CropX’s Bridgit Hawkins didn’t purposely set out to start a company! She grew up on a sheep and beef farm outside Taupo and qualified with an agricultural science degree. While working in business development roles in the primary sector, she was frustrated at the disconnect between research and development, and what farmers were doing.
Once Bridgit partnered with Massey University to develop sensor technology she soon realised having a great product and good customers in New Zealand wasn’t enough.
“We got to the point where it was difficult to grow organically at the rate we needed… we realised that we could ruin ourselves and the company by trying to go global,” explains CropX’s Bridgit Hawkins who decided to look for a strategic partner. Read more.
Acquire and conquer!
SnapIT is another New Zealand company with huge ambitions. The company has come a long way from Dave Rodley’s garage where his sons Chris and Andrew first tinkered with webcams. Soon, their high definition cameras caught the attention of tourism operators, the MetService, TV3 weather and construction sites. But it was Chris who stumbled across an opportunity that changed the direction of the company.
“I was up a ladder installing a camera when the CEO of one of the largest fishing companies in New Zealand walked past and said, ‘Can you put that camera on a boat?’” says Chris.
Soon they were in discussions with Callaghan Innovation to develop a marine-proof, AI enabled camera and within ten days they had pitched to ten companies and haven’t looked back since! Read more.
Joining the dots
Gallagher is one of New Zealand’s largest and most successful agritech companies, founded in 1938 to commercialise the world’s first electric fence.
Since then, the Hamilton-based company has been helping farmers harness the power of hardware, software and more recently data, to make their jobs more efficient.
“I come from Belgium, another small country and I’m impressed by how close a lot of people in the New Zealand agritech sector are to the land because they grew up on a farm. There’s an incredible amount of innovation in New Zealand. What we lack sometimes is the inability to work together. That’s what we’re looking to do at Gallagher,” Lisbeth Jacobs, Global General Manager Animal Management, Gallagher. Read more.
We’d love to hear your stories!
Is connection to the land important to you? What does ‘place’ mean to you and your business? It might be where you grew up, where your business is based, or the unique characteristics of the region you live in.
We’d love to hear your stories to help inspire other Kiwi agritech entrepreneurs. Please contact us.
Technology Investment Network (TIN) is a private company established in 1999 to facilitate the growth of the technology export sector in New Zealand. The company’s goal is to contribute to the New Zealand economy by supporting the growth of, large, sustainable, New Zealand based, global technology businesses.
THE NEW ZEALAND AGRITECH INSIGHTS REPORT IS SPONSORED BY:
I believe the crucial ingredient to success in our sector is collaboration. AgriTechNZ has shown itself to be a leader in this, creating connections and fostering a growing ecosystem within NZ and increasingly connecting that with the booming global agritech scene. I would be honoured to have the opportunity to directly support and influence that work as a member of the Executive Council. Currently I am CEO of Agrigate, a wholly owned subsidiary of LIC, where I lead a team developing apps and APIs that empower farmers by making it easy for them to connect and share data about their farms with the people and systems that need to know.
I’m no stranger to farming having grown up on a sheep, beef & deer farm in the King Country where I still relish a weekend on the tractor cutting silage or helping dad draft lambs. Career wise I started out studying law, eventually completing a Masters degree where my thesis focused on emissions trading and agriculture. Environmental issues remain a big driver for me today; but having been introduced to the transformative power of technology while working at Fonterra I’m now more convinced that it’s technology not legal arguments that will solve problems and realise opportunities along our agricultural value chains – both on farm and on the plates of our customers. If successful I would draw strongly on my experience and networks to ensure AgriTechNZ continues to build an ecosystem of agritech innovators here in Aotearoa that can have a transformative impact globally.
For 15 years I’ve been working to assist NZ businesses to gain advantage through the use of technology. I’ve worked in a range of industry verticals & been fortunate enough to hold senior technology management positions in a number of organisations. My executive career has helped me gain a pragmatic and execution focussed approach to engaging stakeholders, making sure all views are heard in collaboration and furthering the mission of the entities I’ve worked with through strategic direction and partnership.
I believe AgriTech to be NZ’s next biggest export to the world. We have such an awesome community of innovators, inventors, entrepreneurs and creatives and we lead the world in our AgriTech solutions. If lucky enough to serve on the AgriTechNZ Executive Council I will work tirelessly to further the mission of AgriTechNZ driving stakeholder collaboration, leveraging my relevant networks & breaking down silos, engaging & leading digital strategy, promoting industry-wide initiatives and AgriTechNZ’s purpose, ensuring we have a data led approach to ensuring our work is getting the right outcome for member organisations.
For the last 25 years I have worked in the agricultural industry bringing innovation into traditional agriculture to help the industry make some quantum shifts in productivity. With the introduction of technology, I have grown a number, of small start-up agricultural companies into substantial globally recognised businesses. Using innovation to create value added products and transitioning businesses from selling products to solutions has been key to the success. In my current position of Global Strategy and New Ventures Manager at Gallagher Animal Management I am introducing open innovation and digital technologies to help our customers solve some the largest challenges they are facing. When not at work I am a ‘hands on’ farmer on our hill country sheep and beef property on north side of the Raglan Harbour. This ‘grass roots’ farming experience enables me to clearly understand the problems farmers are trying to solve.
