Extreme accounting? NZ's rugged tech startups aim high with business software, not social media

WELLINGTON: New Zealand technology firms are rolling into global markets, selling software to businesses that locks down mundane tasks like accounting and expenses, rather than developing slick social media apps that consumers download free of charge. 

Led by Wellington-based Xero Ltd and its self-styled "beautiful accounting software", the South Pacific island nation's blossoming cloud-based tech industry is now the country's third-biggest export earner behind dairy and tourism.