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I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our dedicated and tireless volunteer Executive Council. They guide me and the team and put in considerable effort on behalf of the member groups they represent. They are accomplished, connected and motivated, so it’s not surprising they have achieved quite a few notable results themselves this year.

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. 

Maria Jose (MJ) Alvarez, Investment Manager at WNT Ventures, was selected as a finalist for the Westpac and Stuff Women of Influence NZ 2021 for her work increasing diversity in tech and venture capital. MJ was also recognised as one of the Top Diverse Board-Ready Directors by the Superdiversity Institute for Law, Policy and Business and Ministry for Ethnic Communities in New Zealand.

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.

Brendan O’Connell

CEO

AgriTechNZ

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.

Explore the toolkit

Data interoperability update 

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.

Read more >


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.

Read more >

Fastest growing agribusiness

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.

Read more >

Open innovation 

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.

Read more >

Award winning aquatech innovation 

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.

Read more >

Our partners at AusAgritech recently appointed Tracey Martin as their new CEO and 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

New Zealand agritech companies are attracting millions of dollars of investment, proving that covid is not stopping significant business activity, AgriTechNZ chief executive Brendan O’Connell says.

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

While New Zealand is still living with various restrictions, it isn’t stopping significant agritech activity. We’re seeing great progress in new global partnerships, collaborations, investments and team growth. It feels like fertile ground for a burst of growth in 2022 and beyond.

AbacusBio have just announced their deepening relationship with Bayer Crop Science. It’s a powerful partnership and an excellent example of New Zealand research and technology strengths having global impact. Read more.
 
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.
 
Meanwhile, agritech startup Hectre is positioning for global growth after attracting $3.5m 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. 
 
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 

To receive our full newsletter including additional industry updates and information, subscribe now.

WayBeyond has established its first Latin American presence with the establishment of a new Business Development Consultant role in Mexico City, supporting growers in the region with their technology needs.

“We are incredibly pleased to welcome Celene Solis to the team and have someone on the ground with her expertise working with growers. Celene will play a key part in our strategy introducing our transformative solutions to the region and giving us insight to the needs of local growers,” says Darryn Keiller, CEO & Founder. 

“Mexico has a production value of more than USD$3 billion with an ever-increasing growth through the more than 57 thousand hectares of protected cropping. We see the value we can add to producers through new technology and data support for optimizing their businesses.” 

Mexico is a horticulture powerhouse, being the world’s 4th largest fruit and vegetables exporter. It is among the three largest producers for several crops, including avocado, lemon, papaya, blackberry, and pepper. 

Different public policies have been designed for the agricultural sector in Mexico, aiming to increase productivity, social inclusion, and sustainability growth.  

Ms Solis joins WayBeyond with over 10 years’ experience in agribusiness including key account management with Monsanto and Bayer Crop Science.  

“I’m very excited to work for another global company that has a vision to support growers with smart solutions,” says Ms Solis.  

“The industry in Mexico is ready to take the next step and the WayBeyond offerings of sensor networks, yield prediction, data platforms and other cutting-edge solutions, are exactly what is required to take production to the next level.” 

WayBeyond has key people based in New Zealand, the Netherlands, the United States and now Mexico. This expansion into a new market and ongoing growth over the past two years is also supported by the New Zealand Government.  

“It is fantastic to see New Zealand AgTech innovation being applied in Mexico to support local growers. Having local staff is really important for any company but especially in the agribusiness sector. New Zealand technology is globally recognized for helping growers of all sizes enhance efficiencies and work smarter and I am very excited to see how we can further our collaboration in-market with WayBeyond,” explains Rhianon Berry, New Zealand Trade Commissioner Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

If you’re a grower in the Mexico region, get in touch with Celene and discuss how your business can grow to the next level – info@waybeyond.io

This year, Tauranga based Trimax Mowing Systems celebrates 40 years in business, proving agritech success isn’t limited to startups. 