My passion for revolutionising the agriculture sector and a desire to help forge closer collaboration and nurture talent within the agritech ecosystem are the drivers behind my nomination for the AgriTechNZ Executive Council. I believe my substantial networks in the global agritech ecosystem, ability to form collaborations, exploit opportunities and find innovative solutions to the challenges the industry faces are what I can bring to the Executive Council.
I’m a sales and business management professional with 20+ years of experience. Working within Microsoft and leading the Agri sector has given me a deep understanding and appreciation of the challenges and opportunities faced by the New Zealand Agri Sector. I have a passion for the Agri Industry and making positive change and connecting Agriculture and Technology to strengthen NZ’s Primary Sector. I have led effective teams to deliver business outcomes, driven adoption of technology to enable business success, measured business success and led improvement initiatives with a strong focus on Sustainability for Agribusiness which is to accelerate our journey to a better future.
My work with Microsoft teams such as working with FarmLands, Silver Fern Farms, Zespri and LIC, deeply embedded into the agri-sector in New Zealand. I have worked on projects big and small to ensure that organisations are getting optimal results from their data. New Zealand is an innovative nation and having worked closely with some of the smartest and most agile Saas organisation and partners. This includes the impressive work of Pamu(opens in a new window) and Vodafone Teams Connect solution which in COVID times was able to create a nation of connected farmers coordinating 114 farms. And also Fusion5’s solutions with Primary(opens in a new window) ITO. From winegrowing to beekeeping, milking to horse-breeding, Primary ITO supports learners across the entire people, food and fibre sector, Fusion5 (opens in a new window)accelerated their transformation their outdated system into a modern tech platform. This means I have a strong grasp of what modern agritech customers need and require to thrive and something I would like to serve as being part of the Executive Council team. I look forward to serving on the AgritechNZ Council and being part of an amazing team.
I founded and lead BNZ’s scaling Technology Industries portfolio of software, software-enabled, high-tech manufacturing, high-tech infrastructure and biotechnology businesses which numbers over 1500 clients and proposition delivered through a network of over 35 tech focussed bankers across New Zealand, with recent additions to the capital part of BNZ’s proposition (Capital, Connections, Capability at all stages of tech business’ lifecycles) being Revenue Based Financing and Project Scale Up. I have been with BNZ for almost 8 years in frontline, leadership and strategy roles (all building BNZ’s technology industries offering), following an early career in securities law. I’m a qualified barrister and solicitor, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder and hold a Masters of Commercialisation and Entrepreneurship, along with degrees in law, finance and economics.
I would bring a strong understanding of technology business models, the technology industries, financing, banking and a wide lens across both agritech and non-agritech tech businesses across the New Zealand economy to AgriTechNZ. I am keen to join the AgriTechNZ Executive Council both to learn and to help shape (from an informed vantage point) and grow New Zealand’s agritech market and opportunity. New Zealand has a strong heritage in Agriculture and a technology industry that is going from strength to strength – AgriTech is a clear opportunity in relation to which NZ could lead the world, but, from observations during 8 years in the technology industries at BNZ, is an opportunity yet to be (fully) realised.
I am a technology leader with a strong focus on product delivery. My career of over 20 years in technology has brought me to FarmIQ where I am passionate about solving problems for farmers through technology. If elected I will bring my experience from many domains, from large corporates to start ups, across many roles from product management, agile consultancy, to executive leadership. Only having been in the Agritech sector for just over 3 years I believe I will bring fresh perspectives and new voice to the council. I will also bring the passion I have for making NZ Inc and AgriTechNZ successful, not just in NZ, but on the world stage.
Collaboration across NZ Agritech and the primary industries is the only way that NZ and its agricultural communities are going to lean in to, meet, and exceed the increasing regulation and environmental commitments. There is already a large among of activity across the industry looking to introduce rules, regulation, compliance, and if we work more closely together, we can achieve so much more in proving NZ Farming is already highly sustainable and environmentally focused. As a nation we are intrinsically linked to our whenua, we can be world leaders in demonstrating what it means to be responsible stewards of the land while delivering world leading primary industry products. I want to be part of that collaboration, and I want to be part of organisations that bring Agritech closer together.
I have spent my professional career working at the interface of new product introduction and scientific research, with the focus on delivering economic and societal impact. It started with the realisation that I wanted to work on varied and impactful science, and that better suited me to R&D in the exploding telecoms market than a career in academic research. With the telecoms bubble bursting, a new door opened in what is now called the Triple Helix space – where companies, Government, and research collaborate to create new opportunities. It is the years spent in this space, first as a technologist then as a manager and a leader, that has given me direct experience of many models and activities across Europe – and led to the agritech sector here in New Zealand. Supporting companies to create success through access to relevant and exploitable science outcomes and capabilities is what gets me going in the morning.
AgritechNZ is a great power for good. I am a huge supporter of what it has achieved both domestically and internationally, and firmly believe that it has a key role to play in supporting the transformation of our sector in the face of the climate catastrophe and technological change that will never again be as slow as it is today. I want to contribute my experience, gained internationally, to support AgritechNZ in supporting its members to flourish. I will be an advocate for support of innovation and risk taking within the sector and with Government, to ensure they provide the support that will make the most difference. I believe the Research Science and Innovation green paper consultation is a critical opportunity for us to leverage for positive change, and I would relish the opportunity to put my effort behind AgritechNZ as we navigate this process.
