Author Archive

At Agritech Unleashed, the Hon Damien O’Connor, Minister of Agriculture and Minister for Biosecurity, Food Safety, and Rural Communities and Arama Kukutai, Co-founder & Managing Director of San Diego-based Finistere Ventures will talk about the importance of connected capital and New Zealand’s opportunity to secure it.

Over the past 12 months, several early stage New Zealand agritech companies have secured offshore funding. These include Biolumic, Robotics Plus, Halter and most recently Invert Robotics. Several offshore funds have been active in this space. They include Finistere Ventures, Innovation Endeavor, Rabobank & Canopy Rivers. Directors & partners from all four of these global investors are attending the Agritech Unleashed event at National Fieldays.

‘Connected capital’ is more than just cash. It’s about connecting into a wider ecosystem of potential partners. The Farm2050 model epitomises this. With major global agribusinesses such as Bayer CropScience, Syngenta, Corteva, Nutrien, Mars & PepsiCo on board as partners, the opportunity to engage and grow with these players is real. Just ask Warren at Biolumic.

The panel discussion includes directors from Rabobank’s global agri fund (flying in from the Netherlands) and two major kiwi recipients of connected capital; Biolumic and Zeakal. They will talk about their own story and how connected capital has positively impacted their business.

The New Zealand Connected Agritech Capital session takes place in the Bledisloe Function Centre at Mystery Creek on Thursday 13 June from 10.15am – 11.00am.

Access to this exclusive session is strictly by ticket only. You can register for a (free) ticket by logging onto the Agritech Unleashed ticketing system here: https://avenues.eventsair.com/agritech-unleashed-2019/registration/Site/Landing

If you have an interest in this space, perhaps looking to either raise capital or as an existing investor, this is one event you cannot afford to miss.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Agritech New Zealand is delighted to announce its line-up of major international speakers for Agritech Unleashed – the one-day innovation event taking place during National Fieldays 2019.

Created in association with NZ National Fieldays Society and generously sponsored by the Ministry of Primary Industries, Agritech Unleashed is taking place in the Bledisloe Function Centre at Mystery Creek on Thursday 13 June.

The Agritech New Zealand Invitation Special!

On 23 May 2018, Agritech New Zealand was formally launched at the ’10 billion mouths’ conference in Tauranga. To celebrate our first anniversary today, we are offering readers of this post, the opportunity to apply for a free ticket to attend the Agritech Unleashed event.

This is an exceptional opportunity to hear from some of the most influential players in the global agritech & agribusiness sector. There are 5 key sessions during the event. To reserve your seat, please select your chosen session here.  If you have not yet purchased your National Fieldays ticket, please do so here. 

The Hon Damien O’Connor, Minister of Agriculture and Minister for Biosecurity, Food Safety, and Rural Communities will be speaking at Agritech Unleashed. The Minister will be joined by a number of other high-profile domestic speakers.

This post however is focusing on some of the major international speakers and delegates who have travelled to New Zealand for the event.

Our international speakers include;

Alexey Rostapshov: Head of Digital Innovation, John Deere

Based in San Francisco, as Head of Digital Innovation at John Deere, Alexey has been tasked with building the world’s leading digital platform for precision agriculture. Previously, as co-founder & COO at Mavrx, an aerial imagery & data analytics firm serving the agriculture industry, Alexey built a diverse team that designed and scaled the largest global imaging network dedicated to crop monitoring (covering 250 million acres using light aircraft & UAVs).

Arama Kukutai: Co-founder & Managing Director of Finistere Ventures

Arama is of Ngati Maniapoto, Tainui and Te Aupouri descent on his father’s side and spent his formative years in South Taranaki’s dairy sector. Today, based in San Diego, Arama co-founded Finistere Ventures and has led the creation of Finistere’s global network which includes offices in Tel Aviv, San Diego and Silicon Valley, and Dublin, Ireland. Finistere has invested in several New Zealand agritech companies including Biolumic, Zeakal, CropX and most recently Invert Robotics.

Richard O’Gorman: Director, Rabobank Food & Agriculture Innovation Fund

Based in the Netherlands, Richard joined Rabo Private Equity in 2010 and focuses on Rabobank’s international F&A venture capital and private equity activities. Richard serves on several Investment Committees and Advisory Boards for Rabobank’s portfolio of F&A funds and is closely involved in a range of Rabobank F&A innovation activities currently being carried out.

Michael Levin: Founder & Managing Director, Germin8

Based in Chicago, Michael founded Germin8 Ventures, which is a venture capital fund seeking to improve the global food system and is innovative in its own right, providing both investment and strategic resources to the exceptional founders of transformative food and agritech companies around the world. Michael oversees Germin8’s investing and operations, as well as actively participates on the boards of invested companies.

Sara Ahmed-Holman: Investment Analyst, Innovation Endeavor & Farm2050

Innovation Endeavors was founded in 2010 by Eric Schmidt and Dror Berman.  Innovation Endeavor’s investment and portfolio support teams are located in three major regions of innovation: Silicon Valley, Tel Aviv, and New York City. Based in Palo Alto, Sara co-wrote the Farm2050 Nutrient white paper and will be keynoting this session at Agritech Unleashed.

Han Chen: CEO of Zeakal

ZeaKal, Inc. is a next generation trait technology company. Its focus is on increasing the photosynthetic capacity of plants — allowing crops to harvest more sunlight and carbon dioxide and translating it into more grains, seeds and fiber. Originally, much of the science came out of AgResearch in New Zealand. Today, based in San Diego, Han Chen has just signed a major global R&D partnership with Corteva Agriscience, the agriculture division of Dow DuPont.

Our international speakers are part of a larger delegation of international guests that Agritech New Zealand, in conjunction with New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, is hosting. It is providing New Zealand’s agritech sector with the opportunity to build deeper engagement opportunities with key global players.

We hope you can join us at the Bledisloe Function Centre on Thursday 13 June.

At the end of next month, Agritech New Zealand & Callaghan Innovation are supporting a major kiwi agritech delegation attend the Forbes Live conference in Salinas, California.

A core focus of the delegation, which reflects its make-up, is on how New Zealand robotic, automation & sensing technologies can assist US growers address their single most important challenge. Labor. Lack of and cost of.

