the top 100 Chief Information Officers for 2018 in New Zealand.

He is ranked in the 31-100 section in the overall rankings, which are managed by IDG ‘Top CIO100’. It’s a similar result to 2017.

Chief information officers are judged on how technology programs are providing value and impacting on organisational performance, how innovations have provided organisations with strategic competitive advantage and how technology leaders are collaborating with and influencing the decision-making process inside businesses.

Among the IT projects the Hangarau team has been involved in in the last year are an online moderation tool, Te Kōpua intranet development, data storage backups, digitisation of kaimahi files, redesigned online noho marae forms and integrating systems and data through an enterprise solution.

Grant says the Hangarau team is also leading the way in gender equality, with 75% of the hangarau leadership team and 41% of the overall team being wāhine.

“My team is 100% proud Kiwis, and approximately 60% are Maori,” he says.

He says the Innovation Hub in Māngere is a good example of how Hangarau can help create a cost effective way to provide tauira with a modern digital learning environment.

“The Innovation Hub is moving with the times. It allows people to connect and communicate in different ways,” he says.

“With the right focus, strong partnerships, strategic investment and a commitment to the continued development of the concept, we can position ourselves as a leader in indigenous innovation.”

He says feedback from the users of the Innovation Hub has been positive, with some students saying it's the only area on the campus that has the latest information and technology available for everyone.  

“We identified that tauira and kaimahi have used the Innovation Hub for learning 3D, music production, filming and editing movies as part of course requirements, voice overs, special effects, improving aromatawai presentations, learning graphic design, photography and also to get technical advice, or learning to play the guitar.”