Good early interest in IT precinct, says Akl Council

Auckland Council is reporting good early interest in its plans for an "Innovation Precinct" on the newly developed Wynyard Quarter.

An initial space of about 50,000 square metres have been put aside for the precinct at Auckland's waterfront, which project developers - the Ministry of Science, Auckland Council and Waterfront Auckland- hope to make right into a technology and science centre.

Plans for the precinct, which Waterfront Auckland chairman Bob Harvey said could become a"mini Silicon Valley," were announced last October. Clyde Rogers, a spokesperson for the Auckland Council said interest from businesses inside the proposed area have been steady since then .

"We have already got enough interest from companies to fill half the realm," Rogers added.

Rogers said that project developers were currently performing a value-benefit analysis of the proposal. A business case finalising plans for the precinct is because of be released on the end of next month.

Although Rogers doesn't reveal how project developers expected to draw "high-tech companies" to the realm, he did say initial interest from several firms was proving promising for the kind of area they were hoping to create.

One of the crucial companies to have expressed early interest within the precinct is network monitoring firm Endace. Endace provides technology to a few of the world's intelligence agencies for monitoring internet traffic and its company founder Dr Ian Graham was named New Zealand's Engineering Entrepreneur of the year for 2011.

Earlier this week, 3D software-firm Nextspace opened offices on the Wynyard Quarter. It became the primary technology company to transport into the world.

By Teuila Fuatai