Author Archive

Next week, Techweek2020 kicks off and Agritech New Zealand has three great events lined up for the country’s agritech community.

Tuesday 28 July – Techweek TV 2.00pm – 2.30pm

Join David Downs, the Agritech Transformation Plan Taskforce lead and myself as we discuss the next steps in the delivery and implementation of the Plan. If you missed the official launch of the Plan in Tauranga earlier this week, you can read about it here.

To view this ½ hour special, set your clocks for 2.00pm on the 28^th and go to https://techweek.co.nz/techweek-tv/ We hope you can join us then.

Wednesday 29 July – Elizabeth Fastiggi, global agritech lead at AWS 11.00am – 12.00pm

At 11.00am, I am hosting an exclusive one hour webinar with Elizabeth Fastiggi, global agritech lead at AWS. Dialling in the US, Elizabeth will talk about her perspective of the global agritech landscape and illustrate this though some customer journeys. Viewers of the webinar will be able to ask Elizabeth direct questions during the webinar. It will be the first time that Elizabeth has spoken to a New Zealand audience.

This is a free event, but registration is essential. To register, please visit https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8FoSHv_DQvukjhfG3NN3eA

Thursday 30 July – Re-Imagine the Digital Economy: The Role of Technology in Food Assurance 2.00pm – 4.00pm

Online events don’t come much bigger than this. A live two hour webinar linking major thought leaders in New Zealand and Singapore.

Join this session as we hear from industry experts, technology providers and food producers on the role of technology for improving yields, optimising production methods and reducing waste, predicting demand, and safeguarding supply chains.

Speakers Include:

• Peter Wren-Hilton, Executive Director, Agritech New Zealand
• Bradley Busetto, Director, UNDP Global Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development
• Paul Ryan, Director, Trust Codes
• Claudia Roessler, Director Agriculture, Microsoft Azure Global Engineering
• Amit Gupta, CEO, Ecosystm (Singapore)
• Jannat Maqbool, Principal Advisor, Ecosystm  (New Zealand)

Starting at 2.00pm (NZT), registration is once again free, but essential. To register, please visit https://info.ecosystm360.com/re-imagine-the-digital-economy-the-role-of-technology-in-food-assurance

Techweek2020 promises once again to be a festival of innovation. If you want to share in it, and have an interest in the progress of New Zealand’s agritech sector, we very much hope that you can join us for one of these free events.

Welcome to perhaps the busiest month for New Zealand’s agritech sector this year! Get your diary ready to lock in July’s significant dates.

The New Zealand Agritech Story Workshops

If you haven’t registered to attend yet, free seats are still available on 15 July in Auckland, 16 July in Hamilton and 21 July in Lincoln. One of the key priorities of the Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) is to ensure New Zealand’s Agritech Story reflects the global agritech landscape post COVID-19. We are hosting three workshops over the next two weeks to provide industry with the opportunity to input directly into that Story.

Fieldays TV

While the traditional National Fieldays was cancelled, the team at Mystery Creek are hosting a free event, Fieldays Online, 13-26 July. We have partnered once again, hosting four Fieldays TV programmes on 13, 15, 20 and 22 July. Each session is broadcast live from 2.00pm – 2.30pm. Once registered to attend Fieldays Online, you can access these sessions from any digital device.

Monday 13 July – The launch of the Trans-Tasman Water Challenge

Learn more about this initiative which is bringing together key researchers and startups from both sides of the Tasman, to address the critical issue of water and its impact on agriculture.

Wednesday 15 July – The launch of the TIN Agritech Report

The Technology Investment Network (TIN) are releasing their first ever analysis of the size and scope of New Zealand’s agritech sector. Who are the major players, their revenues and areas of expertise?

Monday 20 July – The Agritech New Zealand Practitioner Working Group

Learn more about the significant work being undertaken by the Practitioner Working Group, including its focus on developing agriculture data standards and regulation fit for purpose.

Wednesday 22 July – The future of on-farm Robotics and Automation

Tune in for a fascinating panel discussion on how robotics and automation are set to transform many on-farm and on-orchard agricultural and horticultural processes.

The Formal Launch of the Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (ITP)

We are delighted to host the formal launch of the Agritech ITP in Tauranga on Tuesday 21 July. We will be joined by Ministers Phil Twyford and Damien O’Connor as industry celebrates this major milestone.

