Mathew Pottinger | Nelson

Mathew Pottinger | Nelson

I am an Entrepreneur, Mechatronics Engineer and Founder of One Giant Leap Ltd. I studied Mechatronics at the University of Canterbury, and in 2009, when it became apparent that the robot-apocalypse was still 12 years away, I turned my talents to developing technology to help New Zealand's Olympic athletes monitor their performance.

Fast-forward to today, and the power meters that my company manufactures here in Nelson are used by elite-level athletes around the world to help them get more out of their training. My penchant for systems thinking and my entrepreneurial, get-sh*t-done attitude drove me to pick up the mantle of TOP's best-practice, evidence-based policies in response to the long term systemic issues that I repeatedly saw going unaddressed and unresolved in New Zealand. We've been buying and selling houses off each other for as long as some of us can remember, yet that's not how to generate real wealth as a nation.

TOP understands that low productivity (GDP per hour worked) is the main brake on living standards, and if we close the loophole in the income tax system, we can increase the pool of capital available to businesses, invest in improving productivity, and achieve higher real wages through higher quality jobs.

The net result will be a higher standard of living for us all and more opportunities for our children to build a future for themselves in Nelson, and across New Zealand. I passionately believe that's how we improve the well-being of a nation's people.