I am one of the founders and Managing Director of Rezare Systems (now part of the Map of Agriculture Group). My background is in agricultural research, livestock recording, and data interoperability. Many of you will know me from our collaborative work in defining open specifications for data interoperability in the agricultural sector. My work takes me across agricultural technology in New Zealand, Australia, and internationally. I try to be very collaborative and enjoy introducing people and businesses to each other, looking for ways to help sector businesses be successful and contribute to the profitability and sustainability of the farming and growing sector.
I intend to bring that experience to the AgriTechNZ Executive Council: supporting the AgriTechNZ members who engage with me to share and represent their views, and bringing my experience in agricultural tech, adoption, and data challenges to AgriTech New Zealand’s projects and strategy.
I am the Managing Director of Soter, a provider of Farm Environmental Plans including Greenhouse Gas advice and resource consents. I have sat with farmers for nearly a decade, learning how they manage data and navigate the compliance burden. With my experience managing data warehouse projects I have combined my farming and data geekdoms to create software to automate much of the process for them.
I can bring to the AgriTech board a background in project and data management, and day to day on farm learning to inform advice to Government and the organisation with real-world, real-time experience. I hold a Bachelor of Business Studies, Post Grad Dip in Resource and Environmental Planning, the Advanced Sustainable Nutrient Management Certificate with Agricultural Greenhouse Gas endorsement. I am an HBRC, BOPRC and WRC Approved provider of FEMPs, Dairy NZ approved provider of Sustainable Milk Plans and I have facilitated workshops for the HBRC, HB Fruit Growers, Beef and Lamb NZ and the Deer Industry. I have worked on horticulture and dairy farms, and until recently owned a sheep, beef and cropping farm in Central Hawkes Bay.
I have been passionate about agritech for so long, the term agritech didn’t exist. I spent over a decade at a CRI developing disease forecasting and decision support systems for the kiwifruit and wine sectors, and preaching the potential of data and technology to anyone and everyone. During a comparatively brief stint at a data consultancy, I became the science advisor for Cropsy, an agritech start-up working in the wine sector. I have since confirmed to myself that agritech is where I want to be and have taken on a permanent role at Cropsy managing the research and innovation programmes.
My mix of biology, data science, and strategy roles over the years would be a huge benefit to the AgriTechNZ Executive Council as I can understand the problems both the agritech and agricultural sectors face from a number of perspectives. The key perspective I am missing is that of the grower, but as a huge proponent of human-led design, co-innovation, and simply talking to people, I see this as an opportunity. I am looking forward to working closely with growers to understand their perspectives and ensuring their needs are baked into agritech solutions from day one to start shifting the dial from technology push to solution pull.
The main purpose of AgriTechNZ is to create an environment in which its members can thrive, achieving their own business goals while also delivering value to farmers and growers and others in the food and fibre value chains. Creating that environment means building relationships with Government Ministers, Directors General, Ambassadors and High Commissioners, Levy Bodies, Banks and Fund Managers, Iwi Leaders, Universities and CRIs, and with sister agritech organisations in key overseas markets – and then based on those relationships; developing and implementing policies and projects that improve AgriTechNZ’s members’ access to capital, talent and customers. As the SME representative and also as AgritechNZ Chair over this past two-year term, with the ITP and many other strategic initiatives, I’ve built these relationships, helping the Executive Council, our CEO and members create a vibrant, respected, growing agritech sector, delivering value through better data standards, improved interoperability, and increased farmer appetite for digital adoption.
While we have many tangible results to celebrate as evidenced by growth across our SME sector of an impressive 30%, and growing membership with high retention rates, there remains much more to gain across all member categories, but especially for the SME and Start-Up category. So I invite and appreciate your support for a second of two permitted terms, so we can capitalise on the hard-won relationships built. With significant NZ Government support as evidenced in the recent budget announcements of $339M Climate Action Fund, $200M Regional Innovation Fund and $100M Business Growth Fund, we can not only accelerate our members’ NZ growth rates, but also achieve more in offshore markets too. We have a strong relationship with Agritech Australia who share our appetite to achieve more by presenting a combined voice to world markets, and untapped opportunities with key countries including Ireland, Israel, UK and more.
I am the founder of GPS-it, a specialist mapping company that has been in business for 20+ years. As an early innovator in the agritech space, I’m passionate about agritech and always looking for opportunities to be involved in growing and telling the NZ Agritech Story to the world. I’ve spent many years travelling overseas to look at emerging technology and how it can be applied or, in some cases, how it could be done better!.. and firmly believe there is a significant opportunity for NZ agritech businesses that has yet to be unlocked.
I have a strong governance background as a chartered member of the Institute of Directors, with strengths in strategy and technology, which I will bring to the Executive Council. I hold several directorships across a range of Agri-focused businesses, I grew up on a dairy farm and I am a kiwifruit grower, so I have a unique insight into a range of challenges and opportunities across the primary and tech sectors.
I am interested in serving on the AgriTechNZ Executive Council because of the great work they do, but also the exciting opportunity I see for New Zealand in this space. An industry full of passion and commitment and deeply seeded in the psyche (and GDP) of New Zealanders, it’s what we (as a Canadian now New Zealander) are made of. I have come from a very non tech background and have made the full leap to technology. I’m emboldened and excited for what these powerful tools can bring to the sector. More than that I’m excited by the people who are creating and using the tools more than anything, because they are just tools after all and it’s up to us how we decide to use them and for what purpose.
