Epic is proud to sponsor the 2021 Special Children Christmas Party.

The Christmas parties are for special children who live with life threatening illness, physical or intellectual impairment, domestic violence, or in underprivileged circumstances.

We want to see children happy and beaming with smiles for a day, regardless of the challenges they’re experiencing in life. It’s a day to help them forget everything else that’s going on.

Read more or make a sponsorship yourself here.

Welcome to Kea Connect. This guide will help you understand how the Kea Connect process works, and what this free service can do for your business.

Is Kea Connect right for you?

Kea Connect is for any New Zealand business that wants to or is already exporting offshore. It does not matter where you want to export, what industry your business is in, or the size of your business.

We have helped small businesses that are taking their first steps offshore, through to larger enterprises looking to scale in existing markets. These businesses span all industries, many different export markets, and all have benefited from connections to our global community.

How Kea Connect can help

Deciding to take your business to the world is a big step. It’s exciting, and a little daunting. We get that, and so does our community of global Kiwi.

Introducing your business to our extensive, international community will allow you access to market intelligence and exclusive insights to grow your business offshore.

Our members include thousands of industry experts, thought leaders, and fellow peers who have personal insights from their own journeys. They share a passion for seeing Kiwi businesses succeed, and through Kea Connect, will help make the process a lot less daunting. These exclusive connections at this scale are unique to the Kea Connect service.

Kea Connect FAQ’s

There are no limits to the types of questions we can help you answer, but here are a few examples. For specific case studies, take a look here.

• What distribution channels are available in the UK for my product?
• What are the consumer trends in my industry in Singapore?
• Who are my key competitors in Germany, and how can we make our brand stand-out ?
• What does a good pitch look like for prospective USA investors?

Kea Connect process

Step one: Become a member and fill out the Kea Connect request form

Your journey with Kea Connect starts with our online request form. Here we ask you to answer basic questions that will help us get a baseline understanding of your business, where you are looking to export, and the kind of support you need.

Step two: Meet with the Kea team

Within 5 working days, you will hear from a member of our team to set up a 30 – 60 minute call/meeting. The purpose of this is to dive more deeply into your business needs, ensure we are clear on your goals, so we can find the right people to introduce you to.

For this, we ask that you come prepared with key questions, an idea of the type of person or business you would like to be connected to and what areas you need advice on.

Step three: We find connections for you

Once we are confident we have the information we need to find the right people, we explore our community and identify individuals we believe are best suited to help.

Once identified, we will approach these individuals on your behalf, provide a brief on your business and the kind of support you need, ask if they can help and are happy to be introduced.

Step four: Get connected

As and when we hear back from our community and have their confirmation they can help, we will make an email introduction. We’ll then hand it over to you for further discussion.

We often get asked how long the introduction will take. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this. Introductions can take as little as 2 hours from the time we approach these individuals, to a couple weeks or more. You will receive updates from us throughout the process no matter how long it takes, and our team is always available for any questions you have along the way.

Welcome to the Kea community

Your journey with Kea doesn’t stop once you are connected. Once you engage with us, you join a global community of Kiwis who are passionate about New Zealand and the success of its people and businesses. As part of the Kea Connect service, we offer ongoing support through our Kea Connect newsletter, interactive events, first-hand stories and essential resources that will help in your export journey. We also love to follow up with Kea Connect businesses to showcase the incredible efforts of our business community.

We hope this provides you with a good understanding of Kea Connect.

The Ministry of Awesome and Canterbury electricity lines company, Orion, today launched a
national competition calling for new ideas to reduce New Zealand’s carbon emissions.

The Orion Energy Accelerator offers two Start-up Grants worth a combined $25,000 for people
and start-up companies with ground-breaking energy innovations to be guided through a
programme to validate and commercialise their idea.

Orion General Manager, Customer and Stakeholder, Paul Deavoll said, “The energy sector has a
big role to play in addressing the climate crisis.

“It’s vital we explore how we can do things smarter and innovate faster.

“This country has a history of innovation in technology, and this is a call to action for our
innovators to lend their thinking to solve the biggest issue threatening the future of the planet.

