CEO, Tech & Business Commentator
Paul Spain is host of NZ Tech Podcast (an iTunes NZ #1 Podcast), regular TV commentator on technology and business related topics, host of the NZ Business Podcast and founder of Gorilla Technology (IT Services), Cloud Labs (Cloud migration consultants), Gorilla Voice (incl World Podcasts, Podcasts NZ)
Paul says his passion lies in combining his entrepreneurial skills, broad technology know how and years of business experience to help individuals and their organisations succeed.
Paul’s specialties include business and technology strategy, social and online media, automating business processes, delivering technological solutions to business challenges – and being a futurist and encouraging future thinking.
Starting his technology career as a consultant and a technical manager, Paul acquired and managed clients including Microsoft, Saatchi & Saatchi, Ogilvy & Mather and TrustPower, before establishing Gorilla Technology (IT Services) in 1997. This was been followed by the launch of NZ’s first social network (WorldDJ.com) which grew into Global Voice Media and Cloud Labs (Office 365, Software Development/Services, Consulting).
Updates
TVNZ Breakfast – Emergency Services Location Technology: Paul Spain
Paul joined TVNZ Breakfast to share his insights of the NZ Government initiative to provide exact location to Fire, Police and Ambulance services when people call 111 from a mobile phone.
The Project – TV3: Paul Spain weighs in on new emergency tech
New Zealand emergency services have just rolled out new location technology to help with 111 emergency calls.
UberEats Auckland NZ Review and discount code
Last year I had a chance to try our Uber Eats before it launched in New Zealand – whilst I was in Canada and the USA. Needless to say UberEats was a really easy to use method of ordering food for delivery. Now it has launched in Auckland so I tried it out by putting in an order for my team at Gorilla Technology in central Auckland.
In short UberEats has the following benefits:
- Easy ordering from the UberEats app
- UberEats is linked to your existing Uber account so they already have your payment details and address if you use Uber today
- There is a good selection of local eateries – including Pizza, Thai, Indian and Mexican food – amongst others
- The app provides an estimated arrival time of the food, and shows where your delivery is once it leaves the restaurant
- With so many drivers to draw on, many UberEats orders arrive in 25-40 minutes from an order being placed
- Prices are reasonable being the same as takeaway prices plus a $5.99 delivery fee
What’s not to like? Well, Uber have been in the media recently for a number of mistakes with some promoting users to delete the Uber app. To start with UberEats in NZ is limited to just Central Auckland. Also, I was told be one local restaurant that Uber take 35% of the transaction and they said that is too much to leave them with any profit. With such a good variety of local eateries offering food via UberEats it seems some restaurants and takeaways disagree and seem able to make it work.
How do you try UberEats? Just install the iPhone or Android app – then use my discount code: eats-ubernz
The code above not only gives you a discount, but I get a discount too on my next order. So, if UberEats sounds like the method you’d like to use for you next meal, give it a try.
So what’s next in the world of Uber? It seems likely they’ll offer a formal courier deliver service of sorts. Though today many people already use Uber to move packages around for them. In terms of competition, word has it that competitor Lyft could be launching soon Internationally with New Zealand on their radar.