In August last year, Agritech New Zealand signed a partnership agreement with Western Growers, the largest producer of fresh produce in North America. Their members account for over 50% of all fruit and vegetable production. At the time of the signing, we were supporting another delegation of New Zealand agritech delegates as they took part in the 2018 Silicon Valley AgTech Immersion Program. In Central Valley, Northern California, we saw at first hand, on a tomato and water melon farm, the challenge. These farmers were hurting.

Since then, the situation has seriously deteriorated. Whole specialty crops are now at risk of either shutting down or moving out of the US. Mexico and other countries south are the major destination. So the sense of urgency is real and the opportunity for New Zealand agritech experts is now.

The first two days of our week in Salinas will involve meeting key representatives from different major grower associations. This will provide the delegation with a more in-depth understanding of the challenge and the core crops at risk. At the Forbes Live conference, we will be able to meet a number of the growers in person to better understand the challenge on-farm. I attended this event last year. It was one of the most productive US-based agtech-focused conferences I have attended.

It promises to be a hugely valuable week and Agritech New Zealand is delighted once again to be working with Callaghan Innovation to make this happen. When we return to New Zealand, we will sit down with delegation members to attempt to create an all of NZ approach to address the challenge.

Building new commercial pathways for New Zealand’s agritech expertise is a key purpose of Agritech New Zealand. Next month’s Salinas engagement is testament to that.

On Thursday 13 June, Agritech New Zealand, with the support of National Fieldays, and the generous sponsorship of the Ministry of Primary Industries, are hosting Agritech Unleashed; a major one-day event at National Fieldays which will provide visibility and insights into some of the major initiatives being planned for New Zealand’s agritech sector.

These include:

• A preview of the New Zealand agritech story. This is a major project that Agritech New Zealand has been developing with New Zealand Trade & Enterprise over the past 6 months
• A preview of the establishment of a New Zealand agritech venture fund. For New Zealand’s early stage agritech sector looking to scale, this has often been cited as the missing link.
• The formal New Zealand launch of Farm2050’s Nutrient Initiative. This 3-year initiative is designed to identify nutrient-related technologies that will not only increase plant yield, but also mitigate against negative environmental impact such as run-off. A critically important opportunity for New Zealand to lead the world in sustainable farming
• The 2019 NZ Aerospace Challenge is also addressing one of the biggest issues facing the agricultural sector – sustainability. 20 companies are developing a product or service that detects, monitors or measures water or soil pollution using the very latest satellite and unmanned aircraft (UA) technology. Learn how NZ is leading the world in this space.
• The Government has launched an ‘all of government’ agritech taskforce. At this session, the taskforce lead will focus on the initiatives under discussion and how they are being designed to support and scale New Zealand’s agritech sector.

Five ground-breaking sessions designed to truly unleash the potential of New Zealand’s agritech sector. Like any set of new initiatives however, there is a significant back story to these.

The story began three years ago when it became apparent that whilst global investment into the agritech sector was accelerating very rapidly, very little was finding its way to New Zealand. Industry and government sat down together to understand the ‘why’ and the answer became quickly apparent. Whilst the core individual components necessary to build a dynamic agritech ecosystem were in place, fragmentation and silos within government & industry meant that huge commercial opportunity was being lost. New Zealand did not have a coherent & compelling story to share.

One year ago this month, Agritech New Zealand was established to help address this challenge. It was a case of industry, government, research & investor stakeholders coming together and working through the issues. Since then, we have signed global partnership agreements with major players including Farm2050 & Western Growers. Globally connected capital has begun to find its way into New Zealand to the likes of Robotics Plus, Biolumic, Halter and most recently, Invert Robotics.

Agritech Unleashed 2019 is the culmination of this three year’s work. As well as providing a platform for industry and government to announce some major new long-term initiatives for New Zealand’s agritech sector, it is also providing a unique opportunity to showcase some of our great companies and their technology to a global audience.

Delegates from over 40 countries will be attending National Fieldays this year. The Agritech Unleashed event is enabling New Zealand companies to reach out, connect and engage with this audience. Keynote speakers, including the Hon Damien O’Connor, Minister of Agriculture and Minister for Biosecurity, Food Safety, and Rural Communities, will talk about New Zealand’s competitive advantage in this space and how our agritech sector is today addressing key global challenges. These include developing more sustainable farming practices to improve food production whilst at the same time reducing negative environmental impact.

To support the event, Agritech New Zealand has published a landing page on our website that will be updated over the coming days with the names of our speakers, panellists and how to apply for tickets.

Agritech Unleashed marks the beginning of the next chapter of the sector’s exciting journey. We hope you can join us.

• A preview of the New Zealand Agritech Story. This is a major project that Agritech New Zealand has been developing with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) over the past six months.
• A preview of the establishment of a New Zealand agritech venture fund. For New Zealand’s early stage agritech sector looking to scale, this has often been cited as the missing link.
• The formal New Zealand launch of Farm2050’s Nutrient Initiative. This three year initiative is designed to identify nutrient-related technologies that will not only increase plant yield, but also mitigate against negative environmental impact such as run-off. A critically important opportunity for New Zealand to lead the world in sustainable farming
• The NZ Aerospace Challenge 2019 is also addressing one of the biggest issues facing the agricultural sector – sustainability. Twenty companies are developing a product or service that detects, monitors or measures water or soil pollution using the very latest satellite and unmanned aircraft (UA) technology. Learn how New Zealand is leading the world in this space.
• The Government has launched an ‘All of Government’ Agritech Taskforce. At this session, the taskforce lead will focus on the initiatives under discussion and how they are being designed to support and scale New Zealand’s agritech sector.

Agritech Unleashed is brought to you by Agritech New Zealand, with the valued support of National Fieldays and the generous sponsorship of the Ministry for Primary Industries. Agritech Unleashed will provide visibility and insights into some of the major initiatives being planned for New Zealand’s agritech sector.

Supporting this initiative, some of the biggest names in global agritech are travelling to New Zealand to attend the event. Several have already agreed to take part in panel discussions, bringing global context to some of the opportunities and challenges being addressed by Agritech New Zealand. Agritech Unleashed is an invite only event. Details will be published on our website on Monday, including how to apply for a ticket.

