More than 30 companies in the information and communication technology sector have agreed in principle to create an industry association.
The NZICT Group will intially focus on advocacy, raising the industry's profile, and pressing the issue of its looming skills shortage.
The group's interim chair, Microsoft managing director Kevin Ackhurst, said the industry currently has no representation and any interaction with government is currently done on an individual basis.
He said the first issue the group needs to tackle is the skills shortage and getting more students to study ICT.
