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History and competition

150 years in New Zealand

Celebrating our 150th anniversary in New Zealand, we still drive growth across every industry. From electrifying communities and modernizing infrastructure to advancing manufacturing and smart buildings, we help create a more connected and sustainable future for New Zealand and the Pacific region.

Today, our building solutions help keep around 80% of New Zealand airport passengers moving comfortably and support two-thirds of the nation's university students in their learning environments. Our technology also helps modernize rail infrastructure to keep communities connected, helps local startups scale globally through advanced manufacturing software, supports satellites on their journey to space and enables world-class sporting vessels to compete on the global stage. For 150 years, we've helped turn ambitious ideas into reality, and we're just getting started.

Prize image for NZ 150 year competition including imagery from America's Cup sailing, SkyRide Auckland, Eden Park, Horizon Hotel and Auckland Museum.

Your chance to win

Beyond 150 Competition

Our journey in New Zealand began with the historic Lyttelton Timeball. Today, we're celebrating a century and a half of progress by sending you and a guest on an immersive Auckland getaway.

This all-inclusive prize covers your flights, transfers and three nights of accommodation. You'll experience the best of the city through a tech-forward lens, from the adrenaline of America's Cup sailing, SkyRide Auckland and a rugby match at Eden Park, to the elegance of Horizon Hotel and the cultural icon Auckland Museum.

For a chance to win this prize, follow the link below, fill in your details, and answer some short questions about our technology in the region. Tip: The answers you need can be found on this page.

Entries close on October 31, 2026. Good luck!

Enter now!
150-year anniversary of Siemens New Zealand.

Beyond 150 Competition

Explore the Beyond 150 Competition prize package.

Eden Park

Welcoming thousands of guests each year, Eden Park is New Zealand's national stadium. Siemens Desigo CC is this iconic venue’s digital control system, keeping events running smoothly.

AJ Hackett SkyRide

AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand's newest Auckland attraction, SkyRide, is the world's highest lift-and-descent ride. Siemens technology supports the ride's advanced control and safety systems.

America's Cup sailing experience

Emirates Team New Zealand, the most successful America's Cup team, uses our software for the design and development of its racing yacht.

Auckland Museum

Auckland Museum preserves New Zealand's Māori and Pacific heritage. Siemens Cerberus Pro fire systems protect these treasures using 290-plus sensors for reliable, early fire detection.

Horizon Hotel

Siemens Building Management System helps create a resilient, sustainable, safe and comfortable building for the five-star hotel, Horizon by SkyCity.

Our first mark in New Zealand

While we had started our operations across the shore in Australia several years prior, our first project in New Zealand was the Lyttelton Timeball, 150 years ago, joining a land where Māori ingenuity and development had long flourished.

Keeping time at sea

Located near Christchurch, the Lyttelton Timeball Station stands as a landmark of New Zealand's maritime history. Completed in 1876, the station features a zinc timeball and operating apparatus manufactured by Siemens Brothers. It represents one of the country’s earliest examples of precision timing technology.

For decades, the ball dropped daily at 1:00 p.m., allowing sailors to compare local time with Greenwich Mean Time to calibrate their chronometers. As chronometers drifted during long voyages and accurate time was crucial in avoiding danger, the station ensured safe passage.

The timeball was taken out of service in 1934 but remained in place until 2010. Following the subsequent Canterbury earthquakes, the tower was rebuilt and the timeball was restored. It remains as New Zealand's only surviving timeball station.

Image of the Lyttelton Timeball Station, showing the red-and-black timeball perched atop of a building. Image by Phillip Capper.

Image: Phillip Capper

Then to now

Take a walk through the history of electrification, automation and digitalization in New Zealand, and learn more about how our technology fits into the history.

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Image 2: Photograph taken by Edward John Wilkinson. Price, William Archer, 1866-1948: Collection of post card negatives. Ref: 1/2-001390-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.

Image 3: Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections AWNS-19121017-10-05

Image 4: Belliss and Morcom Limited. 1921. Steam Engine, 1970.368.1. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).