A bit about my background, I grew up rurally on a small farm and like many small farms in North America we were always trying to make it commercially viable. I then went on to build a variety of businesses from marketing of farm products to not for profit food businesses to agriculture tourism and even agriculture education programs. I have experience in every business model across the supply chain, from growing through to end consumer retail. I am the CEO and Co-Founder of Webtools Agritech here in New Zealand, serve on the NZTech board and am actively involved in mentoring young tech entrepreneurs around Christchurch’s eco system. I bring a slightly different lens to the conversation having come from Waterloo Ontario Canada, where tech boomed during the Blackberry era and we saw the merging of agriculture and tech at that time due to the proximity of agriculture to the city. Ultimately, I came to New Zealand out of my love of rugby and agriculture. I hope I can be a contribution to the sector that has given me so much and create opportunities for New Zealand and New Zealanders.
I have been an AgriTechNZ Council member since June 2020. I have been involved directly in the New Zealand Agritech sector for some 18 years and using technology on farm for most of my lifetime. I feel I have a good understanding of the sector, the participants and the opportunities the sector has for future growth.
The industry is being driven to adopt technologies due to efficiencies, cost and supply of labour, while also wanting to meet safety and traceability needs of our global consumers. Supported by AgriTechNZ and its members the opportunities are immense and exciting. I am happy to be re-standing for the Council, to build on the success over the past 2 years.
Kia Ora, my name is Rob Ford and I currently have a consultancy specialising in assisting businesses in the Primary sector more specifically around Agri & Food tech. The last 16 years of my career have been the most rewarding working in the Primary Sector. Firstly, I worked for LIC (Livestock Improvement) holding several General Management positions then moved to Pamu (nee Landcorp) and took up the role of GM Innovation, Environment and Technology. Post Pamu I headed to a small Software Development company based in Tauranga called Cucumber but after suffering a serious illness was forced to relinquish this role to focus on my health. Thankfully I am fully fit, recovered and now working on my consultancy.
In applying for this role on the Executive Council I believe I would bring a wide range of experiences understanding the development of products and solutions for the sector. I have been involved in initiatives such as Farm Software (MINDA & Farm IQ), to Farm Automation (Protrack & Dairy Automation Ltd), Foodtech (Sheep and Deer Milk). In all cases this has involved product development all the way through to commercialisation. I have also held governance roles for the roll out of the RBI (Rural Broadband Initiative), Farm IQ, Dairy Automation and LIC Farm Automation. I am currently a member of the Directors Institute. I would sincerely appreciate your review and support of my application on the AgriTechNZ Executive Council for the SME/Startup position.
As Sprout Operations and Partnership Manager I develop and execute New Zealand’s specialist AgriFoodTech Accelerator. Sprout’s core reason for existing is to create backable start-ups, by building capabilities and providing entrepreneurs with tools and contacts. My work is creating a strong cohort of start-ups, and building a community of corporate partners, mentors, research institutes and investors, so they can work together to turn their vision into a backable, scalable global technological solution for the food and fibre sector.
Having managed, designed, and executed events across Europe for New Zealand Winegrowers. I understand the strength of an industry collaborating to build a united brand to represent New Zealand. Through my role at Sprout, the team and I are in a unique position where we enable cross-industry collaboration. I believe building a sustainable AgriFoodTech ecosystem through collaboration will enable effective development, growth and success of New Zealand Agritech. I am excited to join the Council, and add value to the AgriTechNZ thriving and fast-growing ecosystem using my capabilities and network.
Minister Nash also previewed TIN Agritech Research showing the growth in the agritech sector. During the past year, the largest 22 agritech companies had a revenue growth of eight percent and export growth of 6.4 percent. Companies with revenues over $200 million grew at a rate of 7.7 percent, while companies with revenues of up to $50 million grew remarkably at approximately 30 percent.
AgriTechNZ CEO, Brendan O’Connell, highlighted the shared challenge facing us all and that great things happen when we work together – the collective genius of the agritech community. He highlighted three key areas of shared focus that can empower agritech to deliver what the world needs from agriculture: (1) enablement of digital agriculture – through strengthened foundations and supported adoption. (2) investment and scale to fuel the change (3) collaboration and impact
Discover Kiwis Going Global
In case you missed our first story, meet Don Sandbrook, Clare Bradley and Aaron Pannell who share their close connection to the land and the challenges of scaling globally.
The Future of Farming is HereDiscover the future of farming right here in New Zealand! Meet Kiwi agritech innovators Darryn Keiller, Jason Wargent and Tijs Robinson. They’re helping change how we feed the world. Read more
Left to Right – Peter Nation, Graeme Muller, Kylie Horomia, Sophie Rebbeck, Brendan O’Connell, Juliet Ansell, Daniel O’Brien, Hayden Read, Bridgit Hawkins, Maria Jose Alvarez, Kenneth Irons
Rolling pastures, dairy cows contentedly chewing the cud, thousands of sheep on a high country station or juicy stone fruit freshly picked from an orchard. The new reality for farming is very different as food production transitions to an efficient indoor model using tech, data and innovation. It’s a business model, combining ground breaking science and innovation technology that is going global.
The urgency for more sustainable growth of fresh produce is being driven by changing consumer preferences, greater awareness of environmental impacts and carbon footprints.
