What Fieldays told us about the future of agritech

Kia ora

Fieldays 2026 was a significant week for New Zealand agritech.

Across a week of government announcements, innovation showcases and industry discussions, one message came through clearly: agritech is increasingly being recognised as a critical enabler of the future food and fibre sector.

This year saw the discussion of agritech moving from a future opportunity to a practical and accessible solution grounded in real farming needs to solve pressing challenges right now. That shift matters. It reflects a sector that is gaining influence, attracting investment and creating new opportunities for farmers, growers and technology companies alike.

What also stood out was the visibility of agritech leaders across the Fieldays programme. AgriTechNZ members featured prominently in tent talks, panel discussions, innovation showcases and industry forums, leading conversations on topics ranging from AI and automation to emissions reduction, productivity and sustainable land use.

Turning Innovation into Adoption

One of the most impactful announcements at Fieldays was the Government’s Land Use Flexibility programme, which will support projects aimed at improving productivity, environmental outcomes and resilience across New Zealand’s primary sector. As part of this initiative, AgriTechNZ will provide direct support to the Responsible Dairy programme.

Alongside this, AgriZeroNZ launched its Early Adoption Accelerator, designed to help farmers trial promising emissions-reduction technologies sooner and accelerate the pathway from innovation to on-farm impact.

Together, these initiatives signal a clear shift towards adoption at scale and create exciting opportunities for New Zealand agritech companies.

Building Global Connections

Through our Global Agritech Connector, delivered alongside the UK Agri-Tech Centre, we brought together leaders from New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom, India and Brazil to explore opportunities for collaboration and growth.

We also partnered with MFAT to host Women in Agri, featuring Maury Leyland-Penno, Co-Founder of Leaft Foods, who shared insights on the importance of networks and relationships throughout an agrifood career.

The message was clear: strong partnerships and global connections remain critical to helping New Zealand agritech scale internationally.

Thank you to our partners, speakers, international guests and everyone who was able to join us for this. It was great to see so many of our members taking part.

Celebrating Agritech Leadership and Innovation

We are delighted to see our members recognised with awards over the preceding months championing both leadership and innovation. Congratulations to the following members:

Congratulations also to all AgriTechNZ members recognised as finalists across both awards programmes. Together, these achievements reflect the growing strength and global relevance of New Zealand agritech.

Agritech Unleashed: Tauranga

Fieldays reinforced the important role AgriTechNZ plays in connecting innovators, industry, government and international partners to help accelerate the adoption and commercialisation of New Zealand agritech.

This role is at the heart of our Agritech Unleashed series, where we are bringing founders, investors, industry leaders and major primary sector organisations together. We’re hosting candid conversations about what it really takes to build, fund and scale agritech companies from New Zealand.

Next, we’re heading to Tauranga on Tuesday 25 August and you’re invited!

Join founders, growers, investors and sector leaders for a full day of practical conversations, regional insight and real-world agritech in action. Agritech Unleashed is designed to spark collaboration and help locally grounded innovation scale nationally and globally.

Register now

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Be part of DairyTech Alley

This November, New Zealand hosts the International Dairy Federation (IDF) World Dairy Summit in Auckland, bringing together 1,500+ global dairy leaders, researchers, policymakers, and industry innovators.

We’re exploring NZ DairyTech Alley: a shared, high-impact exhibition space that showcases New Zealand agritech companies to an international audience.

Rather than individual booths, DairyTech Alley (hosted by AgriTechNZ) would offer:

This is an opportunity to:

To help us finalise the concept and confirm demand, please register your interest via the short survey here.

If you have news to share or an opportunity to promote, please contact us and let’s keep building momentum together – turning innovation into adoption.

Ngā mihi nui

Brendan O’Connell

Chief Executive, AgriTechNZ

Read full news here: What Fieldays told us about the future of agritech