Before then, the team are gearing up for Techweek19, 20–24 May. The intention behind Techweek is simple – to amplify New Zealand’s unique and inspiring innovation stories to the world. New Zealand’s tech and innovation sectors are growing rapidly and Techweek fosters growth by providing the national ecosystem with a week long opportunity for connection and cross-pollination.

Throughout New Zealand, a number of agritech events are taking place including the annual LandWISE conference in Havelock North. I will be travelling across the country supporting a number of Techweek19 events. They include an inaugural agritech workshop I will be leading in Wanganui, the ‘All You Can Eat’ event in New Plymouth, the launch of the PlantTech regional research centre in Tauranga, the Rezare agritech bootcamp in Hamilton and Techweek TV in Auckland. Check out some of the other great events below.

Meanwhile, interest from global players in New Zealand’s agritech sector continues to grow. Congratulations then to the Invert Robotics team who picked up $13 million of investment from a global syndicate of investors led by Finistere Ventures and Yamaha Motor Ventures last week. It was great to see existing New Zealand investors, including New Zealand Venture Investment Fund (NZVIF), take part in this funding round. This follows similar recent multi million dollar investments into the likes of Biolumic, Robotics Plus and Halter. Expect more investment activity in this space in the coming months.

Beyond Techweek19 and Fieldays, the ‘All of Government’ Agritech Taskforce is ramping up its activity and we are fully engaged as an industry partner. Over the coming weeks the opportunity for our members to actively connect and help influence both policy and regulation settings will become more evident.

In the meantime, I very much hope you have the opportunity to attend some of the great agritech events during Techweek19. It truly is a great time to be involved in New Zealand’s agritech sector.

Ngā mihi

Peter Wren-Hilton
Executive Director
Agritech New Zealand

NEWS

Join Peter Wren-Hilton for Major New Zealand Agritech Initiatives in 2019 and how the Whanganui region can be involved on 20 May in Whanganui.

Watch Techweek TV:When Aerospace and AgriTech combines on 22 May. Plus Techweek TV: Automation in Agritech – where to from here? on 24 May.

Join the Waikato Ag Innovations Bootcamp, 23–24 May in Hamilton. Attend the PlantTech Research Institute: Official Interactive Launchon 23 May in Tauranga.

What will the AgriFood sector look like in the future? Register for All You Can Eat on 20 and 21 May in New Plymouth. Attend LandWISE 2019: Rethinking Best Practice on 22 May in Hawkes Bay.

Save the date for evokeAg, 18–19 February, 2020 in Melbourne. In case you missed this year’s event, watch the highlights of day one and day two.

Join Agritech New Zealand at the Primary Industries New Zealand Summit and Awards, 1–2 July in Wellington. 

Don’t forget, time is running out to sign up as ShadowTech 2019 mentor. We need more tech professionals throughout New Zealand to inspire girls to consider tech careers. Everything you need to know is here.

Entries for the Fieldays Innovation Awards close on 10 May. Entries for the 2019 AmCham-DHL Express Success and Innovation Awards close 31 May.

Join EdTechNZ and TechWomen on 13 June in Wellington, 20 June in Auckland and 26 June in Christchurch to discuss how to achieve diversity in the tech sector. Registrations opening soon.

Attend Automation for Business on 23 May in Auckland. The New Zealand Esri User Conference is 12–14 August in Auckland. The Canterbury Tech Summit is 12 September.

Join Agritech New Zealand today. We are a membership funded organisation. If you are not already a member, please consider joining us.

Have you been forwarded this newsletter? Receive your own copy each month, simply subscribe here.

Be part of Scale-Up New Zealand, a free online platform for New Zealand’s innovation ecosystem.

This is the first Agritech New Zealand newsletter since the terrible events in Christchurch on 15 March. Our thoughts and condolences go to everyone affected during these difficult times.

Looking ahead, Agritech New Zealand is a Channel Partner for this week’s BOMA Grow 2019 Agri Summit conference in Christchurch. I look forward to meeting some of the several hundred delegates expected to attend.

Looking ahead is the core message of this month’s newsletter. Three weeks ago, Agritech New Zealand hosted leading officials from Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) and Callaghan Innovation at the first ‘All of Government’ Agritech Taskforce hui. The hui was held in Tauranga and followed meetings, late last year with Ministers Parker, O’Connor and Jones.

This is a significant initiative aimed at creating an agreed comprehensive strategy for agritech growth in New Zealand. The Taskforce, working in conjunction with Agritech New Zealand and industry partners, has identified some key initial areas of focus. These include:

1. Fuelling the growth of the ecosystem by:

• Identifying new channels to source venture capital investment
• Developing skills by creating an Agritech leaders’ skill development programme
• Leveraging existing and developing new International partnerships

2. Acting as One Agritech Team

• Industry, Government and research working together to create an agreed comprehensive strategy for agritech growth

3. Defining the Global Customer Opportunity and New Zealand’s Advantage

• Creating and promoting New Zealand’s unique agritech story
• Establishing New Zealand as a global thought leader in sustainability and agritech
• Defining global problems which match our vision for New Zealand’s impact for example, automation, clean water and nutrients
• Creating a transparent and comprehensive support system for companies looking to scale their business

The Taskforce is not a working group in waiting. Ministers want action and resource is being made available to make it happen. Over the coming weeks, I will be dedicating a significant amount of time travelling throughout New Zealand, meeting representatives from industry, research, Government and investment. As the various initial areas of focus are cemented, the outcome of these discussions will be shared with the Taskforce members.

Agritech New Zealand members will have a key role to play. We will be establishing formal workshops for some of the key themes of the initiative. These will input directly into the creation of the agreed comprehensive strategy. Soon, I will be sending an invitation to members to contribute to and benefit from this activity.

Looking ahead, planning for Agritech New Zealand’s major Day Two event at National Fieldays is well under way. It will coincide with the formal launch of the New Zealand agritech story and provide a platform to share some of our major new initiatives.

Finally, congratulations to the five finalists for the 2019 NZTE Best Hi-Tech Solution for the Agritech Sector at this year’s NZ Hi-Tech Awards; Agricom, Aporo – Robotics Plus, BlueLab, Livestock Improvement Corporation and Robotic Log Scaler – Robotics Plus. Five great solutions that demonstrate the depth and breadth of New Zealand’s agritech community.