“The need for the industry to transform is obvious. We have to move towards a digital and data driven model that is less reliant on knowledge workers and manual labour. It’s not just about technology, it’s about how we farm and grow our food. We’ve got to change,” says WayBeyond’s Darry Keiller.
“We’re trying to solve these really gnarly global problems,” he says when describing the challenge of working with the horticulture industry to sustainably grow food to feed the world. Read more.
Baked-in benefits
While WayBeyond is focused on bringing growers into the data age, BioLumic is shining a light on the untapped potential that exists in the crops we grow. Their world-first tech delivers ultralviolet light to trigger biological mechanisms that increase plant growth, vigour and yields.
“We can come up with a light recipe to unlock a plant’s potential at different stages, starting with the seed. We call it a light recipe because it’s essentially like baking a cake. You need to combine the right ingredients for the magic to happen,” he says, adding that it requires a paradigm shift.
“We’re building a whole new biological understanding and biology is hard. But you have to ride the roller coaster if you want to have a real, meaningful impact on the world,” says Jason. Read more.
Carbon champions
Currently, most greenhouses use natural gas to generate the carbon dioxide (CO2) they need to feed their plants. But locally and worldwide, there is a push to move away from fossil based fuels to more renewable sources. Hot Lime Labs has a solution, converting wood waste biomass into clean CO2 for commercial greenhouses.
“We’ve jumped on the wave at the right time. The world is looking for clean, green solutions; the climate’s not going to become more predictable, land prices aren’t going down and the demand for fresh fruit and vegetables is not going to reduce. These trends are only going in one direction,” says Hot Lime Lab’s Tijs Robinson. Read more.
We’d love to hear your stories!
Is connection to the land important to you? What does ‘place’ mean to you and your business? It might be where you grew up, where your business is based, or the unique characteristics of the region you live in.
We’d love to hear your stories to help inspire other Kiwi agritech entrepreneurs. Please contact us.
AgriTechNZExecutive Council roles and responsibilities include:
Direct and supervise the business and affairs of AgriTechNZ.
Attend monthly Executive Council meetings, usually two hours in duration (video conferencing available).
Represent AgriTechNZ at industry events and as part of delegations.
Assist with managing and securing members of AgriTechNZ.
Participate in AgriTechNZ working groups and projects.
Where agreed by the Executive Council, act as a spokesperson for AgriTechNZ on particular issues relating to working groups or projects.
Be a vocal advocate of AgriTechNZ.
Online Voting
Voting will take place online in advance of the meeting. The results will be announced at the Annual Meeting. Please see the Charter for an outline of Executive Council Membership and election process. Each organisation has one vote allocated to the primary contact of the member organisation.
Annual Meeting Details
The Annual Meeting is scheduled for 3pm on Tuesday 5 July 2022 and is to be held via video conference. Register for the event here.
Notices and Remits
If you wish to propose any notices or motions to be considered at the Annual Meeting, please send them to elections@agritechnz.nz by 5pm, Tuesday 14 June, 2022.
Key Dates:
11 May: Call for nominations for Executive Council representatives issued to members.
31 May: Deadline for nominations to be received.
7 June: List of nominees to be issued to AgriTechNZ voting members and electronic voting commences.
14 July: Any proposed notices, motions or remits to be advised to AgriTechNZ.
5 July: Results of online voting announced at Annual Meeting.
Join the conversation How is connection to the land important to you? What does ‘place’ mean to you and your business? It might be where you grew up, where your business is based, or the unique characteristics of the region you live in. We’d love to hear your stories to help inspire other Kiwi AgriTech entrepreneurs. Read more >
Navigating Chaos In March I joined an event hosted by Boma New Zealand, Navigating Chaos as a Ukrainian Entrepreneur, an interview with Michael Utkin, CEO of agritech business FieldBee. The extreme circumstances the FieldBee teams are working under is inspirational, clearly demonstrating how work and the lives we share it with are so interwoven. View now >
Turbocharge global connections As borders reopen, it’s time to begin reconnecting in person. If you are considering attending Hort Connections or WineTech, this June in Australia, please let us know. Read more >
Leading the way at Dairy-Tech UK It was great to see AgriTechNZ members, Gallagher, MilkTechNZ, Levno and UBCO leading the way at this northern hemisphere event. In preparation for future opportunities, we are delighted to collaborate with the United Kingdom Department of International Trade (UK DIT) and UK Agritech Centres to connect our ecosystems. Read more >
Take to the stage at evokeAG 2023 in Adelaide If you have a global agrifood innovation and tech story worth telling, please submit an expression of interest by 31 May. Read more >
Foundations of digital agriculture Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has announced support for digital farm environment plans (dFEP) from the Ministry for Primary Industries’ (MPI) Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund (SFF Futures). To fast track its delivery, SFF Futures is contributing to the Trust Alliance New Zealand (TANZ) led research project. Read more >
Powering up the waka Andrew Cooke from Rezare Systems has penned an excellent thought piece on optimising a farm with digital solutions while completing necessary regulatory levy compliance tasks as efficiently as possible. Read more >
Blueprint for an industry It’s not often you see the birth of an entire new sector, but that’s what Puro New Zealand are taking on through a SFF Futures grant from MPI. The grant will help establish an organic medical cannabis industry by developing a blueprint for other Kiwi companies. Read more >
Acquisition strengthens capability Recently named supreme winner of the New Zealand International Business Awards, Bluelab has acquired automation company Autogrow as part of a global expansion strategy. Read more >
Keeping an eye on investments Dunedin based member OmniEye has received $1.6 million seed funding to commercialise their on-farm camera system. Read more >
More agritech recognition Congratulations also to all the agritech finalists in the New Zealand Hi-Tech Awards. Special mention to our members Agrisea, Cropsy, Hectre and SmartMachine. Read more >
Primary Industries Summit and Awards: exclusive ticket giveaway! We have partnered with Callaghan Innovation to offer five member companies (who have entered the awards) a free two day summit pass, plus complimentary tickets to the Primary Industries Summit Awards on 6 July in Auckland. Contact us >
Discover Israel’s Innovation Experience Israel 360° offers an online academy followed by a week in Israel, touring businesses, meeting investors and networking. Scholarships are available. Learn more >
Step up and represent your community We have three Executive Council roles up for election in the next two months. Major Corporate, Other Corporate and SME positions are all due, so now is a good time to sort your membership and play a role in our sector leadership. Contact us >
Ngā mihi,
Brendan Chief Executive AgriTech New Zealand
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Australia’s Wine Industry Exhibition & Conference 27 – 29 June, 2022 Adelaide Convention Centre View agenda
If there is enough interest in either of these events, Callaghan will support Kiwi companies with either a NZ Let’s Connect event prior to the conference or an in-market Mini Mission immediately after.