This occasion will also see the launch of our major research report, Aotearoa Agritech Unleashed. The report analyses the impact of the agritech sector on the country’s economy. It contains a number of recommendations to significantly lift the productivity, size and profitability of the sector.

Techweek 2020

Agritech New Zealand joins Techweek2020, 27 July-2 August. 

Tuesday 28 July 2.00pm – 2.30pm
Following its launch, what does the Agritech ITP mean for the sector going forward? Featuring David Downs, Agritech ITP lead and myself. This session will be broadcast live on Techweek TV.

Wednesday 29 July 11.00am – 12.00pm
Global head of Agritech at AWS, Elizabeth Fastiggi, will discuss Digital Innovation in Agriculture: AWS Customers Leading the Way to a Sustainable Future. Please register to attend.

Thursday 30 July 2.00pm – 3.00pm
Join this exclusive New Zealand and Singapore sponsored session as we hear from industry experts, technology providers and food producers on the role of technology for improving yields, optimising production methods and reducing waste, predicting demand, and safeguarding supply chains.
Please register to attend. 

It’s quite a list! I hope you can join us as we navigate the next three weeks. There are numerous opportunities to engage with, or simply listen to, global thought leaders in our space. Our time has come.

Ngā mihi

Peter Wren-Hilton
Executive Director
AgriTech New Zealand

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Building stronger trans-Tasman ties in the area of innovation and agri-technology provide a unique opportunity for some really big thinking. Connecting our respective research and entrepreneurial communities has the potential to address key major global issues. Few are bigger than the scarcity and management of water.

Australia is currently grappling with one of its worst droughts on record. Water is its most precious natural resource. The agrisystem, which includes the entire agri food supply chain, needs to become more efficient with its use of water and build its long term resilience and preparedness for drought.

Australia is not alone in facing water issues. New Zealand understands this. Water scarcity is a universal problem being exacerbated by changes in our climate. Together, we need to urgently find solutions to address the immediate and longer term challenges posed to our region’s entire agricultural ecosystem.

Introducing the Bridge Hub 2020 Water Challenge. Bridge Hub, based in New South Wales, launched its 2020 Water Challenge at the evokeAG conference, in Melbourne, in February. The Challenge’s current supporters in Australia include CSIRO, Commonwealth Bank, AgriFutures Australia, the University of Canberra, the Government of South Australia and a number of regional development agencies across multiple Australian States.

Following discussions at the most recent Australia New Zealand Agritech Council, it was agreed that New Zealand’s Council members would invite New Zealand’s research and entrepreneurial community to join the Challenge. It was also agreed that in order to identify significant solutions to the Water Challenge, we would pose 4 questions to our research and entrepreneur community;

1. How can the agrisystem use less water and increase productivity and profitability?

2. How can we turn arid agricultural areas into vibrant, sustainable and productive regions?

3. How can we ensure the quality of water optimises the outcomes for farmers, growers and the environment?

4. How can different sectors outside the agrisystem align to optimise water usage?

Four major questions that are looking for innovative answers.

The New Zealand input is being supported by the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum, New Zealand’s Agritech ITP, New Zealand Trade & Enterprise & Callaghan Innovation. A number of additional New Zealand research and commercial organisations are signing up in support.

So what are we looking for?

Under research, we want to identify cutting edge New Zealand research that can help solve the water related problems we have identified in the agrisystem. The research solutions must have high commercialisation potential that can scale globally to have maximum impact.

Under entrepreneurship, we want to unlock and demonstrate the next generation of leading New Zealand water technology solutions for the agrisystem. The Challenge is looking to provide a testbed for the research and business entrants, in both New Zealand and Australia.

Finally, to encourage trans-Tasman research collaboration on the Water Challenge, we are looking to welcome submissions with at least one Australian and one New Zealand researcher on the team. Expect further announcements on what this might look like as the Council engages with different agencies on both sides of the Tasman.

To register your interest in the Trans-Tasman Water Challenge, please visit https://www.waterchallenge.co/ 

I hope this newsletter finds you safe and well. Last month, we held our annual meeting and I would like to congratulate the newly elected members of our Executive Council. The platform that has been developed over the past two years provides a very significant opportunity for our members going forward.

In particular, I would like to thank the departing members of our Establishment Council for their immense contribution. They have provided me with invaluable support and advice during the past two years as we have grown into a significant industry sector organisation. Their contribution has been immense and the platform that has been established provides a very significant opportunity going forward.