There has never been a time when so much focus has been placed on our sector. The world of agriculture is changing rapidly and the new urgency being stoked by the Taskforce provides our country’s agritech businesses with a great opportunity to take a global lead.

These are exciting times. I hope that you can, and want to be, part of our journey.

Ngā mihi

Peter Wren-Hilton
Executive Director
Agritech New Zealand

NEWS

Register for What Could Climate Change Mean for Farming in Canterbury event on 2 May at Blinc Innovation in Christchurch.Build your profile and visibility by entering the Fieldays Innovation Awards. Entries close on 1 May. Fieldays is 12-15 June in Hamilton.

Join Agritech New Zealand at thePrimary Industries New Zealand Summit and Awards, 1-2 July in Wellington. Includes changing consumer preferences, strategy review, climate change, geopolitical and trade outlooks. Register for updates.

Attend Techweek19’s official launch event on 20 May in Auckland or join the live webcast. Join Peter Wren-Hilton on 24 May for Techweek TV’s webcast panel discussion, Automation in Agritech – where to from here? Techweek TV also explores the use of IoT in Agritech, 5G, global waste, Blockchain and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Hawkes Bay based apple harvesting robots have made international news. Palmerston North startup, BioLumic has attracted significant overseas investment for its plant growing technology. They have created the first ultraviolet ‘crop yield enhancement system’ and secured $5 million in financing.

Curious about AI? Video presentations from the recent AI-DAY are now online. If you are considering expansion in Asia, check out the Future Foods Asia 2019 conference on 3-4 June in Singapore. This year’s themes include smallholder solutions, rising middle class and food 4.0.

Sign up as a mentor and inspire girls into tech. ShadowTech is on 23 May in Gisborne, 7 June in Auckland, 11 June in Christchurch, 14 June in Palmerston North, 18 June in Dunedin and 27 June in Hamilton. Hack Tairawhiti 2.0 returns 17-19 May in Gisborne and is also looking for business mentors and design thinkers to help companies accelerate ideas with tech innovation.

Entries are now open for the 2019 AmCham-DHL Express Success and Innovation Awards for companies doing business with the USA.

Considering exports? New Zealand Trade and Enterprise’s (NZTE) Export Essentials workshops will help you grow faster. Forthcoming dates include Auckland, Kerikeri, New Plymouth and Wellington.

Join EdTechNZ and TechWomen on 13 June in Wellington, 20 June in Auckland and 26 June in Christchurch to discuss how to achieve diversity in the tech sector. Registrations opening soon.

Learn more about Standards New Zealand (SNZ)and its role in the digital economy, including AgriTech, AI, Blockchain, IoT and other emerging tech.

Attend the T-Tech19 conference, 6-7 May in Christchurch. Attend Automation for Business on 23 May in Auckland. The New Zealand Esri User Conference is 12-14 August in Auckland. The Canterbury Tech Summit is 12 September. The 2019 NZ Cyber Security Summit is 15 October in Wellington.

Agritech New Zealand is a membership funded organisation. If you are not already a member, please consider joining us.

Have you been forwarded this newsletter? Receive your own copy each month, simply subscribe here.

Be part of Scale-Up New Zealand, a free online platform for New Zealand’s innovation ecosystem.

Discussions and issues relating to New Zealand agritech will be on the agenda at events during Techweek next month.

Technology is transforming the way Kiwis grow and sell food as every piece of the supply chain is up for disruption.

“By 2050, the global population will demand 70 percent more food than is consumed today. Feeding these numbers nutritiously and sustainably will require substantial improvements to the global food system.

“We want to improve and increase our food production through better technology, such as robotics, and we will do that with more collaboration, innovation, and connected capital from overseas.

“Agritech could be destined to save the New Zealand economy because of the tremendous worldwide demand for food.

“There is growing evidence that the abundance of processed foods is the underlying cause of a global obesity epidemic which is also impacting New Zealand which is ranked third worst in the OECD for obesity.

“Combining two of New Zealand’s leading sectors, agriculture and technology, shows just how we can improve New Zealand farming, food production and health while also growing our exports. We are on the cusp of some massive and exciting tech changes in our lives.

“There are some amazing agritech developments in Silicon Valley such as Granular Software a farm operations startup that was recently purchased by DuPont for $US300 million, or the synthetic protein companies like Clara Foods for eggs, Memphis Meats for beef and Finless Foods for fish.”

In New Zealand, award-winning Tauranga company Robotics Plus has an automated apple packaging system that will be able to help US growers address labour shortages.

New Zealand is well positioned to meet increasing demands for specialty and healthy foods. Miro berries, a Maori owned and driven company, is deploying the latest agritech in New Zealand to build high value blueberry production to replicate our success in kiwifruit and meet domestic and global demand for the superfood.

New Zealand is one of the top 10 world’s biggest blueberry producers. About 700 ha of blueberry crops are grown in New Zealand with expectations the export industry could be worth more than $100 million in coming years.

Wren-Hilton says New Zealand is achieving good agritech export growth rates relative to other nations. Global agritech investment is expanding rapidly, with investment in agritech firms in 2018 was estimated at more than $US2.36 billion.

For further information contact Make Lemonade editor-in-chief Kip Brook on 0275 030188

Last week, I visited Hamilton, Palmerston North and Lincoln as part of the New Zealand Agritech Story workshop programme. We are organising these workshops with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) to gain insights into some of the sector’s perceptions of this country’s competitive agritech advantage. Simultaneously, the project team is gathering insights about New Zealand’s perceived position from significant global players. This activity culminates with the formal launch of the New Zealand Agritech story on Thursday 13 June at National Fieldays.

Building a compelling and cohesive New Zealand agritech story will provide the sector with huge value going forward, but it is not being developed in isolation.

The New Zealand Government Agritech Taskforce

This week, I am meeting senior officials from Ministry of Business, Innovation and Enterprise (MBIE), NZTE, Callaghan Innovation and Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to discuss the programme of initiatives being developed by the new all of government agritech taskforce. Agritech New Zealand is working with the taskforce as its sector interface. Personally, I’m delighted that David Downs has been seconded from NZTE to MBIE to lead this taskforce. I’ve known David for a number of years and look forward to working with him as we collectively develop programmes that have real impact.