What is NZ Let’s Connect?
These events are meetups for New Zealand companies attending conferences. It provides an opportunity to network prior to a conference and meet with relevant sector experts from the host city.
What is a Mini Mission?
These are customised for each event and include a one day deep dives to better understand the market. Mini Missions may include a farm or research institute visit, or in-market exploration with agencies from the host city.
If you have registered or are considering attending Hort Connections or WineTech, please let us know here!
The sheer bloody minded persistence that paved Don Sandbrook’s big break is still the key to building a global business. Greentech Robotics is on a bold mission – to future proof farming by developing cutting edge robotic capability. Today, almost all their customers are offshore, but Greentech Robotics is still based in Palmerston North. We asked Greentech Robotics’ Don Sandbrook how he made it work. Read more.
Shifting mindsets with the power of local knowledge.
It started as a dream, but this award winning Paeroa based family business is creating global impact. Their tech is unique and uses brown kelp native to New Zealand.
“As a Māori-owned, intergenerational business, we have a different lens on the business than a large corporate might have. That influences our long-term vision. Māori values like kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga and whanaungatanga are part of our DNA,” says AgriSea’s Clare Bradley.
“Our values are not a PR exercise for us, they’re part of who we are. We feel it is our responsibility to look after our natural resources for future generations,” she says. Read more.
Necessity is the mother of invention!
We’re renowned for our ‘number eight wire’ mentality to problem solving. But when FlipFarm had to think creatively to stop losing their gear and oysters they also created a system to help farmers around the world.
“We built the system for us but once we saw that it worked we knew it was going to solve a big problem for farmers around the world,” says FlipFarm’s Aaron Pannell.Read more.
We’d love to hear your stories!
Is connection to the land important to you? What does ‘place’ mean to you and your business? It might be where you grew up, where your business is based, or the unique characteristics of the region you live in.
We’d love to hear your stories to help inspire other Kiwi agritech entrepreneurs. Please contact us.
Our Chair, Kenneth Irons, was selected as the New Zealand representative on the International Standards Organisation’s advisory group on Smart Farming.
Bridgit Hawkins, Chief Sustainability Officer at CropX, launched Fields Of Change to begin an important and long overdue conversation about women’s leadership in agriculture.
Kylie Horomia, Head of Industry Transformation at WayBeyond, was the driving force behind the recent Global Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Census. The purpose of the Census is to understand the CEA landscape and provide growers’ insights into how their industry is tracking. Dr Haydn Reid and Te Whanau-a-Apanui are developing a spat Hatchery and working with other Iwi in the aquaculture space on the Eastern Bay of Plenty. It’s an emerging story, but one where Agritech will be super valuable, in a place where people need jobs and talent can be developed to support a new developing industry.
Finally, I’d like to thank our members who support this community and enable the development of our shared ecosystem. Through your support we are continuing to promote and advocate for the development of the sector – a collective effort with strong support from our Government partners. That support comes from the justified aspirations for the sector, but also because we continue to collaborate as a sector together.
Next week, we are taking what was supposed to be a national roadshow online. Join the Agritech Connect Seminar as we reflect on the progress made with the Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (ITP). This will be an informative session highlighting key project progress and sets the scene for the continuing shared work to build our sector. This event is a precursor to our physical tour around the country in 2022, starting in late February. It’s not too late to register, so please, join us Tuesday 30 November from 1:00pm-2:30 pm.
Last week, we began surveying our membership to better understand their needs, preferences, their sector and community interests. Insights from this survey will be used to plan member activities and representation. Your participation will impact our work so if you are a member and missed the email, please contact us.
What makes our agritech unique? Earlier this month, the #PoweredbyPlace campaign launched in the print edition of the Farmers Guardian, Climate change solutions from the other side of the world. The first video showcasing how New Zealand agritech is helping United Kingdom (UK) farmers improve their environmental footprint, is also live. View it here and then watch our hero video here.