My immediate focus is on the plans for the delivery and implementation of the Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (ITP). To further emphasise the Agritech ITP’s importance, Agritech New Zealand is publishing Aotearoa Agritech Unleashed. This research report provides a detailed analysis of agritech on New Zealand’s economy and the opportunity for increased productivity and export growth.

One key element of the Agritech ITP is the ongoing development of the New Zealand Agritech Story. Closed borders now present a particular challenge when addressing offshore opportunities.

To help gain a better understanding of how the sector will manage in the current environment, we are hosting New Zealand Agritech Story workshops next month. The workshops will be held on 15 July in Auckland, 16 July in Hamilton and 21 July in Lincoln. It’s critical that the sector is provided with the collateral and assets it needs to be able to navigate the emerging ‘new normal’. Please reserve your free seat at these workshops because your input is highly valued. 

In 2019, Agritech New Zealand hosted a major one day conference at National Fieldays called Agritech Unleashed. I’m delighted to announce that Agritech New Zealand and National Fieldays are once again partnering to provide exciting online content for Fieldays Online between 13-26 July. Agritech Unleashed 2020 will include five daily sessions on Fieldays TV, focusing on key themes including; building New Zealand agritech sector’s global footprint, attracting skills and talent, the rise of robotics and automation, creating new ag data standards and regulation, and how New Zealand researchers and startups can engage with the trans-Tasman Water Challenge.

Later next month, during Techweek 2020, we are hosting Elizabeth Fastiggi, global head of agritech at Amazon Web Services. We are also hosting a major New Zealand – Singapore online food safety workshop; a key element of the Enhanced Partnership agreement signed by both Governments in 2019. If you are involved in any aspect of food safety, research or commercialisation, this is one event you will not want to miss. More details coming soon.

Whilst some sectors of our economy face significant pressures, I believe that the future of agritech in New Zealand is bright. We have developed a focused strategy to improve productivity and grow long term exports by bringing together our major stakeholder groups; industry, research and Government. 

Last month’s Budget announcement of $11.4m funding to support the delivery of the Agritech ITP was a massive vote of confidence in the sector. Next month’s New Zealand Agritech Story workshops are the key first milestone in its implementation.

I hope to see as many of you as possible in Auckland, Hamilton & Lincoln.

Until then.

Ngā mihi

Peter Wren-Hilton
Executive Director
AgriTech New Zealand

PS: Have your say on drone adoption within New Zealand agriculture. Please complete our member Aeronavics’ quick survey to help formulate the best strategy for drone use on farms. There is also an opportunity to be considered for a trial site installation.

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Kia ora,

As New Zealand’s agritech sector settles into life in Alert Level 2, I wanted to share news of our substantial progress. The contribution so many of you made during the Government’s Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) consultancy process was rewarded last week. The 2020 Budget announced $11.4M funding support for the Agritech Industry Transformation Plan. This is a fantastic achievement and will cover implementing large parts of the Plan over the next two years.

Looking ahead, the delivery of the Agritech ITP is even more strategically important than ever before. Some of its mission may have to be re-prioritised as we accelerate its purpose, but the collaborative framework it created between industry and Government is enduring. In my view, the Agritech ITP offers the best hope we have for a reinvigorated and stronger New Zealand agritech sector.

What are the next steps? The Agritech ITP taskforce is developing a robust project management process for the Plan’s delivery. Industry will play a central role and its input is critical for the Plan’s long term success. Agritech New Zealand is establishing working groups to map the Plan’s work streams and I am currently drafting Terms of Reference for these groups to ensure maximum industry input.

However, for many of our agritech businesses, I am very aware of just how challenging the current COVID-19 climate is. From the outset of Alert Level 4, we knew it was important to gain a better understanding of our sector’s business continuity planning. We conducted a major survey and three immediate challenges were identified: access to funding, markets and customers. While New Zealand’s borders remain closed, the opportunity for new early stage company funding is grim. I’m not sugar coating this. Anecdotal feedback supports early assessment by Callaghan Innovation that up to 50 percent of pre-revenue agritech companies are likely to fail. It is imperative that every opportunity is taken to increase your visibility. For example, if you haven’t already, please create a free profile on Scale-Up New Zealand.

