Canterbury has firmly established itself as one of New Zealand's leading technology and innovation hubs, so it's fitting that the Canterbury Tech Summit continues to attract innovators, business leaders and technology thinkers from across the country.

This year's event sparked plenty of conversations about the future of technology in New Zealand, from AI and innovation, to leadership and trust.

To capture some of the key themes, we handed the mic to two Enable team members who attended the summit. We asked them four simple questions about their biggest takeaways, standout moments, and what the day meant for their role and Enable's contribution to New Zealand's digital future through one of the country's most innovative technology regions.

Here's what they had to say.

Technology is everywhere

For Mudassar, Network Technical Lead in Enable's Network Operations team, the biggest takeaway was how deeply technology is now woven into every aspect of modern life.

"Technology is no longer a standalone industry. It is becoming the foundation of every industry, and success belongs to those who continuously learn, adapt, collaborate, and embrace change."

It's a perspective that resonates strongly with Enable's role. While fibre networks often operate behind the scenes, they're enabling everything from businesses and schools to healthcare services and digital innovation across the region.

What rugby can teach us about innovation

One of the sessions that resonated most with Mudassar came from an unexpected place: the Crusaders Rugby organisation.

"Behind every result of each match on the scoreboard sits a sophisticated ecosystem of data, analytics, and performance engineering."

The presentation explored how data, analytics, and technology are helping drive performance behind the scenes, demonstrating that innovation doesn't only happen in traditional technology companies.

AI is here. Now what?

For Dave, Developer in Business and Technology Innovation, one of the major themes was the rapid pace of change being driven by artificial intelligence.

"AI is here. It's both exciting and scary for our industry with regards to what the roles and work look like in the future."

Rather than resisting change, Dave's view was that success will come from understanding where we add the most value and being willing to embrace new tools and ways of working.

It's a mindset echoed throughout the summit, where many speakers highlighted that adaptability and continuous learning will be critical skills in the years ahead.

Making the hard decisions faster

A standout moment for Dave was hearing from the founder of Hectre, who shared lessons from building a globally successful technology company. One message in particular stuck with him: successful teams make the hardest decisions fast.

The story centred around Hectre's decision to focus on a single aspect of their business after several years of limited progress, allowing them to become world-class in one area rather than average in many.

It's a lesson that applies well beyond the technology sector. Whether you're building software, supporting customers, or investing in infrastructure, clarity of purpose and confident decision-making are often what move organisations forward.

Trust will be the real competitive advantage

While AI and emerging technologies generated plenty of discussion, Dave came away with another important insight. As technology becomes easier to build and customers have more choices than ever, trust becomes increasingly valuable.

"The future of tech will be built on trust."

For organisations like Enable fibre broadband, that's particularly meaningful. Fibre infrastructure provides the foundation, but it's the trust customers place in reliability, performance and service that creates lasting value.

Dave also reflected on how this changes his own perspective as a developer:

"My role changes from 'guy who writes code' to 'guy who builds trustworthy systems and customer experiences'." 

Powering innovation from Canterbury

Even though they attended different sessions and came away with different perspectives, both highlighted something that sits at the heart of our purpose at Enable:

Technology alone isn't the destination. It's the foundation that enables innovation, connection, and opportunity.

As Mudassar reflected:

"Enable's fibre network is more than infrastructure; it's a foundation for Canterbury's digital future."

From AI-powered innovation to data-driven decision making and new digital experiences, the technologies shaping tomorrow all rely on strong digital foundations.

In three words…

Finally, we asked them to summarise their Tech Summit experience in just three words. Here's what they said:

• Mudassar: Technology. Connection. Innovation.
• Dave: Exciting. Reassuring. Inspiring.

Two different answers, pointing to the same conclusion: technology is changing faster than ever, and Canterbury continues to play an important role in shaping New Zealand's digital future.