In collaboration with Government agencies and agritech businesses, we are piloting offshore agritech campaigns, initially targeting the UK. The learnings from this will then provide a blueprint for activation in other markets.
If you haven’t already, please check out the Powered by Place toolkit with insights, messaging, images and videos to help you share the New Zealand Agritech story in your market. You can also leverage the campaign by using the ready-to-share social tiles in your marketing with #NZAgritech or #PoweredbyPlace hashtags on social media. The campaign toolkit includes all the assets (yes, it’s free!) and guidance on how they can be used.
We recently held the third session of the Agritech Leaders Data Reference Group and reviewed industry concepts for a ‘data definitions registry’ and industry statement of intent regarding data sharing. Our Chair, Kenneth Irons, was also recently appointed by Stats NZ as the New Zealand Representative on the International Standards Organisation (ISO) Advisory Group on Smart Farming. There is a lot of activity in the domain of ‘data interoperability’ and we are forming views on what some of the ‘common ground’ activities should be for an independent organisation working in an interdependent space. We know that this is not just a local challenge and we need to connect with global systems and build on the work of others.
Championing data collaboration The proof is in the carcass! It was great to see the integration of ANZCO’s kill sheet data with FarmIQ systems. Every step that links insights across the sector is a step closer to a more complete data ecosystem for New Zealand. Our vision is for a digitally enabled primary sector that protects and amplifies what is best of New Zealand and adds further credibility to all our products: food, fibre and tech.
In further member news, we congratulate Levno for being named the fastest growing Agribusiness and placing among the top 20 fastest growing businesses in New Zealand over the previous two years in the #Deloitte#NZFast50 index.
It’s also great to see open innovation and collaboration in the Sievwright Investment Entity’s investment in Machines at Work. This is first external investment in Machines at Work, and the Sievwright’s are the drivers behind global equipment business Trimax. The funds will be used to accelerate development of the company’s core technology which enables the autonomous operation of existing machinery — helping address some of the biggest challenges faced by the horticulture sector today. It’s a great partnership and example of continued confidence and investment across the sector.
Congratulations to FlipFarm Systems, a New Zealand company that has developed a semi-automated method for turning oyster-growing cages over with little human effort, has won the Global Seafood Alliance’s annual Global Aquaculture Innovation Award.
Our partners at AusAgritech recently appointed Tracey Martin as their new CEOand we look forward to working together on the promotion of regional agritech strengths and opportunities.
Thank you to all members who have provided input to the recent NZTech submission on the Ministry for the Environment’s Te hau marohi ki anamata, Transitioning to a low-emissions and climate-resilient future. Your voice was heard and has joined the voices of those who support the effective application of technology to enable our shared future. You can view further submission activity here and we will continue to highlight topics of particular interest to the AgriTechNZ community. Given the Industry Transformation Plan’s focus on Commercialisation of Research Intellectual Property (IP), we will focus on the Te Ara Paerangi – Future pathways – Green Paper and encourage you to submit feedback as well as participate in industry discussion on the future of science and innovation.Please let us know if you would like to join a working group on this topic.
Finally, when it comes to looking to the future we are strong advocates for the development of skills in identifying and processing signals of change. We all do a version of this as we can news and topics of interest to our sector. Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of joining a training session with KPMG where it became apparent that there is a discipline and methodology to capturing and analysing signals that together can inform more rich assessments of possible future scenarios for our sector and business. Callaghan Innovation are continuing this and I highly recommend checking out this first newsletter, subscribing for future issues versions and joining events like this in Christchurch on Dec 9th when possible. The Global Signals newsletter and workshops are another part of the Agritech ITP and it’s exactly what our agritech companies should be seeing in their inbox on a monthly basis.
Keep well as we come to the end of what was another very strange year. We’re looking forward to an even brighter future.
Ngā mihi
Brendan Chief Executive, on behalf of the Executive Council of AgriTech New Zealand
Aotearoa agritech is seeing remarkable progress in new global partnerships, collaborations, investments and team growth.
A surge of company announcements from around the country support the sector focus exemplified in New Zealand’s agritech industry transformation plan. It feels like fertile ground for a burst of growth in 2022 and beyond, he says.
“Dunedin’s AbacusBio has just announced their deepening relationship with Bayer Crop Science, in the area of predictive plant breeding.
“It’s a powerful partnership and an excellent example of New Zealand research and technology strengths having global impact.”
In fiscal 2020, the Bayer group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 41.4 billion euros.
Ag software leaders FarmIQ and Farmax have joined forces with AgResearch. The strategic partnership represents a promising combination of research and commercial skills with both domestic and international potential.
AgResearch will become FarmIQ’s preferred provider of science and research going forward. FarmIQ will acquire Farmax and blend the teams.
The agricultural science integrated within Farmax makes it unique and has helped deliver real impact to the sector estimated to be $1.1 billion in increased gross margin over the last decade alone.
O’Connell says global agritech business Bluelab, based in Tauranga, have brought on new shareholders Pioneer Capital and New Zealand Superannuation Fund to fund further growth of their business.
“Also, New Zealand electric utility bike company UBCO are seeking interest in their series B round through Snowball Effect. Already strong globally, they are looking to accelerate their sales growth strategies through both direct to consumer and business to business models.
“Meanwhile, agritech startup Auckland orchard management software company Hectre is positioning for global growth after attracting $3.5 million in new capital.