“We’ve had 40 years of innovation which challenges the status quo. Thinking outside the box is something we’re good at because we’re driven to find better ways forward,” says CEO Michael Sievwright.  

Trimax was founded in 1981 by Bob Sievwright, an engineer with family roots in agriculture and a passion for high performance machinery.   

Bob developed the Gamma Flail, an innovative aerodynamic mower flail to simplify manufacturing processes and increase operational efficiency compared with welded flails of the time.  After six weeks of development, Bob gained his first customer!  But this was short lived, when just a month later, the company burnt to the ground.   Determined to keep his flail on the market, Bob bought the remains of the business and partnered with another local manufacturer to establish Trimax Mowing Systems.    

Today, Trimax’s rotary and flail equipment is a market leading mowing solution around the world and can be found on such high-profile turf as England’s Silverstone Race Circuit and US PGA Championship courses.  Trimax has manufacturing, assembly and warehousing facilities in New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. 

“Trimax has had to learn to adapt to each of our different markets. We learned that we needed to design products to suit market-specific needs and preferences, relying on our technical foundations and pillars of culture to guide our connections to our customers,” says Michael. 

Looking to the future, Trimax is investigating emerging technologies with the aim to make smarter and more responsive systems.  View the Trimax Story here and discover how a curious approach and humble attitude has enabled their ongoing growth.

Following our own version of Groundhog Day, we’re looking forward to getting out on the road again with our Agritech Connect Tour next month.  Meeting and connecting in person is the key to building our community of shared interests. We will be highlighting the progress, tools and services that are emerging from the Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (ITP). As the first National Strategy for our sector, we’re also keen to reflect on our learnings and how we can continue building the conditions for improvement and growth. Like so many of the organisations and businesses in our sector, testing new approaches is a vital part of how we can refine our business focus.

This month, we’ve seen some great examples of business model innovations amongst our members.  Chris Rodley and the team at Snap Information Technologies bucked the trend and acquired an overseas business. It’s great to see this expansive approach to business development and we wish Chris and the team well as they continue their work with the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) here and take it into global markets. Read more. We also celebrate the ‘triple helix’ of MPI, Robotics Plus and the University of Waikato as the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures Fund supports the commercialisation of asparagus harvesting technology. Many of us have watched this project with interest because of the global potential in asparagus automation systems. To see technology that can positively impact New Zealand primary industry and create significant technology exports is a perfect example of what we all aspire to in the agritech sector! Congratulations to Steve Penno (MPI), Steve Saunders (Robotics Plus) and Mike Duke (University of Waikato) and their respective teams for the work and collaboration and we wish them well in its implementation. Read more.

New Zealand Agritech Story

Last week, I joined activation workshops with United Kingdom (UK) based, New Zealand agritech companies who are developing  their own marketing campaigns alongside the Agritech Story. The combination of an overarching context, shared stories and collaboration will have a ‘greater than the sum of its parts’  impact for these businesses.

Following the launch of the Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) and our pandemic response, the time is right to leverage the positive international sentiment towards New Zealand and reactivate the Agritech Story in key offshore markets. 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.

Next month, we will share the campaign toolkit, with insights, messaging, images and videos to help you share the New Zealand Agritech story in your market.

On 28 October we are hosting an Auckland event in partnership with the AI Forum that highlights the role of technologies in responding to environmental and climate challenges. This event will explore the current state and potential for agritech solutions to help reduce emissions and mitigate the challenges to producers and growers as they respond to the climate crisis. Please register to attend. These discussions support the wider conversations being curated at the Oceania 2035 Summit being hosted in Auckland next year.

We’re also looking forward to participating in continued discussions on Cellular Agriculture in November.  Last month in Palmerston North, we began these discussions with our partners at BioTechNZ. Supported by Food HQ, we joined a room full of primary industry interests as we explored the current state and future potential of Cellular Agriculture. Review the presentation hereand join the inaugural Cultured Meat and Seafood Symposiumin Auckland on 2 November.