National Fieldays 2019

We are also delighted to be formally partnering with National Fieldays, with exclusive use of the Bledisloe Building on day two of this year’s event at Mystery Creek. We will launch three additional new initiatives at Fieldays. During the week, we will be hosting a number of international venture funds and agribusiness leaders looking to do business with New Zealand. It provides a unique opportunity to showcase our sector’s problem solving tech to a highly influential global audience.

International Agritech Missions

Last month, I joined over 100 Kiwi agritech professionals at the evokeAG conference in Melbourne. It was great to see New Zealand startup CertusBio win the Pitch Tent Investment Ready competition. Congratulations to Matthew and the team! evokeAG will be held in Melbourne next year and we are once again planning to attend. Read our conference review here.

In June, we are supporting a delegation attend the Forbes Live conference in Salinas, Northern California. In September, we are planning to support a delegation to attend the Irish Ploughing Championships. We are working with Callaghan Innovation and NZTE to help make this happen.

IoT in Agriculture April Event Series

Next month, we are co-hosting a series of workshops to discuss How the Future of AgriTech and BioTech will be enabled by IoT. Join us on 9 April in Christchurch, 10 April in Wellington and 11 April in Auckland. Our event partners are the New Zealand IoT Alliance and BIOTechNZ. Watch your inbox for your invitation landing soon.

From my desk, I see real momentum building. The increased engagement with Government is being matched by a significant increase in activity in the startup and early stage space. I can evidence this from the increasing number of enquiries we are receiving from offshore capital and an exponential increase in interest from potential agribusiness collaborators.

For Agritech New Zealand and our members, this is certainly a great time to be involved in New Zealand agritech.

Ngā mihi

Peter Wren-Hilton
Executive Director
Agritech New Zealand

NZ HI-TECH AWARDS: Attend the finalist announcements

AI FORUM: Join AI-Day this month!

NEWS

Join Leveraging Blockchain for your Digital Identity on tomorrow in Wellington and 21 March in Auckland. Attend Central District Fieldays, this week in Feilding. Save the date for Fieldays, 12-15 June in Hamilton.

Secure your seat at Grow 2019 on 10-11 April in Christchurch. Early bird tickets close on Friday. Join Peter-Wren Hilton at MobileTECH 2019 on 3-4 April in Rotorua, showcasing agricultural, horticultural and forestry tech.

Considering expansion in Asia? Check out details of the Future Foods Asia 2019 conference on 3-4 June in Singapore. This year’s themes include smallholder solutions, rising middle class and food 4.0.

AI-DAY is 27 and 28 March, in Auckland. Check out this preview featured in Idealog. Register to attend now! Following the conference there is also a workshop series on 3 and 4 April. Workshop passes are available here.

Be part of Scale-Up New Zealand, a free online platform for New Zealand’s innovation ecosystem. Everything you need to know is here.

World changing ideas are born in New Zealand! Meet the UpStarters and learn more about New Zealand’s tech and innovation story.

Register for the New Zealand Digital Skills Hui on 27 March in Wellington. Curious about Blockchain? BlockchainNZ is the newest member of the Tech Alliance. Stay informed about this emerging tech and subscribe to their newsletter for regular updates.

Create connections, increase knowledge and support the growth of women in tech. Apply for TechWomen’s 2019 Mentoring Circles programme in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Registrations for mentors and mentees close 15 March.

Finalists for the 2019 Hi-Tech Awards will be announced on 27 March and winners awarded on 24 May in Auckland, during Techweek19. Lightning Lab Tourism and the Edmund Hillary Fellowship are now accepting applications.

Agritech New Zealand is a membership funded organisation. If you are not already a member, please consider joining us. Have you been forwarded this newsletter? Receive your own copy each month, simply subscribe here.

Thinking of getting involved in Techweek19?  Event submissions close soon.

The applause is over, the bunting and the red carpets have been put in store, and the over 1,200 delegates who attended last week’s evokeAG conference in Melbourne have returned to their day jobs.

Only 358 days then to go until the next evokeAG meetup. Same city. Same venue. 18-19 February 2020. Except that Agritech New Zealand does not plan to wait that long to build a more collaborative bridge with our Tasman neighbours.

What we learnt last week was that both New Zealand and Australia’s agritech sectors share some of the same challenges. Whilst we may occasionally display a competitive spirit, far more unites than divides. We both suffer from the impact of distance to market (Perth is a long way from Sydney) and attracting global capital to our respective sectors has been a challenge. During the NZ delegation’s field trips to several farms last week, we witnessed at first hand the effect of climate change and the impact of extreme weather events. Lack of rain (drought for an extended period) has hit Australian dairy farmers hard, meaning that Australia’s dairy output this year will be 7% down on last year. They are doing it tough out there.

What delegates from both countries agreed on was that technology and innovation has a key role to help farmers and growers address these, and other major global challenges. Issues such as sustainable farming, environmental impact, animal welfare and a license to operate are not restricted to New Zealand. They are commonly shared across borders and across continents.

One of Agritech New Zealand’s immediate challenges is identifying just who actually represents Australia’s agritech ecosystem. Unlike New Zealand, Australia has a federal & state system of government and collaboration does not always appear to be a core part of the DNA. I’m just putting this out there.

There are however some organisations who appear to be working towards building an ‘all-of-Australia’ agritech community and it’s these organisations we are currently reaching out to. The aim is to develop a genuine platform for significant trans-Tasman collaboration. These include the organisers of last week’s evokeAG conference, AgriFutures Australia, as well as two prominent agritech ecosystem builders; Agthentic and the Bridge Hub. Check out Agthentic’s Sarah Nolet post-evokeAG blog post here.

In short, we don’t plan to wait until February next year to continue the conversation. This process will start next month. My hope and genuine expectation is that by the time the next evokeAG conference takes place, so will the first major trans-Tasman collaborative agritech initiative.

It’s a significant challenge. Together, we can deliver.

Learn more and register to be part of Scale-Up New Zealand.

