Government plan includes funding for studio facilities, centre of excellence and university chair
The New Zealand government has announced that it will allocate $10 million from its Provincial Growth Fund to make Dunedin a national centre for creative digital industries and research.
The 10-year plan will include setting up a Centre of Digital Excellence and a chair of computer gaming at the University of Otago. It will also provide studio facilities for startups and there will be work with creative industries to attract young talent to the region.
Regional development minister Shane Jones announced the funding on 30 October as part of an economic revitalisation package for Dunedin that will involve major infrastructure projects. “The initiative will bring us closer to the vision of a $1-billion computer gaming industry, which will catalyse new economic growth and sustainable employment opportunities,” he said.
“Dunedin is well placed to do this as it builds on the city’s emerging gaming and digital businesses, a thriving startup mentality, strong Māori partnerships, global links and strong academic partners.”
The project also delivers on an election promise by the Labour Party in 2017 to create more diverse and resilient economies for regional areas. The Centre of Digital Excellence in Dunedin was featured in a policy statement that outlined the party’s plan to connect the regions with modern industries and job opportunities.
“The digital economy is the fastest-growing segment of the global economy. The establishment of the Centre of Digital Excellence (Code) will be a catalyst for a stronger digital economy within New Zealand,” Jones said in the statement.
“We funded a scoping exercise to look into the establishment of Code earlier this year. I’m pleased to see as part of that work that the centre will focus on ‘Games for Health’. This will link in with the city’s education and digital health technology sector—including the $1.4bn Dunedin Hospital rebuild.”
Jones said the project would create career opportunities in the global gaming industry, help mentor digital entrepreneurs and attract digital businesses to the Otago region.
“Over a 10-year period it’s estimated that Code will create between 30 and 50 new small video game studios, each employing on average 3.5 employees, and three to five large video game studios, each employing 45 workers on average.”