Trust, Traceability of Digital Trade are key themes for the primary sector and many other industries. If you’re near Hastings on 5 November or want to stretch your domestic travel legs, please register to attend this blockchain event. If you’re a member, please contact usfor a discount code.

Pandemic permitting, we look forward to connecting with many of you in the coming months as we travel the country and continue promoting our shared sector interests.

Ngā mihi,

Brendan
Chief Executive
AgriTech New Zealand

To receive our full newsletter including additional industry updates and information, subscribe now.

Our event with LocationTech, Mapping Ag, has been rescheduled to October 21 in Wellington. We will also be touring the country with our Agritech Connect Tour at the end of September. This is  an excellent opportunity for our community to come together and discuss topics of shared interest. In addition to progress updates on the Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (ITP), there will also be focus sessions introducing new tools and services, and opportunities to help shape our shared ambitions for agritech in and from Aotearoa.

Earlier this month, we hosted a Connect Event with BioTechNZ, exploring cellular agriculture. If you would like to know more about cell-based meat, please review the presentation slides. The discussion was thoroughly engaging and included the role of New Zealand science and innovation in solving global food issues, as a separate effort from providing food from New Zealand. More information is also available here. Special thanks to Olivia Ogilvie of the University of Canterbury for sharing.

Agritech Skills

Many of you would have participated in the recent NZTech survey on challenges with accessing data and software skills locally and through immigration pathways. The results of this Critical Workers Border Exemption Survey were sent to the Government to raise awareness that the current interpretation of their rules at the border was making it almost impossible to get critical tech staff into New Zealand. We are progressing the Agritech Skills Reference Group and can still accept expressions of interest to be involved, please contact us.

New Zealand Agritech Story

I am pleased to provide an update on sharing the New Zealand Agritech Story with the world.

Following the launch of the Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) and our response to COVID-19, the time is right to leverage the positive international sentiment towards New Zealand and reactivate the Agritech Story in key offshore markets.

Together, with the Government agencies and innovative agritech businesses, we are piloting a collaborative and co-ordinated approach to deliver offshore agritech campaigns, initially targeting the United Kingdom (UK).

The learnings from the UK campaign will provide a blueprint for activation in other markets. Coming soon: campaign toolkit, with insights, messaging, images and videos to help you share the New Zealand Agritech story in your market.

Science and Research Updates

New Zealand eScience Infrastructure (NeSI) and AgResearch are partnering to design and deliver a new future-focused eResearch Platform. The collaboration will foster expertise across both organisations and brings together a range of tools. For example, computing power, software, storage, and research networks, as well as mutual support networks for delivering user support and establishing critical mass through training and community building. Learn more here.

Consumer interest in animal welfare is steadily increasing and new technologies are providing new opportunities to quantify, improve and convey animal welfare states. In response, AgResearch, DairyNZ and Fonterra have  collaborated on the initiative, An animal-centric dairy industry enabled by digital technology as part of the AgResearch led New Zealand Bioeconomy in the Digital Age(NZBIDA) programme. They are hosting a webinar on Wednesday 1 September at 10:30am. If you’re interested in joining please email Jeremy Bryant.

Baseline of Digital Adoption

In other news, we have appointed insights agency Research First as the delivery partner for our survey on Digital Adoption in Primary Industries. Research First brings extensive experience in designing and delivering longitudinal studies within the rural sector and is highly regarded for its skill in using data to inform strategic thinking. Currently, we are designing the survey and would like to hear from those  interested in partnering on this work. Please contact us if you would like to know more.

Keep well in your lockdown bubbles and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Ngā mihi,

Brendan
Chief Executive
AgriTech New Zealand 

To receive our full newsletter including additional industry updates and information, subscribe now.

Register here for November 30 1:00pm-2:30pm

The Agritech Connect Tour is proudly brought to you in partnership with the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and Callaghan Innovation.