Yesterday, I joined more than half of the New Zealand delegates attending the evokeAG agritech conference in Melbourne next week.  Working with Callaghan Innovation and NZTE, we have established a four day immersion programme which includes farm visits and meetings with key players in the Australian agritech sector.  Learn more about the event here.

All of Government Agritech Taskforce Update

Last week, I met a number of senior Government agency representatives in Wellington. This follows on from several Ministerial meetings towards the end of last year and a decision by Ministers to develop an all of Government taskforce to support the growth of the agritech sector. Agritech New Zealand is acting as the interface between this taskforce and industry. I have further meetings over the coming weeks and will report back on developments.

Launching the Farm2050 Disruptive Nutrient Technology Initiative

Last month, I also met a number of Farm2050 partners in San Diego to discuss the upcoming Farm2050 global Disruptive Nutrient Technology Initiative. New Zealand is taking a lead role in this initiative as first country partner of Farm2050.  You can learn more in my blog update here.

We plan to schedule a series of workshops across the country in April and May. The aim is to provide local companies with an opportunity to engage directly with some of the world’s largest agribusinesses including Bayer, Syngenta, Corteva and Nutrien. The focus of the initiative is to identify nutrient technologies that improve plant absorption efficiency and create reductions in environmental impact such as run-off. A number of Farm2050’s venture partners are also engaging directly with this initiative. More details to come.

National Fieldays 2019

Talking of global partners, we are in the process of finalising an agreement with National Fieldays to host a major innovation event at Mystery Creek in June.  We will be hosting a series of sessions in the Bledisloe Building on day two of Fieldays, Thursday 13 June. This will include the formal launch of the New Zealand agritech story as well as providing a platform for our sector to showcase our tech to an international audience. A number of Farm2050’s global partners are expected to attend and several major announcements impacting the future of the sector are expected.

It’s been an exciting start to the year with a number of new initiatives either underway or in review. If you have not already signed up as a member of Agritech New Zealand, I would urge you to do so.

For further details of the benefits on offer and the opportunity to take part in some of the major initiatives planned, please visit https://agritechnz.org.nz/join/.

Ngā mihi

Peter Wren-Hilton
Executive Director
Agritech New Zealand

NZ HI-TECH AWARDS – Entries close 4 March!

AIForum – Join AI-Day on 28 March

NEWS

Attend AgriFutures evokeAG, 19-20 February in Melbourne.   See the latest on-farm technologies and hear from experts about automation and robotics in future farming.  Discover the future of waste as an emerging supply chain and more.

Peter Wren-Hilton, Agritech New Zealand’s Executive Director is presenting on the future of the agritech sector in New Zealand at MobileTECH 2019, 3-4 April in Rotorua.   Early bird tickets are available until 22 February.

Create connections in the AI and FinTech ecosystems. Join us on 14 February in Wellington, 21 February in Auckland and 27 February in Christchurch. Tech Alliance members receive two tickets for the price of one for Wellington and Christchurch.  Register today only with the promo code: TA2FOR25

Attend Central District Fieldays, 14-16 March in Feilding.  Save the date for Fieldays, 12-15 June in Hamilton. Lightning Lab Tourism and the Edmund Hillary Fellowship are now accepting applications.

What does the future of New Zealand’s public sector look like?  Register to attend the Future Government Summit, 26-27 February, 2019 and help create a roadmap for the future.

Considering entering the 2019 Hi-Tech Awards?  Here’s six reasons why you should enter.  Entries close 4 March and finalists will be announced on 27 March.  Save the date for the Gala Dinner, 24 May in Auckland, during Techweek19.

In local news,  learn more about New Zealand’s world first IoT farming trial. Plus, more on the new global initiative into emerging nutrient technologies.

World changing ideas are born in New Zealand!  Meet the UpStartersand learn more about New Zealand’s tech and innovation story. Watch videos and download the showcase booklet.

Register for the TechMarketers 2019 Conference on 28 February in Auckland, or forward to your Marketing colleagues. Email now to get your NZ Tech community discount code.

Agritech New Zealand is a membership funded organisation.  If you are not already a member, please consider joining us.  Have you been forwarded this newsletter? Receive your own copy each month, simply subscribe here.  

Thinking of getting involved in Techweek19?  Event submissions are now open.

In less than two weeks, 60+ representatives from New Zealand’s agritech sector will have arrived in Melbourne for the inaugural evokeAG conference.

The conference has been organised by AgriFutures Australia, yet it has a strong trans-Tasman flavour. When John Harvey, AgriFutures Managing Director visited New Zealand in the middle of last year, the benefits of broadening the conference’s appeal became apparent. Today, the conference features several New Zealand speakers, with three early stage kiwi agritech companies pitching for investment capital from a number of global venture firms in the aptly named ‘Pitch Tent’ session.

The good news is that NZ Inc. will also be in town.

The New Zealand delegation is being supported by Callaghan Innovation, NZTE & MBIE. It’s great to see government agencies coming together to add real weight to the opportunity. Representatives from both MPI and NZVIF are also participating in the programme.

As part of the delegation’s preparation, Callaghan Innovation is hosting a one-day workshop next Tuesday. It will provide delegates with insights and thinking from some of New Zealand’s agritech business leaders who have already made the journey across the Tasman. A similar one-day workshop held last August prior to the 2018 Silicon Valley AgTech Immersion Program proved to be an invaluable opportunity to prepare the delegation for their time in the US.

To provide more value to the kiwis traveling to Melbourne, a new Agritech Immersion Program has been established with the support of Invest Victoria. This will see NZ delegates taking part in farm visits as well as meeting different local agritech players in the two days around the conference. Special mention and thanks to Simon Yarrow at Callaghan Innovation and Angela Traill from NZTE who have coordinated this programme.

I am fortunate to have sat on the evokeAG conference steering committee since the middle of last year. Working with the event organisers & other steering committee members has provided me with a personal insight into some of the real opportunity that increased collaboration with the Australian agritech ecosystem can bring.

Agritech New Zealand is proud to be associated with the evokeAG conference. You will be able to find us in the NZ Corporate Lounge, adjacent to main conference hall at the Royal Exhibition Building. During the two-day event (19 & 20 February), we will be posting regular updates via this website and on our social media platforms. It’s going to be a fascinating week and one which will lift the profile of some of New Zealand’s most exciting and promising agritech companies.