As we progress through COVID-19 alert levels, our agritech sector needs to embrace a new way of thinking and test new opportunities. For example, increased collaboration with Australia’s agritech ecosystem. Given the impact on global supply chains, the importance of developing regional supply chain platforms is likely to increase. For Agritech New Zealand, it also means changing the way we work. Traditional events have been replaced by digital events. During Alert Level 4, we established a webinar series that hosted over 2000 attendees plus local and international thought leaders. In case you missed it, the AgriTechNZ Insights webinar series is now available on demand.

During the past seven weeks, I have also been speaking to our global network to help ensure the world knows that New Zealand agritech is still open for business. Even though individual travel is not possible, it further underscores one of the immediate priorities of the Agritech ITP schedule; to further promote New Zealand’s Agritech Story offshore.

There is one specific offshore opportunity that is occupying my focus; the potential creation of a Trans-Tasman agritech bubble. As co-founder of the Australia New Zealand Agritech Council we work with the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF) who are currently advising on the practicalities of opening our mutual borders without the need to quarantine. We have identified a major opportunity for both country’s ecosystems to collaborate at an entrepreneurial and research level. Our hope is this may form the basis of a longer term collaboration model across our region as we navigate our new normal.

Introducing the 2020 Bridge Hub Water Challenge

Water is our most precious natural resource and the entire agri food supply chain needs to increase its efficiency and resilience. Bridge Hub, an Australian partner of the ANZ Agritech Council, launched its 2020 Water Challenge to address the issue. Now, New Zealand experts, innovators and researchers have been invited to participate. Please email me to learn more.

Finally, our Annual Meeting is next week. Special thanks to the Establishment Council for their on-going support, input and energy since the organisation was formed two years ago. I look forward to working with the newly elected Executive Council who will be announced at our Annual Meeting.

Ngā mihi,

Peter Wren-Hilton
Executive Director
AgriTech New Zealand

PS: Fieldays Online Innovation Awards applications close on 15 June.

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This series of four webinars was designed to enable people across the spectrum* to acquire factual insights on which to make informed management, technology and interoperability decisions, with an emphasis on real-world application.

Data is at the heart of business decision-making in any industry, especially so in the ag sector.

For NZ agriculture-related companies to remain competitive in an increasingly globally-connected world, their data must be more complete, timely, accurate, and comprehensible. Standards help make this possible.

A challenge for implementers is knowing what standards are available and the purpose of each. How and if standards relates to other standards, and how various technologies and tools inter-relate.

This four-part webinar series addressed these points, prioritising breadth over depth, and with references to resource libraries to enable participants to dig deeper.

Guest presenters during the series included:

• Andrew Cooke, MD, Rezare Ltd, Head of DataLinke
• Sir Bill English, 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand
• Alexey Rostapshov, Head of John Deere Labs, San Francisco
• David Downs, MBIE

*for example agtech businesses, agribusinesses, research organisations, primary producer co-ops, regional and central government regulators

The agenda covered, in four sessions

The webinar series is built on the work undertaken by the Precision Ag Association of NZ (“PAANZ”) over the last two years, the investment in Datalinker and NZ Farm Data Standards, the NZ Government’s Industry Transformation Plan, as well as emerging dialogue within and between New Zealand and Australia to facilitate greater collaboration between ag sector organisations.

These webinars were convened by:

• Kenneth Irons, on the boards of PAANZ and AgriTechNZ, and CEO of Precision Farming Ltd, and were lead by
• Jim Wilson, Global CEO and President of OAGi and CTO of AgGateway.

AgriTechNZ members are also welcome to access the substantial library of resources made available free of charge with the complements of AgGateway, to attendees at the webinar series. If you can not access this page please contact Tim Cutfield on tim@cutfield.com

Today is a major milestone in Agritech New Zealand’s intense 12 month engagement with the NZ Government’s Agritech ITP taskforce. This afternoon’s announcement by Minister Twyford that $11.4M had been committed in Budget 2020 to support the Agritech ITP is massive.

You can review the final draft Agritech ITP documentation here: https://www.mbie.govt.nz/dmsdocument/10750-growing-innovative-industries-in-new-zealand-agritech-in-new-zealand-industry-transformation-plan-

You can view yesterday’s Budget statement here (It appears on page 4). https://budget.govt.nz/budget/pdfs/releases/r1-focus-jobs-kiwi-businesses-supported-respond-recover-rebuild.pdf

Whilst this post is an immediate reaction (literally) to the Budget announcement, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have made this possible.

