Hack job: Problem solvers take a crack
If you’ve got a problem you can’t see your way around there is now an event where people will help you solve it.
Hack Taranaki, organised by Frank Lachmann, Marcel Schadt, Graham Nelson, Adarsh Lal, Simeon Thobald, Nick Field, and John Haylock last weekend, was the first problem-solving event of its kind in Taranaki but has been in New Zealand for the past eight years.
‘‘We have companies, organisations, and individuals who have a problem, which could be something quite individual, or could be a problem for a whole industry,’’ said Lachmann, who is the project manager of business transformation at New Plymouth District Council.
‘‘These people pitch their problem on Friday night and the community here decides on which problem they want to work on and in teams, over the weekend, develop a solution for them.
‘‘Some problems two groups will work on so it will be interesting to see the different solutions that come out of it.’’
The event, facilitated by Jane Trreadwell-Hoye of ZeroPoint Ventures, ran from 6pm on Friday night through to 9pm on Sunday with 25 people taking part.
It was Schadt, who is a business manager at Datacom, that pushed for the event in Taranaki.
‘‘Datacom runs Hack events across the country and last year we ran one in Nelson called Hack Nelson and I was very keen to bring something to Taranaki region that was along that same vibe.
‘‘The innovation ecosystem that’s going on in Taranaki is hard to see until you get into it. Trying to help bring that out more and get it spoken about more was one of my goals.’’
The group hope to make it an annual event and continue to grow the innovation community in Taranaki.
The winning team - PinPoint, solved the issue of compliance for artisan food producers by tracking ingredients from origin to customer.