Building bridges and helping scale our emerging agritech ecosystem in international markets is a core part of Agritech New Zealand’s DNA. evokeAG is the first major highlight of an exciting program of events for New Zealand’s agritech sector in 2019. We hope to meet you there.

I have just returned from the US where I spent valuable time with a number of Agritech New Zealand’s key partners in Farm2050. The major purpose of the visit was to discuss our preparation for the 3-year initiative based on identifying disruptive technologies around nutrients.

For context, fertilisers, (nutrients such as N, P, K or Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potash and compounds thereof) are one of the single largest input spends in pastoral farming systems. It is estimated less than 50 percent of the immense volume of fertiliser applied in New Zealand and around the world is utilised by the targeted planted crops and fields to which they are applied.  The balance is volatilised or is transmitted into the water table and often from there into steam /river/ estuary systems with negative environmental impacts.

Last week, I sat down with innovation leaders from a number of the world’s largest agribusinesses; Bayer CropScience, Corteva, Syngenta, and Nutrien. We discussed the impact of nutrient application and measurement from two perspectives; plant absorption efficiency and environmental impact. For farmers and growers in New Zealand, both are key metrics. My question and the question raised by others was whether existing practice is fit for purpose. What opportunities are there to test emerging technologies, as well as develop new technologies to address these two critical issues? These questions have become the main drivers for this global initiative.

As Farm2050’s first country partner, New Zealand has a pivotal role to play. We have advanced farming systems and deep domain knowledge. We produce some of the finest agricultural product in the world. Yet our farmers and growers are well aware of the regulatory environment in which they now operate. Consumer concerns about environmental impact, negative media comment and government regulation are all affecting sentiment within the primary sector.

Farm2050’s global nutrient initiative is designed to map talk with action to support our farmers and growers.

What does this mean in practise? As a first step, Farm2050, in conjunction with Agritech New Zealand, will work with New Zealand farmers, leading ag co-operatives and government to establish field trials to test select, emerging nutrient technologies. We plan to engage with New Zealand’s major existing players in this space, as well as early stage agritech companies seeking to address these issues.

There is also great science, often locked up in our universities and crown research institutes. Leveraging these combined assets can help New Zealand’s agritech sector take a global lead in improving both plant absorption efficiency, as well as reducing environmental impact, through the smarter use of nutrients. That was the commitment I made last week to Farm2050’s global agribusiness and venture partners in the US. It was a commitment they agreed to support.

Over the next few weeks, we will be releasing a detailed white paper that will outline now only the key objectives of the initiative but also the steps by which the process will be managed. I am also looking forward to announcing some of the globally recognised team members that will be working with Agritech New Zealand to help scale this initiative in New Zealand.

As New Zealand’s government sets out its targets for reducing carbon emissions and improving water quality, this Farm2050 initiative will go a long way to supporting that ambition. For Agritech New Zealand and its members, it’s a very exciting way to kick off 2019.

We are not doing this alone. We are working with our existing members, the New Zealand government and external partners to facilitate better access to:

• Offshore markets
• International partnerships
• Global capital

We are also launching a series of new initiatives through 2019 in which New Zealand will be taking a global lead. These are designed to address some of the key challenges that are impacting on the primary sector, both at home and abroad: Labour (the lack of); increasing the production of nutritious food; improving sustainable farming practices; better management of environmental and water control. All set against a backdrop of changing weather patterns, evolving land use and a growing consumer awareness of the importance of provenance around how we grow food, its source & its impact on the land.

Members of Agritech New Zealand will be able to take part in the working groups established to address these challenges. We will in turn be working with New Zealand government’s new inter-agency taskforce designed to support the growth of the agritech sector. As a member of the Agritech New Zealand, your business will be able to benefit from these initiatives.

As a corporate member, you will have access to New Zealand’s agritech start-up ecosystem, learning more about how their often disruptive technology and business models can positively support your business. As a start-up member, the converse applies. Access to New Zealand’s more established agribusinesses will potentially help scale your emerging business.

Better access to global capital is key for most businesses. By providing channels to that capital, Agritech New Zealand, together with its partners in Farm2050, can provide that access. To support this offshore visibility, Agritech New Zealand will be representing New Zealand’s agritech sector at a number of major international agritech-focused conferences this year, providing direct insights into New Zealand’s agritech landscape and the opportunity it provides for offshore engagement and investment.

If you want to play a key role in helping develop New Zealand’s rapidly growing agritech ecosystem, you can sign up and join Agritech New Zealand today. As we publicise these new initiatives, the opportunity to connect and engage with that community and our offshore partners will significantly benefit both our individual members and the country’s wider agritech ecosystem.

Agritech New Zealand’s key purpose is that ‘by working together, we can unleash New Zealand’s agri-technology expertise, globally’. To join this community today, you can view and sign up via Agritech New Zealand’s online membership application form here. Alternatively, you can contact me directly at my email address: peter.wren-hilton@agritechnz.org.nz

The team looks forward to working with you through 2019.

I am writing from Ireland where I have just attended the 2019 Agtech Nexus Europe conference. I was joined by Vic Crone, CEO of Callaghan Innovation and Sprout Accelerator’s Dean Tilyard.  We have been exploring opportunities for increased collaboration between our respective agritech sectors.  Read more about my time here in A Letter from Dublin.

Our visit has been part of a much more significant journey; the development of a national agritech strategy which will help drive the growth of our sector.  Following several meetings with Government Ministers in recent months, an ‘all of government’ taskforce has been established to work with industry to build this strategy. While many Kiwis will be spending the holidays on the beach, Agritech New Zealand will be working closely with this taskforce to help accelerate its work. Agritech New Zealand’s diverse membership allows us to ensure this strategy will have a very strong commercial focus.  Building New Zealand agritech to support New Zealand’s own primary industries adopt more home-grown tech to provide more efficient and sustainable farming practice, as well as helping scale our members’ businesses offshore, are two of the key metrics driving our position.