• To the Agritech New Zealand Executive Council who have supported the Agritech ITP initiative from Day 1
• To Agritech New Zealand members who have not only contributed to the consultation process, but who have gone the extra mile
• To the 500+ industry representatives who attended the regional ITP workshops across the country that we organised through 2019 and early 2020. Your contribution was awesome. Without significant industry input, we frankly would not have got to where we are today.

I would like to finally thank my colleagues and friends on the government’s Agritech ITP taskforce.

• In particular, David Downs, the government’s Agritech ITP taskforce lead and Arek Wojasz, our MBIE policy team go-to.
  
  It’s impossible to underestimate the impact that both David & Arek have had on the success on the Agritech ITP submission. Jacqui and I have had weekly calls with David & Arek for months and many discussions in between. Not only did we organise the regional consultative workshops together, we have discussed all the opportunities that an effective Agritech ITP can offer New Zealand’s agritech sector. David & Arek totally got it. Thanks guys!
  
  
• Finally, the rest of the government’s Agritech ITP taskforce. For the record that’s MBIE, MFAT, MPI, NZTE, Callaghan Innovation & NZVIF. On a more personal note, that’s Arek, Gavin, Lucie, Brendan, Simon & Richard. Behind every government agency name, there is an amazing individual making this happen.
  
  

Over the coming days and weeks, I’ll be working with the wider government Agritech ITP taskforce to ensure that industry’s input into the ITP delivery and execution remains absolute.

That works starts now.

We are delighted to publish the eight Agritech New Zealand Insights webinar sessions which were recorded over the past three weeks. 2,200+ registered attendees signed up to view the series and the feedback we have received since has been hugely positive.

As with any first time Hollywood blockbuster, I’m pleased therefore to announce that we will be launching the Insights webinar series Season 2 during Techweek 2020. This takes place during the last week of July. We plan to host major global thought leaders who will once again provide valuable insights for New Zealand’s agritech sector.

To view any or all of our ‘Season 1’ recordings, please click on the links below and enter the relevant password. I hope you enjoy.

Dr. Adrian Percy: Former global Head of R&D at Bayer Crop Science: CTO of UPL

The role of major agribusiness corporates, early stage collaboration and the impact on innovation

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/osBcHpLT-X9Ieo3QzwbwfLAhRd_ueaa82yEfrPAFxGTtNgiYpzg5HHLuAyrEylw Password: 4j!*@J#e

Arama Kukutai: Co-founder and Managing director of Finistere Ventures

Understanding the Global Agritech Investment Landscape

https://zoom.us/rec/share/5OE2dZfA-UNJUs-XsUzDYZMsJN_UT6a803Uc86FbnUrQxGIUNGMLoIjTgg7EidOf Password: m1$Y0!5D

Claudia Roessler: World wide director of Agriculture, Microsoft

Microsoft’s investment in agriculture, the role of agritech and how local companies can partner.

https://zoom.us/rec/share/2Zx0D7Hi_2hObqvCxkzye5xmAYa5T6a8hycc86BYxBpcY-otViJLInxIa4SI1GNJ Password: 8n+2ygwu

David Downs: The government’s Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) Lead

Supporting the growth and scaling New Zealand’s agritech sector – an update on the planned delivery of the government’s Agritech Industry Transformation Plan.

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/_Ot_C67M6FFJbrP9xVvddbR7QqnsX6a8gyIZrqUKn0oRgAwXCK6wYgeXfA1V0QqB Password: 9y+$4F00

Dennis Donohue: Director of the Western Growers Technology & Innovation Center

Stateside challenges and how New Zealand agritech businesses can help solve them

https://zoom.us/rec/share/v-1rKfbUx21OQ7OW7kveRPUzBIbYeaa8hnUf-qUKxRoBRfZFktvJFKrd7v-n6aeq Password: 1U&EL4Kq

Ian Proudfoot: Global Head of Agribusiness, KPMG

AgriFood’s ‘Now Normal’ post COVID-19

https://zoom.us/rec/share/uM0sALDQ93NOQ6_WtF3hB6A4GLndT6a81yAe_fsNnUxZDpk_Gn-kkdr07HD2kW1a Password: l7+++4=4

Richard Dellabarca: CEO, New Zealand Capital Growth Partners (formerly NZVIF)

