Malaysian-born entrepreneur only worked on prototype, not involved in development of current NZ COVID Tracer app

On 1 September 2021, we reported on Malaysian-born tech entrepreneur Alan Chew who was featured on New Zealand-based news source RNZ for “working on the NZ COVID Tracer app”. However, a representative of company Rush updated us about how Chew was just responsible for their app’s prototype—not the development of the technology and the app.

“While Alan absolutely suggested to the Ministry of Health that QR codes might be the way forward, he didn’t play a role in the development of the technology or the app we all use in New Zealand,” wrote Rush’s representative.

In RNZ’s story, they wrote about Chew’s “rags-to-riches” story of living a life in Malaysia before moving to New Zealand for his studies—where he stayed and helped contribute to New Zealand’s app-based technology. The article tocuhed on Chew’s company Houston Productivity Solutions and how it created a simple contact tracing system—similar to MySejahtera—and how he helped devise the prototype for the tracing technology.

However, RNZ has also recently updated their article to reflect Rush’s claim—now saying that Chew instead “played a part” in the COVID-19 tracing app, not “behind” it. In Rush’s website, the company “were brought in to develop and deliver a solution” to help minimise the impact of COVID-19.

“Chew sent his company’s final work to the Ministry of Health free of charge, and while the COVID app we all use today was developed and built separately by another company, Rush Digital, the Ministry have put a special thanks to Chew on their website,” wrote RNZ in their updated article.

While Chew might not have been 100% behind the development and technology of the official New Zealand app, it still doesn’t diminish his accomplishments as the one behind of its prototype. Chew said he has “benefitted so much from New Zealand society and wanted to give back”.

The NZ COVID Tracer is a New Zealand’s Ministry of Health app. Apart from being able to scan QR codes at places New Zealanders visit, the app lets them use a “digital diary”—which lets you add certain locations in case you forget to check in. While MySejahtera has had a recent upgrade, the “digital diary” is a pretty good idea for it’s next one.

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