Mount Maunganui College teachers, Richard Cameron and Jim Critchley were proud to host the inaugural AI Business Summit at Waikato University, Tauranga campus. The event was designed as an innovative way to raise money for overseas trips organised by Richard and Jim. As both teachers are aware, the trips they organise are not always accessible to all students, who may find the cost prohibitive. However, they were also conscious of organising an event that gave back to the local business community—ensuring a meaningful partnership.
The event was a massive success. However, this could not have been possible without the help of so many people. Richard and Jim were blown away by the support of Nikki Hansen from the University of Waikato, Tauranga campus, who helped coordinate the event and ensured everything ran smoothly. Three local businesses provided monetary support that helped the event run at a profit—a massive thank you to Ballance Agri-Nutrients, James & Wells IP, and Zespri.
Images: Jim Critchley
Without the presenters, this event could not have happened! A huge thank you to Tim Grenside from Ballance Agri-Nutrients, Glenn Dougal – Wave Agency, David Jones – Craigs Investment Partners, Associate Professor Te Taka Keegan – University of Waikato, Roger Linney – Zespri Digital Team, Clare Swallow – Mulberry St., Korey Rubenstein – Parallo, David Altena – Smart Space AI, Will Bleakley – Zespri, Ben Cain – James and Wells IP, and our keynote speaker: Dr. Karyn Rastrick, Director of Digital Innovation and Strategy at the University of Waikato Management School. Your passion and knowledge shone brightly, and the time and energy you put into designing your presentation to suit the needs of local businesses was inspiring.
Finally, the community support was phenomenal, and this ensured a profit of $10,000 was raised to help students access overseas trips. Due to this high figure, and the continued support of the University of Waikato, Tauranga campus, $1,500 from the funds will go towards a student from Mount Maunganui College who attends a course at the Tauranga campus. Richard and Jim were always conscious of organising an event that was innovative, raised money for students, but also gave back to our community who contributed to the event. The networking after the event was designed for presenters and guests to chat and build the connections that could help their businesses build AI capacity.
It is hoped that genuine and productive partnerships continue to flourish between Mount Maunganui College, Waikato University Tauranga campus, local businesses, and the community.