Navigating the NZ Investment Landscape post COVID-19

https://zoom.us/rec/share/45Q2P5_u3SBLZaPRt2HtVoMCFIrIeaa80CMe86IKyhwuMuXlbUT1lelYYHSZWvVX Password: 8Z&lCF9w

Vic Crone: CEO, Callaghan Innovation

New initiatives to support early stage businesses in the current environment

https://zoom.us/rec/share/_8hsLIGt_zpJUK_n6GHSRqs-WanXeaa8gHAb8vQJzU64uhf7AFwyXWzWOhY3GDLV  Password: o7+kvP7R

I would like to personally thank all our presenters for their time and contribution to the Insights Series. During our COVID-19 Level 4 & 3 lockdown, it was great to be able share their knowledge and vision with New Zealand’s agritech community.

I will post details of our Season 2 line-up closer to the Techweek 2020 programme.

UPDATED: 11 May 2020: On Thursday this week, the Hon. Grant Robertson will announce the government’s 2020 Budget. It will be against the almost surreal economic background created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Last month, Agritech New Zealand released the results of its Insights Sector survey. It reflected several areas of major concern for New Zealand agritech businesses.

Over the past few weeks, Agritech New Zealand has been working closely with the government’s Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) taskforce to promote the ITP’s inclusion in Thursday’s announcement. We believe it can create significant opportunity for New Zealand’s agritech businesses, both short-term and long-term. We now await the outcome of that work.

The Agritech New Zealand Insights Sector Survey results are out. You can view the detailed Survey results here.

The purpose of the Agritech New Zealand Insights Survey was to get a better understanding of the New Zealand agritech sector’s resilience and business continuity planning, both during the COVID-19 lockdown and beyond. The Survey took place between Tuesday 31 March and Thursday 9 April 2020.

The respondents’ answers to the open and closed questions highlighted several major areas of concern. These included:

• Access to funding
• Access to customers
• Access to markets

In this post, I am going to provide some detailed commentary on each area of concern. In later posts, I will talk about some of the actions that government and industry can take to address them.

Access to Funding

One surprising feature of the survey was the relatively small number of startup businesses taking part in the survey (26). This might be because their focus is on survival. Anecdotally, a significant number of pre-revenue startup businesses across New Zealand’s tech landscape are in survival mode. On Friday 17 April, Callaghan Innovation released figures based on research conducted during the current COVID-19 Level 4 lockdown, which suggested that perhaps 50-60% of New Zealand’s pre-revenue tech businesses might fail.

More established agritech companies are also under funding pressure. This was confirmed by Arama Kukutai, co-founder and managing director of Finistere Ventures and Richard Dellabarca, CEO of New Zealand Capital Growth Partners (formerly known as NZVIF) during two Insights webinar sessions hosted by Agritech New Zealand during the weeks of 13 & 20 April. Portfolio companies are being asked to re-set their business plans and financial models to extend cash runways to the end of 2021. In many cases, this will result in a reduction of R&D spend and a reduction in headcount.

When asked about the most significant need post COVID-19 lockdown, the survey respondents pointed to financial support as the most relevant support mechanism required for economic recovery. This was cited by 50% of all respondents. Anecdotally, Callaghan Innovation is accelerating its Project Grant application process to support ongoing R&D activity by some customers. The survey also indicated however that a number of companies, particularly in the start-up / SME phase were either reducing investment into R&D or going into full R&D hibernation.

It is clear that novel solutions need to be considered to address the funding issue. During any severe economic downturn, poorly performing businesses are likely to fail. The unprecedented nature of the current COVID-19 pandemic however means that many potentially high growth New Zealand agritech businesses have been exposed at the most important part of their funding cycle.

Access to Customers

At the time of the survey, the biggest risk to ‘current business activity’ was access to customers. This was cited by 50% of all respondents. This was particularly apparent for the SME sector.

It is likely that for domestic customers, access will become less of a problem as New Zealand reduces its COVID-19 alert level. At the time of the survey, a large number of agritech businesses, corporate as well as SME, were not classified as ‘essential’ businesses. This meant that they were not able to support or service customers in the primary sector. A number of respondents were critical of the government’s process for determining an ‘essential service’ at a time when the primary sector was the main driver of the country’s economy during lockdown.