As we approach the final days of 2018, I am tempted to conduct a review of some of our agritech sector’s great achievements of the year.  There are many, but the scale of opportunity makes focusing on 2019 a far more productive use of time and space. Three significant events have been identified for the year ahead and we are working with Government agencies to support New Zealand agritech delegates attendance.  These key diary dates include:

• EvokeAG 2019 conference, 19–20 February in Melbourne, Australia
• Forbes Live Agtech event, 26–28 June in Salinas, California, USA
• Irish Ploughing Championships 17–19 September in County Carlow, Ireland.

Additionally, our strategic global partnerships with both Farm2050 and Western Growers will provide a number of exciting opportunities for New Zealand agritech companies looking to scale offshore through 2019.

At home, the first six months will see significant Agritech New Zealand input into the development of the New Zealand Agritech Story.  We are working with the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) and New Zealand Story project team to ready this for launch at National Fieldays in June.  By curating a coherent and compelling New Zealand agritech story, we will be more effective when talking to international partners about the New Zealand agritech ‘advantage’.  Agritech New Zealand would like to publicly recognise the funding commitment made by Government to help develop this story.

Early next year, we will announce our first working groups and national workshops.  These will allow members to participate and engage in key forums on critical issues such as the development of disruptive technologies for nutrients, the future of digital farming and the opportunities for accessing global capital.  Agritech New Zealand has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to ensure the outcome of these working group discussions lead to recommendations for amending related policy and regulation settings.

2018 has been quite a year! In the six months since Agritech New Zealand was formally established, we have focused on creating necessary building blocks to support and scale the country’s agritech sector.  With many of the building blocks now in place, 2019 promises to be an incredibly exciting place to be. We hope you will join us on this journey.

The team at Agritech New Zealand would like to wish everyone a very happy Christmas and a very prosperous and safe New Year.

Ngā mihi
Peter Wren-Hilton
Executive Director
Agritech New Zealand

Welcome to our new members this month

•  Advanced Biotech NZ (ABNZ)
• AerotekFan
• AGMARDT
• Agrisea
• Be Amorgos
• Cawthron Institute
• Ento Solutions
• Foundation for Arable Research (FAR)
• Haunui Technology Group
• Jade Software Corporation
• KPMG
• Mount Albert Grammar School
• Plant & Food Research
• Precision Hawk
• Solcor
• Think Technology
• University of Auckland
• Verify Union
• Zeddy

News

Join the large New Zealand delegation attending, evokeAG, 19-20 February, 2019 in Melbourne.  Here’s five reasons to put evokeAG on your ‘to do’ list! Tickets are available here.

Super early bird rates close on Friday for MobileTECH 2019.  Check out the keynote speakers for the annual event which showcases tech transforming the primary sector.

Have your say and share your views on policy!  Final submissions for the R&D Tax Incentive close 14 December.  MFAT submissions for a post-Brexit free trade agreement close 11 February, 2019.

Join the New Zealand pavilion at BIO 2019, celebrating globally important innovations in biotech.  Please register your interest with MBIE by 14 December.  

What does the future of New Zealand’s public sector look like?  Register to attend the Future Government Summit, 26-27 February, 2019 and help create a roadmap for the future.  Includes GovTech, tech trends, innovation and more.

Would you like to be involved in Techweek19?  Plan an event to inspire New Zealanders and build capability.   If you would like to be involved in the programme highlights, submissions close this week.

A new local report suggests that nearly one in five farmers is struggling to keep up with the pace of technological change and 80% of them are underestimating its effects.  Read more about emerging tech and the adoption lag here.  

In other news, “a trusted, secure digital identity is crucial for all New Zealanders,” said Minister Woods at the official launch of Digital Identity NZ last week.  Join the digital identity conversation here.    

Join the AI Forum at the 31st Australasian Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence this week in Wellington.  Applications for the AI Impact Challenge, helping solve some of the world’s biggest challenges close on 22 January.

Entries for the 2019 Hi-Tech Awards are now open!  Check out the categories and consider a nomination.  Save the date for the 2019 Gala Dinner on 24 May in Auckland, during Techweek19.

Agritech New Zealand is a membership funded organisation.  If you are not already a member, please consider joining us.  Have you been forwarded this newsletter?  Receive your own copy each month, simply subscribe here.  

Save these 2019 event dates; Tech Marketers conference on 28 February, AI-Day on 28 March and Techweek 20-26 May.  

I am spending three days meeting up with some great Irish agritech innovators, investors & ecosystem players. The week culminates in my attending and participating in the AgTech Nexus Europe conference which is being held at Dublin’s Conference Centre on Friday.

It’s a long way to travel from Tauranga. 3 flights. 32 hours. Each way.

So you might ask why?

The answer is pretty straightforward. The opportunity for increased collaboration between New Zealand and Ireland’s agritech sectors is huge. Both countries have similar pastoral farming systems; both countries produce premium agricultural product and both countries are committed to building more sustainable farming practices – for both the environment and the farmer.

There’s one thing however that we don’t share and that’s the greatest value add. We operate in two very different hemispheres. This offers agritech companies with the opportunity to conduct R&D, as well as product and in-market validation during not one, but two growing seasons. That’s massive.

Let’s say you are a Waikato-based early stage dairy tech business developing a solution for calving. Right now, active application would take place during the New Zealand winter season. There then comes that long break until the next calving season begins. Imagine however if you could be part of a structured and well-supported landing pad in Ireland and could continue that R&D and product validation work during the northern hemisphere calving season. In a world where speed to market counts for so much, this could significantly accelerate the opportunity. This explains why I am in Ireland exploring ways to establish a more formal bridge between Agritech New Zealand and our Irish counterparts.

The good news is that Ireland’s agri sector is listening and is ready to engage. Last night, I spoke at a private dinner function to several of Ireland’s leading agritech ecosystem partners, including the Irish Sovereign Fund. I am giving similar presentations, in different settings, over the next 36 hours to other key Irish players. There’s a purpose.

In September next year, working closely with Callaghan Innovation, we intend to invite a large delegation of New Zealand agritech companies to attend the 2019 Irish Ploughing Championships. Think National Fieldays. On steroids. Over 100,000 visitors each day for three days.

By then, I want to have that bridge built. I want New Zealand agritech companies to be able to leverage the opportunity that a dual hemisphere strategy can offer.

Next week, I will publish a more detailed account of how my meetings have gone and where to from here. These are exciting times for both New Zealand and Ireland’s respective agtitech communities.