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Kia ora koutou,

As 2025 draws to a close, I want to thank you, our members and partners for your ongoing support of New Zealand’s dynamic agritech community. Together, we’re part of a purposeful ecosystem that continues to show resilience and creativity, even in challenging conditions.

AgriTech New Zealand is pleased to share the announcement of the inaugural Land x Launch™ New Zealand cohort—a powerful collaboration between Farmers2Founders, Agrifood Futures, and Agnition Ventures (the corporate innovation arm of Ravensdown).

This global market-entry program is bringing five international startups to New Zealand to validate, localise and scale cutting-edge technologies that directly address some of our most pressing agricultural challenges: soil health, biologics, and climate-resilient farming.

Selected from a highly competitive international pool, these innovators will work alongside New Zealand farmers, agronomists and industry partners to test their solutions under real-world conditions and accelerate adoption through tailored support, including on-farm trials, strategic introductions, and market guidance.

🧪 Meet the Cohort:

• Cooling Crops (Israel): Sprayable solution that mimics nature’s own defence against thermal stress by restoring the soil’s protective crust.
• Margins (Germany): Combining geospatial and crowdsourced data with top human agronomists and AI to audit, monitor and expand current and future sourcing regions.
• M4Life (Argentina): A biological insurance for crops, developed through a patented “bio-training” process that supercharges the microbes already used in biological inputs.
• Solena Ag (USA): AI-powered platform turning soil biology into predictable profit by delivering data-driven prescriptions and integrated finance.
• TierraSpec (Israel): A soil intelligence platform that combines remote sensing, machine learning and minimal sampling to deliver high-resolution, cost-effective and rapid soil property mapping and carbon insights.

Through integration with F2F’s TEKFARM® platform and support from Ravensdown’s pilot farms, these companies will validate their technologies with early adopter farmers and key industry partners across dairy, arable, and horticulture sectors.

“Each startup in this cohort is addressing a critical pain point for New Zealand agriculture—from rising climate risk to data gaps in soil management,” said Christine Pitt, Co-founder of Farmers2Founders and Agrifood Futures. “With the right partnerships, these solutions can drive real, on-farm outcomes—both here in NZ and globally.”

“We’re proud to support this initiative that positions New Zealand as a launchpad for the world’s best technologies to land, learn and thrive in our unique agricultural ecosystem,” added Wilson Huang, Senior Associate of Agnition Ventures.

Why it matters for New Zealand:
As we look toward regenerative, sustainable, and climate-aligned production systems, global collaboration and technology validation are essential. Programs like Land x Launch™ ensure New Zealand remains at the cutting edge of agritech adoption—while supporting farmer profitability, resilience, and environmental stewardship.

AgriTech New Zealand (AgriTechNZ) has grown significantly since our launch in May 2018. As a membership-based organisation, AgriTechNZ is run by an elected Executive Council and this year we have four vacancies on the Executive Council for election.

AgriTechNZ connects innovators, investors, regulators and researchers. AgriTechNZ advances the ecosystem through advocacy, collaboration, innovation, talent and economic growth through international connections and missions.

To continue building on our success, it is critical to have the drive and support of a purposeful Executive Council and we are now seeking nominations. We encourage you to consider who could make an impact, ensuring the new Council reflects the diversity of the community we support.

Executive Council Nominations

There is now an opportunity to put yourself forward or nominate someone else for a role on the AgriTechNZ Executive Council. This year we have vacancies for the following positions:

• Corporate – Major (1 position)
• Corporate – Other (1 position)
• SMEs and Start-ups (2 positions)

Each of the positions are for a two-year term. The successful candidate for each position is determined by the votes from all eligible AgriTechNZ members, conducted online from 15 July – 29 July.  The results will be announced at the Annual Meeting on Tuesday 12 August 2025.

Nominees for the above positions must be:

• from an AgriTechNZ member organisation.
• in the AgriTechNZ tier they are being nominated for.
• up to date with their AgriTechNZ membership fees.

Government research institutes will now be able to nominate someone as part of the Other Corporate seat, noting that only a portion of their revenue comes direct from Government.

All nominations must be submitted online by 5pm, Tuesday 8 July 2025.

Last month, we launched our inaugural Agritech Unleashed event in Hawke’s Bay, bringing together agritech leaders, growers, researchers and innovators.

This first stop in the regional event series explored how Aotearoa’s land and people are shaping the future of agritech, starting from the ground up. Designed to foster collaboration and uncover regional insights, the event reflected AgriTechNZ’s commitment to building a more connected and influential agritech ecosystem.

Key themes & discussion highlights

Throughout the day, participants engaged in rich dialogue on the realities, challenges, and opportunities within the agritech landscape.

In the opening fireside chat, Paul Burns (Craigmore Sustainables) emphasised the need for alignment between investment, operational performance, and technology adoption. “Scalable innovation must earn its place on-farm,” he noted, reinforcing that productivity and sustainability must go hand-in-hand.

In Tech That Fits, Cameron Taylor (Taylor Corporation) and Morgan Rogers (VentureFruit) shared lessons from integrating technology into commercial horticulture. They highlighted the value of clean, actionable data, the importance of change management, and how collaborative innovation can avoid duplication and speed up adoption.