“We’re looking for leading-edge energy solutions that will help us move urgently towards a
low-emission future.”

Marian Johnson of Ministry of Awesome said, “We’re delighted to work with Orion on this
programme, to tap into their broad energy sector knowledge and experience.

“The accelerator will be a game-changer for all participants as they’ll be surrounded with support
and guidance from some of the brightest minds in energy, technology and start-ups.

“Our goal is to ensure these teams step out of the programme having made progress with their
start-up and ready to commercialise their solutions.”

The Orion Energy Accelerator competition is open to individuals and start-up companies with
innovations across a range of energy sectors, including smart grids, e mobility, EV charging and
energy storage, and affordable energy solutions.

Applications open today and close 30 April 2021. Eleven start-ups will be selected for the
accelerator programme on 31 May, all will get the opportunity to pitch at a Demo Evening on 5
August. Applications are open now at www.orionaccelerator.nz

Media contacts:

Ministry of Awesome: Tri Phung, Marketing Manager, 021 686 584
tri@ministryofawesome.com
Orion: Linda McGregor, External Engagement Lead, 0800 222 301
linda.mcgregor@oriongroup.co.nz

Information from ChristchurchNZ

More Canterbury businesses will be able to access specialist support following the government’s announcement of an additional $40 million in advisory funding.

Read the full article and find out more, including how to apply, here.

The funding means small to medium businesses can access specialist advice and support across a number of areas including:

• HR & employee relations
• Health and wellness
• Business continuity planning
• Finance and cashflow management
• Marketing, business and digital strategy

The funding is delivered as part of the Regional Business Partner (RBP) Network.

Boyd Warren General Manager of Innovation and Business Growth ChristchurchNZ says it is important businesses can access specialist advice as they adapt and put into practice new ways of thinking and doing – the business environment is continually changing.

‘‘This is about saving businesses and jobs – and creating a new future. As we move from recovery to repositioning in our economic recovery framework, we all need to think creatively and strategically about future ways of operating. Getting expert advice at the right time can make all the difference.’’

Businesses must be registered with the RBP Network, register online here.

Extract from article published by Stuff on 13/06/2020.

“One that comes to mind is a somewhat infamous meeting that the then minister Stephen Joyce gate-crashed back in 2012. Christchurch’s Central Development Unit had been given 100 days to prepare a “blueprint for action”.

This saw a high-powered congregation of Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Christchurch City Council, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, and architects creating a top down rebuild plan. While there was theoretically an ability to “share an idea” channel operated by the city council for community groups to have input, I’m not sure these ideas got a lot of airtime during the process.

The folklore is that Joyce attended a blueprint meeting close to the end of the process where the draft was shared and snorted “this is all big boy crap, you need an innovation precinct where the little guys can flourish”.

Out of this came the Innovation Precinct (now known as the SALT district). Their first project was the EPIC Centre, an eco-friendly building that went up blindingly fast and quickly housed 20 high tech Christchurch early stage companies and around 250 workers.

I’ve worked with many of the companies that kicked off life in the EPIC Centre and can confirm it’s been a rich source of value for the region; and a handy use source of export dollars. And what made it work in my eyes was the combination of top down and bottom up approaches being joined up; thanks in part to a bolshie minister.

Recently the prime minister’s Business Advisory Council was wound up (as was always planned) in the lead up to the 2020 election. In his final note to the PM, chairman Fraser Whineray made the point that the way out of disaster is a joined-up approach.

This leads me back to what Dennis has noted about the context for the current disaster – New Zealand is facing a crisis that dwarfs the Christchurch earthquakes. With this in mind there’s one critical question that springs to mind – what’s the equivalent of the EPIC Centre, but on a national scale?”

Read the whole article here https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/300033067/coronavirus-lessons-from-christchurch-for-the-covid19-rebuild

Grow Ō Tautahi, Christchurch’s very own Garden Festival, will return in 2021 – with dates locked-in for the free, three-day festival celebrating gardening, homegrown food, sustainability and education. 