“The team is already trading in global markets and this vote of confidence will further empower them to build the team and bring new capabilities to fruit growers and packers around the world.”
The company’s latest technology, Spectre, uses artificial intelligence to provide data for growers on fruit size and colour and helps estimate crop yields.
The technology can also help with decision-making in fruit pack houses regarding storage, packing, sales, and reduces waste. Developed for apples, the technology is now being used in the citrus industry.
Auckland’s WayBeyond, which develops controlled environment growing solutions for sustainable food production, is taking home-grown agritech to empower growers in Latin America through a growing team presence in that region.
Global agritech business Gallagher, headquartered in Hamilton, have demonstrated the fruits of an open innovation strategy through successive investment and ultimate acquisition of virtual fencing leader Agersons in Australia.
Gallagher will now make further improvements to the eShepherd solution and accelerate commercial expansion across Australian and international markets.
Tauranga’s Trimax Mowing Systems has notched up 40 years in business, also proving agritech success isn’t limited to startups.
Trimax is operating globally and is investigating emerging technologies with the aim to make even smarter and more responsive systems.
The firm has manufacturing, assembly and warehousing facilities in New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
For further information contact Brendan O’Connell on 021 369740 or NZTech’s media specialist, Make Lemonade editor-in-chief Kip Brook on 0275 030188
This week, the software powerhouses of FarmIQ and Farmax have joined forces with AgResearch. The strategic partnership represents a promising combination of research and commercial skills with both domestic and international potential. Read more.
Global agritech business Bluelab, headquartered in Tauranga, have brought on new shareholders (Pioneer Capital and New Zealand Superannuation Fund) to fund further growth of their business. We wish them well in the next phase of their journey to empower the controlled agriculture growers of the future to create a healthier world for all.
New Zealand electric utility bike company UBCO are seeking interest in their Series B round through Snowball Effect. Already strong globally, they are looking to accelerate their sales growth strategies through both direct to consumer and business to business models.
Congratulations to our member WayBeyond for continuing their growth and taking home-grown agritech to empower growers in Latin America! Read more.
In other news, Tauranga based Trimax Mowing Systems celebrates 40 years in business, proving agritech success isn’t limited to startups. Trimax is operating globally and after four decades continues to innovate. Currently, Trimax is investigating emerging technologies with the aim to make even smarter and more responsive systems. If electrical propulsion and control is your game, you may want to give them a call!
Opportunities to engage There is so much happening in agritech and we would like to share further company news plus an array of new tools and supports. Since we can’t yet travel the country, we’ve postponed the physical Agritech Connect Tour and will instead host an online Agritech Connect Seminar. We’ll cover key topics including:
The latest industry news and innovations you should know about
New tools and support available to you
An update on the latest from the Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (AITP)
Discussion on topics that shape our sector: global connections, agritech business supports, industry collaborations and technology adoption.
We’re looking forward to seeing you online and are seeking your input to guide the emphasis we put on presentation topics and breakout sessions. Please complete this survey and register to join us on 30 November. We’ll continue the discussions and look forward to visiting your city in early 2022.
Digital adoption in New Zealand Primary Industries Data collection has begun in our research into digital adoption of technology in New Zealand Primary Industries. We have completed a pilot to test the survey across a geographically spread cohort of dairy, dry stock, arable and horticultural businesses. Over the coming months we’ll gather more data on factors relating to adoption or acceptance of new technology. This work will build on other studies and deliver insights on current and forecast use of technology, reasons and barriers for uptake, intentions to invest and the drivers of those intentions. Given the importance of the topic, we’ve also included some inquiry on the attitudes of producers/growers to data sharing. For example, what technologies do you think are on the shopping list of our farmers and growers? What would you expect to be the greater motivators:
Affordability or Potential value?
Ease of use or Availability of support?
Towards new capabilities or Away from breaching regulations?
Seeing evidence of benefits or Seeing the potential to reduce workload?
We are Powered by Place Last month, I joined workshops with United Kingdom (UK) based, New Zealand agritech companies who are part of a pilot marketing campaign to activate our Agritech Story, Powered by Place. In collaboration with Government agencies and agritech businesses, we are piloting offshore agritech campaigns, initially targeting the UK. The learnings from this will then provide a blueprint for activation in other markets.
So, what truly makes New Zealand agritech unique? Watch the video here. Please view the Powered by Place toolkit with insights, messaging, images and videos to help you share the New Zealand Agritech story in your market. You can also leverage the campaign by using the ready-to-share social tiles in your marketing with #NZAgritech or #PoweredbyPlace hashtags on social media. The campaign toolkit includes all the assets (yes, it’s free!) and guidance on how they can be used.
Global insights and opportunities This month we began our Global Agritech Futures Series in partnership with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), and Callaghan Innovation. The series is designed to bring together global thought leaders, innovation experts and industry leaders to explore new trends, opportunities, challenges and ways to solve them.
Last week, we hosted a team from Bayer Crop Science and they shared their Technology Focus Areas in a bid to identify potential partners. Next week, we are hosting an international team from Plug and Play Tech Center who connect blue chip corporations with the brightest agritech startups around the world. They sing our tune in terms of the importance of making connections through engaging with supported ecosystems. Join this second event in the series and learn why being part of an ecosystem is key to growth.
Ngā mihi,
Brendan Chief Executive AgriTech New Zealand
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