Access to offshore customers however remains a significant challenge. Just over 50% of respondents cited that the restriction on international travel had impacted their business. With no end-date in sight for the relaxation of New Zealand’s closed borders, this is a challenge whose impact is likely to grow. Responses to the open question, enabling respondents to comment further on the impact of travel restrictions, indicated that a number of agritech businesses had already lost overseas sales and others were putting their offshore market development plans into hibernation.

Access to Markets

New Zealand’s closed borders threaten a number of agritech businesses medium to long-term offshore market development plans. This is significant.

Over the past 5 years, New Zealand’s exports of agritech products and services have flatlined at approximately NZ$ 1.5 billion per year. Compared with international peers such as Israel & the Netherlands, this figure suggests under-performance given the size of New Zealand’s agricultural sector.

One of the key drivers behind the government’s Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) initiative was to identify actions that could accelerate the growth of New Zealand agritech export sales. This activity would not only generate more export dollars, it was designed to create more highly paid jobs, particularly in the regions where much of the sector is based.

Based on the results of the survey, Agritech New Zealand believes that the closed borders will significantly impact the ability of agritech businesses to grow their offshore sales in the short to medium term. To compensate for the inability of entrepreneurs to travel overseas, a novel set of support mechanisms need to be put in place to ensure that international markets remain open to New Zealand’s agritech sector post the relaxation of border controls.

Access to offshore markets, includes one additional key metric; access to global capital to support potentially high growth agritech businesses invest and scale. Based on conversations that have taken place over the past 3 – 4 weeks with a number of global offshore funds – particularly those associated with Farm2050 (www.farm2050.com), new investment into New Zealand agritech companies at a Series A scale is unlikely to materialise until 2021. For a number of New Zealand agritech companies looking to start a Series A or B funding round, this is likely to impact significantly on cash runway and operations unless other finance options can be found.

Addressing these Challenges

In my next post, I will provide some insight into the potential mechanisms that government and industry can use to begin to address these real challenges that a number of businesses in our sector face.

Over the past 4 weeks, Agritech New Zealand has been in constant contact with government officials to promote ongoing support for the sector as we enter the economic recovery phase. Working collaboratively together, I express the hope and the belief that New Zealand’s agritech sector will emerge stronger as we go forward.

Kia ora,

We are on the home straight! That was the opening sentence in last month’s newsletter. Little did I know that we would soon be embarking on several weeks of COVID-19 lockdown. I hope your family, friends and neighbours are safe, and remain well.

Over the past two weeks, the team has focused on rebuilding our programme in the age of coronavirus. It is made up of three parts;

• Part One: Connecting and supporting a strong national agritech ecosystem
• Part Two: AgriTech New Zealand Insights webinars
• Part Three: Insights and Applications Data Standards webinars

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Part One: Connecting and supporting a strong national agritech ecosystem

As we begin to experience a rapidly evolving business landscape, it’s crucial we understand the short, medium and long term impacts on our wider agritech ecosystem. As a result, in association with the Government’s Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) taskforce, Agritech New Zealand is conducting a major online survey of the sector. 

The purpose of the survey is to gain a better understanding of the sector’s resilience and business continuity planning during the current lockdown and beyond. The results of this survey will help both ourselves and the Government’s ITP taskforce identify new measures that might assist businesses navigate this challenging period. To guarantee confidentiality, the survey results will be anonymised. 

Please complete the survey here. Your input is vital and urgent with survey responses required by Monday 6 April. The first analysis will be ready by Easter, so the taskforce can review and determine the next steps. 

Of course, COVID-19 knows no national borders and during the last fortnight, we have seen significant engagement with our offshore partners and friends. This is an important component of the second part of our programme. 

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Part Two: AgriTech New Zealand Insights

I’m excited today to announce the formal launch of AgriTech New Zealand Insights, a webinar series providing new ideas and developing new market opportunities for New Zealand’s agritech sector. It’s purpose is to create global agritech connections and promote New Zealand agritech to the world. Please register today to join our inaugural presenters on this inspiring new platform. It’s free and is an excellent opportunity to connect with world leading agritech thought leaders:

Arama Kukutai, Founder and Managing Director, Finistere Ventures Arama.
Topic: Current global agritech investment landscape and its impact on local agritech companies.
Wednesday 15 April 11.00am – 12.00pm.
Register here.

Vic Crone, CEO, Callaghan Innovation and Simon Yarrow, GM Agritech.
Topic: New initiatives to support early stage businesses in the current environment.
Friday 17 April 11.00am – 12.00pm.
Register here.

