A student startup from the University of Auckland and Auckland University of Technology has been named Fieldays Young Innovator of the Year for its work on waterways (arawai).
Delta Waterways uses satellite data and data analysis techniques to revolutionise the way waterways are monitored.
The judges commented on the potential Delta Waterways has and the benefits it could provide in a variety of situations, including potentially closing the loop in waterway pollution (parahanga) control.
The judges commended St Paul’s Collegiate School and its Sterineedle project, especially for the product development process that was followed in getting to what looks like an effective and well thought-out solution.
More than 60 finalists were in the running to be considered in the Young Innovator, Prototype, Early-Stage, and Growth & Scale award categories of the Fieldays Innovation Awards.
The 2022 Prototype Award winner was the University of Waikato for its Kiwifruit Human Assisted Harvesting e-BIN, which was developed with the goal of making fruit-picking easier for a wider range of people.
The award judges appreciated the decisions that led to a system that uses humans to do things like location and tricky picking while the e-BIN does its job with just the right amount of automation.
The judges commended another finalist, Donald Cornwall, for the way he took a low-tech approach to solving the problem of optimizing the use of a feed paddock. Donald’s Automated Moving Fence was described as simple, low-cost and effective.
The 2022 Early-Stage Award winner was SNPshot, the company behind SNPshot Sampler, designed to make DNA sampling of livestock seamless and simple.
The judges commented on the extremely well-executed and thought-out design. They mentioned its clever structure and efficiency and were impressed with the company’s overall business model.
The judges made special mention of newcomer Bovonic, a company that aims to identify mastitis early in cows, saving time, money and pain in livestock. The judges said the invention had a lot of potential and its creators had made impressively quick progress in such a short period of time.
The 2022 Growth & Scale Award winner was previous Fieldays Innovation Award winner RiverWatch, whose hardware and software solutions work together with the end goal of creating swimmable oceans, rivers and streams by providing a network of real-time water quality information.
The judges were impressed with the practicability and scalability of this software from the science behind it to its easy installation. They also acknowledged its flexibility, which means it can be used in situations globally.
Entrepreneur and businessman Nick Mowbray spoke at the awards ceremony, partaking in a Q&A with host and Fieldays regular Te Radar. Mowbray shared his story of creating the toy and consumer products manufacturer ZURU from humble beginnings with his brother.
Entries in the Innovation Awards were praised for their cross-section of talent, with Peter Nation, CEO of New Zealand National Fieldays Society, saying this showed the breadth of creativity across the primary industries.
“Fieldays is the home of innovation and the best platform to launch new ideas in the agricultural sector,” Nation said.
“Fieldays Innovation Awards is a programme that I, along with the wider Fieldays team, am immensely proud of.”
Fieldays Programme Manager Steve Chappell said that the Fieldays Innovation Awards are an amazing showcase of the innovation that can be found throughout New Zealand and around the world.
“The standard of entries was very high again this year, and I know the judges had to make some tough decisions,” Chappell said.
“I’m happy for those that won and know that the prize packages for each category are going to make a world of difference on their innovation journey.”
Supported by a range of sponsors, the Fieldays Innovation Awards have a total prize package valued at over $60,000.