Organisers confirmed today the Festival will be held 12-14 March 2021 in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. The 2020 event was cancelled just days before it was due to launch due to pandemic restrictions. 

Festival Director Sandi MacRae says the cancellation of what would have been the first-ever Grow Ō Tautahi was a huge disappointment to everyone involved, but it was unavoidable. 

“We believe Christchurch needs this Festival. We want to come back strong in 2021 with a Festival that reflects the Garden City’s love of gardening, our interest in sustainability and environmental awareness and our emphasis on homegrown food for the whole family.

“Everyone involved in the 2020 event went above and beyond, giving their time, resources and financial support to bring the concept to life. We’re incredibly disappointed for all of our sponsors and partners that the event wasn’t able to go ahead, so we’re working extra hard now to make 2021 a huge success.” 

Grow Ō Tautahi is run by the Christchurch Garden Festival Trust and is not-for-profit. Entry will be free to the public and any returns in future events will be used to create scholarships through local education providers. The 2020 event was to be the first-ever Grow festival. 

“We are so grateful to all our sponsors – in particular presenting partner Lincoln University – and to all our partners and supporters who gave their time to make the concept a reality. 

“I’d also like to acknowledge all of the local schools who were a part of the Festival – many of whom kept working to create their gardens and realise their efforts, even when we knew the 2020 event would not go ahead. Thanks also to our exhibition garden designers Bayley Luu Tomes and Billygoat Landscape Architecture who completed their designs so we could glimpse what a future festival would look like. 

“We can’t wait for 2021 when we’ll bring an exciting, innovative garden festival to the Garden City.” 

Grow Ō Tautahi, 12-14 March 2021

Free entry in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens

WEB www.growotautahi.org.nz

FACEBOOK @growotautahi

INSTAGRAM @growotautahi 

For more information contact:

Amanda Healy |pr@growotautahi.org.nz | +64 21 2388 938

https://www.starlifter.dev/meeting-meta-featuring-jamie-hamilton/

The Award recognises inspiring Kiwis whose game-changing discoveries, research or inventions are driving our country forward.

The three finalists for the first Trade Me New Zealand Innovator of the Year Award have been announced, and they’re all awesome!

From developing world-leading wireless charging technology, to designing a machine that treats cancer, to using virtual reality with children in hospitals – their work is making a huge difference.

We asked them what inspires them and what advice they have to offer.

Aliesha Staples
Staples VR

Aliesha is highly sought after, both locally and abroad, as a producer of AR/VR and emerging technology content, and has worked on projects for Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures, Disney, and TVNZ.

She has a particular passion for using emerging technology, not only for entertainment, but also for healthcare. She recently produced VRemedies, a Virtual Reality exposure therapy software for children to lower the need for drug use for non-invasive procedures in hospitals.

What does innovation mean to you?

It’s about having an idea and testing the idea to the point of validation or failure. Failure of an idea is just as important as the success of one.

Who inspired you when you were younger?

My mum was a key driver for me. When I look back on some of the ideas I had she always supported them. When you suggest an idea to someone you consider wiser than you and they don’t push back, it gives you the confidence to take it further. If you are questioned you doubt yourself.

What inspires you to continue to push boundaries? 

How far everyone else is pushing things, if you look at the other people both in New Zealand and the world and hear about their goals for this decade, things colonise Mars, it makes you look at your own goals and think bigger.

What advice would you offer to the younger generation?

It’s not enough to just do what everyone else is doing, to be successful you need to work harder and push things further than the person next to you. Do what you love and sometimes that can be the opposite of what everyone around you is telling you to do.

Bill Buckley
Buckley Systems Ltd

Buckley Systems Ltd is the world’s leading supplier of precision electromagnets – used in the manufacture of silicon chips, flat-panel screens, high-end medical machinery and particle accelerators.

Now, Bill and his company, Neutron Therapeutics, have designed and built a Boron Neutron Capture Therapy machine which treats cancer.

It is considered a significant breakthrough in cancer treatment – drastically reducing the amount of radiation and physical side effects for patients while treating much more accurately.