Dennis Donohue, Director, Western Growers Technology & Innovation Center.
Topic: Stateside challenges and how New Zealand agritech businesses can help solve them.
Tuesday 21 April 11.00am – 12.00pm.
Register here.

Claudia Roessler, World Wide Director, Agriculture, Microsoft.
Topic: Microsoft’s investment in agriculture, the role of agritech and how local companies can partner.
Thursday 23 April 11.00am – 12.00pm.
Register here.

David Downs, New Zealand Government Agritech Industry Transformation Plan Taskforce.
Topic: Supporting the growth and scaling New Zealand’s agritech sector – an update on the planned delivery of the agritech ITP.
Wednesday 29 April 11.00am – 12.00pm.
Register here.

Adrian Percy, former Global Head of R&D at Bayer CropScience.
Topic: The role of major agri corporates, early stage collaboration and the impact on innovation.
Thursday 30 April 9.00am – 10.00am.
Register here.

Confirmed speakers with dates to be advised include;

Alexey Rostapshov, Head of John Deere Labs.
Topic: Discover John Deere’s vision for the digital farm of the future.

Michael Robertson, Deputy Director, Agriculture & Food Division, CSIRO.
Topic: Collaborating with the New Zealand research community.

Richard O’Gorman, Director, Rabobank Food & Agriculture Fund.
Topic: The evolving global landscape for agritech venture investment. 

Agritech New Zealand Insights is a major initiative designed to provide New Zealand agritech companies with an opportunity to learn and develop. I am deeply grateful to all the presenters who have agreed to share their knowledge, expertise and time with us. You are awesome!

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Part Three: Insights and Applications Data Standards webinars

With the recent integration of the Precision Agriculture Association of New Zealand (PAANZ) with Agritech New Zealand, we are transitioning the planned “Insights and Applications” workshop at MobileTECH online. This workshop follows February’s workshop on Ag Data Standards and Interoperability. During the recent ITP workshop roadshow, data interoperability created perhaps more interest than any other.

The good news is we have now confirmed four webinars. The series will be led by international ag data standards expert, Jim Wilson, CEO of Open Applications Group and CTO of AgGateway, USA. The webinars will be moderated by Kenneth Irons, AgriTechNZ and PAANZ board member and CEO of Precision Farming, and other key players in the PAANZ team.

The Ag Data Standards “Insight and Applications” webinars are as follows:

Reasons and benefits for standards including influencers and competitive advantage.
Tuesday 14 April 12.30pm.
Register here.

Business processes and message data standards – a global perspective with implications for NZ. 
Tuesday 21 April 12.30pm.
Register here.

Reference data, data ownership and moving data around.
Tuesday 28 April 12.30pm.
Register here.

Application and benefits for New Zealand (and Australia) alignment with the agritech ITP
Tuesday 5 May 12.30pm.
Register here.

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Over the past few weeks, I have continued to have regular contact with the Government’s Agritech ITP taskforce. While some of the immediate launch plans have had to be delayed, the drive to support the delivery of the Plan remains focused and for us, centre stage.

A significant amount of input came from Agritech New Zealand members during the consultation process and it will be those same people who will help implement many of the Plan’s key findings.

Over the coming days, we have further meetings with key members of the taskforce as we process forward. I will share details of what those steps might look like in the coming weeks.

Given the significant amount of digital work we are putting in place, I’ll be publishing a second newsletter after Easter. It will contain the confirmed dates for our next set of webinars and the first analysis from our COVID-19 survey. 

Having spoken to a number of members over the past few days, I’m very aware of the pressures that many are facing. It’s against this back drop that I hope the initiatives we are announcing today will help begin to address some of these pressures, as well as assist develop new pathways for the future. 

Until next time. Be calm, be kind, stay at home. We can break the chain.

Ngā mihi,

Peter Wren-Hilton
Executive Director
AgriTech New Zealand

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AgriTechNZ Executive Council nominations

A reminder that nominations for the AgriTechNZ Executive Council are currently open. All AgriTechNZ member organisations can nominate a representative. Submit your nomination using the online form here. The deadline for nominations is 5pm on Thursday 9 April. Online elections will follow and the new Council will be announced at our Annual Meeting on Thursday 14 May. Please register if you want to attend the Annual Meeting – note this is a member only event.

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