OCTOBER 2023: Without doubt, travel opens doors to new perspectives. During the last month, two cohorts of our agritech community have built connections, pursued business and gained insights.
Our partners at Callaghan Innovation led a group on the Harvesting Tomorrow: Hort Automation Market Immersion to America’s West Coast, capped off with attendance at the 2023 FIRA USA robotics and automation event. The team reported on tech adoption and the pace of development, “…while the scale of industry in the States is massive, adoption of technology on-farm isn’t as far ahead of us as we thought.” Sounds like there is room for New Zealand innovators to make a mark. Read more about the tour here.
Meanwhile, AgriTechNZ led a tour of Ireland and the United Kingdom (UK) including meetings with regulators, researchers and agri-businesses. We saw first hand how the world’s innovation systems are moving fast to finance ‘nature positive food systems’ and discussed with industry counterparts how marketplace demands are driving change in farming footprints far faster than any Government’s regulation settings. We also gained confidence that many of the initiatives in New Zealand are moving in the right direction. Read more.
In the coming weeks, we will continue to share our insights. The tour has also informed topics that will be discussed in the New Zealand Ireland Agritech Online Summit 2023 on 31 October, so ensure you grab your place.
Unquestionably, these travel opportunities have provided unique perspectives on rates of progress and opportunities. It was a privilege to travel with our delegation, every individual dedicated and working hard to make a positive impact.
We’ll continue to bring purpose and focus to these overseas missions.
Kia maiea tō rā
Brendan
Exective Director, AgriTechNZ