The human side of agritech was front and centre in Beyond the Pitch, where Chelsea Hirst (Sprout Agritech) and Andrew Kersley (Smart Machine) spoke openly about the personal journeys behind building scalable ventures. They both emphasised resilience, aligned partnerships and the power of feedback loops.

Global context was added through Lessons from the Lion City, where Tammy Lemire (Pāmu), Chris Kerr (MPI), and Chelsea Hirst shared insights from a recent study tour to Singapore. The conversation underscored the importance of regulatory agility, global partnerships, and national-level strategies for food system resilience.

Spotlight on Innovation

Attendees were treated to a field trip at Taylor Corporation’s packhouse, where they saw automation, data systems, and post-harvest technologies in action. This experience reinforced the importance of demonstration and trust in driving adoption.

In the Tech Talks, Bridgit Hawkins (CropX), Dr Mark Bart (Metris), Hamish Penny (Croptide), and Richard Beaumont (Agovor) shared practical insights on climate-smart agriculture, real-time plant data, hyper-local weather forecasting, and mini autonomous tractors. These insights proved that New Zealand agritech is solving real-world problems in innovative ways.

Agritech Unleashed: Hawke’s Bay set the tone for a powerful series grounded in local relevance and national ambition. It’s also demonstrating that when we listen, connect, and collaborate, we can build a stronger, smarter, and more sustainable agritech sector.

Special thanks to our regional host Foodeast Haumako, our event sponsors Lockton and AGMARDT, and all the speakers and attendees who made the day a success.

What’s next?

Join our next regional event: Agritech Unleashed: Waikato on 21 August. We’re focusing on dairy farming, animal health, and precision agriculture.

A new agreement signifies a major step in strengthening New Zealand’s agritech sector by fostering a shared commitment to innovation with the United Kingdom (UK).

AgriTechNZ and the UK Agri-Tech Centre (UKATC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen ties and promote knowledge, expertise, and innovation exchange between New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

“This agreement marks a significant milestone in our mission to foster global partnerships and innovation across the agritech sector. By creating bidirectional pathways between New Zealand and the UK, we are amplifying opportunities for collaboration and shared solutions to advance agricultural knowledge and innovation,” says Bridgit Hawkins, Chair of AgriTechNZ.

“We greatly welcome the proposed collaboration under a Memorandum of Understanding with AgriTechNZ. Working together not only highlights the importance of partnership working in this area, but demonstrates the potential positive impact we can have on the agri-tech industry. I look forward to seeing fruitful opportunities develop to the benefit of both countries.” says Phil Bicknell, Chief Executive at the UK Agri-Tech Centre.

As a new platform for collaboration, the MoU outlines initiatives that focus on:
· Knowledge exchange: Sharing expertise and insights to support innovation.
· Market support: Helping companies navigate new markets through tailored incubation and resources.
· Joint events and activities: Hosting webinars, workshops, and trade missions to strengthen industry connections.
· Collaborative research: Fostering links to tackle mutual priorities.
· Farm-Trial network linkages: Connecting farm trial networks in both countries, enabling innovators to test solutions in the opposite hemisphere.
· Funding opportunities: Exploring joint bids for Horizon Europe (the EU’s flagship research and innovation funding programme. New Zealand and the UK are associated countries, enabling full participation).

UKATC will support New Zealand companies entering the UK market, while AgriTechNZ will support UK companies in New Zealand, ensuring both benefit from shared expertise.  By leveraging their collective expertise, AgriTechNZ and UKATC aim to empower businesses, enhance productivity, and drive forward sustainable agricultural practices.

“This agreement is going to help farmers and innovators on both sides of the world. It is always great to see New Zealand and British organisations working together for the greater good. Fostering innovation and sustainability benefits farmers, trade, and ecosystems,” says Iona Thomas, OBE, British High Commissioner to New Zealand. 

“Technology and collaboration are key to furthering innovative primary production and doubling export value. It is great to see the growing partnership between UK and NZ agritech organisations providing robust outcomes for farmers, trade and ecosystems on both sides of the globe,” says New Zealand’s Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay.

AgriTech New Zealand (AgriTechNZ) has grown significantly since our launch in May 2018. As a membership-based organisation, AgriTechNZ is run by an elected Executive Council and this year we have four vacancies on the Executive Council (three elected and one appointed position),

AgriTechNZ connects innovators, investors, regulators and researchers. AgriTechNZ advances the ecosystem through advocacy, collaboration, innovation, talent and economic growth through international connections and missions.

To continue building on our success, it is critical to have the drive and support of a purposeful Executive Council and we are now seeking nominations. We encourage you to consider who could make an impact, ensuring the new Council reflects the diversity of the community we support.

Executive Council Nominations

There is now an opportunity to put yourself forward or nominate someone else for a role on the AgriTechNZ Executive Council. This year we have vacancies for the following positions:

• Corporate – Major (1 position)
• Corporate – Other (1 position)
• SMEs and Startups (1 position)

Each of the positions are for a two-year term. The successful candidate for each position is determined by the votes from all eligible AgriTechNZ members, conducted online from 16 July – 30 July. The results will be announced at the Annual Meeting on Tuesday 13 August 2024.

Nominees for the above positions must be:

We’re celebrating the success of New Zealand’s Primary Industries and its supporters.