Microsoft New Zealand Leads TechEd Event, Gives Free Software to 27,000 Charities

Microsoft New Zealand leads TechEd event, the largest technology conference in New Zealand held in Auckland. Paul Muckleston, Microsoft NZ managing director, said the event has 2,500 delegates in attendance.

Auckland's Sky City Convention Centre is currently at full capacity as long queues can be seen forming in escalators as delegates wait for the first session to start. Local restaurants and bars become packed as soon as the conference ends for the day.

Mr Muckeston said the New Zealand TechEd is one of the seven conferences in 2013. Although New Zealand's TechEd doesn't have the 7,000 crowd in attendance in the U.S. event or 5,000 delegates in Europe, but based on population, Microsoft New Zealand beats them all.

Critics might say that the popularity of New Zealand's TechEd event was the absence of other big events in the country. However, Microsoft NZ Marketing Director Frazer Scott doesn't agree. He said TechEd has been running in New Zealand for 18 years. The company continued to engage with local customers and make sure the conference sessions remained fresh.

Darell Smith, director of facilities, energy and real estate at Microsoft, visited New Zealand as part of his mission to travel around the world to talk about smart cities and their benefits. He said Christchurch has a unique opportunity despite the devastating earthquake in 2010. Mr Smith said Christchurch can rebuild and showcase a smart city. Mr Smith will also meet with city councils in Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington to discuss the idea of building smart cities.

Meanwhile, Microsoft New Zealand has announced it will give charities in New Zealand free software. In the TechEd event, Mr Muckleston revealed that almost 27,000 eligible charities in New Zealand will be given Microsoft Office 365 software as part of the company's Office 365 for Nonprofits programme. Certified non-profit and non-government organisations in 41 countries will benefit from the programme.

The program is part of Microsoft's founder, Bill Gates, way of giving back to the community. He always saw technology has the great opportunity to make a difference.

Watch a video of Microsoft's XBox One at the New Zealand TechEd event: