Partner News: Life Sciences Summit achieves breakthrough in Wellington

Published on Tuesday, 7 May 2024

With an aim of creating better government understanding of the biotech sector, New Zealand’s Life Science Summit had a positive breakthrough in just its second year.

Held in Wellington’s new convention and exhibition centre Tākina, more than 300 biotech thought leaders converged on New Zealand’s capital Wellington for the summit.

As a place where collaborative research, policy and innovative businesses converge, BioTechNZ executive director Dr Zahra Champion says the summit highlighted just how well-connected Wellington ecosystem is.

As home to the New Zealand Government and headquarters for many central government agencies and industry associations, more than a quarter of delegates represented government, Crown entities and research institutes.

“New Zealand ranks fourth in the world for innovation potential in biotech, and the sector’s growth is dependent on government commitment,” says a delighted Zahra.

“One issue we wanted to change was the lack of government awareness of the scale or importance of the biotech sector, and we had a positive breakthrough,” she explains

Keynote Speaker and Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins even announced reforms to gene technology regulation which were long-awaited by the industry.

It was a high point in an event aimed at increasing the visibility of and strengthening New Zealand’s biotech and life sciences sector.

Eighty eight percent of attendees saw the event as a key forum for the growth of the biotech sector, a key reason BioTechNZ and Wellington formed a multi-year partnership to anchor the summit in the capital until 2026 in the first place.

The inaugural summit was successfully held in Wellington last year and, on the back of the success of this year’s event, it has become a real platform for change in the capital.

Biotech addresses pressing environmental, health, climate, and food challenges in Aotearoa and beyond, says Business Events Wellington manager Irette Ferreira.

“Connecting Life Sciences Summit attendees with local and international organisations, helps to support them to meet their objectives. These events play a significant role in giving credibility to the sector, showcasing innovations, supporting connections to enable business growth, while leaving a positive impact for the Wellington region and the rest of New Zealand.”