What does innovation mean to you?

The idea of an innovator is to keep ahead of the rest of the world in what you’re doing.

Who inspired you when you were younger?

My father was a great innovator and I learned quite young that innovation would help you get your job done faster.

What inspires you to continue to push boundaries? 

I have always found pushing the boundaries was the only way to make sure you keep up with the constant changes in technology

What advice would you offer to the younger generation?

Try and make clear decisions on your future, and don’t look for a “quick buck”.  It’s a long, hard grind but stick with it, and you will get there.

Fady Mishriki

Fady Mishriki is the founder and former CEO of PowerbyProxi. The company was established in 2007, with a mission to design and develop safe, high-efficiency and high-density wireless power. PowerbyProxi technology enables the charging of everyday devices such as smartphones and cars without having to plug them in.

The company quickly grew to become a world leader, with over 500 patents to its name. In 2017 Apple acquired the company.

Fady is also committed to fostering the next generation of Kiwi innovators and is involved in a number of initiatives.

What does innovation mean to you?

One of our values at PowerbyProxi was ‘we are innovators, not just inventors’. Innovation flows from invention, it adds a dimension of commercialisation. It’s about things like what we do with the invention and how we get it out there.

Who inspired you when you were younger?

My father and mother. They were always encouraging of my business endeavours and aspirations in technology. They also inspired me to work hard, make sacrifices and strive for the best education possible.

What inspires you to continue to push boundaries?

Working with strong teams of people that have aligned values and a clear goal.

What advice would you offer to the younger generation?

Persistence in innovation is really important, but you need to figure out the right things to focus on first. Persistence directed at the right things is very powerful. Take some time up front to figure out what those right things are.

source NZ Herald 13/2/20

Seven easy ways to keep safer online:

1. Use a different password for every service.

2. If you have trouble remembering dozens of different logons, InternetNZ’s inhouse security expert recommends investing in password manager software, like LastPass, which will auto-generate and auto-fill passwords for multiple websites.

3. The longer and more complicated the password, the better. Vodafone security expert Colin James says if you have trouble remembering different passwords, consider using “pass phrases” which could be lines from one of your favourite songs.

4. Consider two-factor authentification or “2FA” if it’s on offer. That’s when, for example, a site will txt a code to your cellphone as well as requiring your user-name and password online. 2FA can be annoying if you use if for every logon, but most services have an option to only enable it, say, if a logon occurs from a new device.

5. Setup a webmail address that you only use for sites you’re uncertain about, and consider a second credit card with a low limit for online shopping.

6. Use mobile data rather than wi-fi when you’re travelling. Many hotels wireless broadband security, and hackers love simple tricks like setting up a wi-fi hotspot, then giving it a name similar to the hotel whose guests they’re preying on. If you’re worried about the cost of mobile data when roaming, buy a local sim card.

7. Assume that one day you will get hit by hacker – which means taking backup copies of important information – offsite, or at least two different services in the cloud. Make good old-fashioned printouts of important information.

source NZ Herald 15/2/20

Rocket Lab has been selected by NASA as the provider for a small satellite mission to the same lunar orbit targeted for Gateway.

Gateway is an orbiting outpost that astronauts would visit before descending to the surface of the Moon in a landing system as part of NASA’s Artemis program.

The firm-fixed-price launch contract was valued at $15.4 million (US$9.95m), according to a NASA press release.

The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment – or CAPSTONE – was expected to be the first spacecraft to operate in a near rectilinear halo orbit around the Moon.

In other words, it would rotate with the Moon as it orbited Earth and pass as close as 1600km or 70,006km from the lunar surface.

It was hoped CAPSTONE would demonstrate how to enter into and operate in the orbit, as well as test new navigation capacity.

Rocket Lab was proud to bring the Moon within reach to enable further research and exploration, founder and chief executive Peter Beck said.

“Small satellites like CAPSTONE will play a crucial role in supporting the return of human missions to the Moon and we’re proud to be supporting NASA in this unique and pivotal mission,” he said.

As a dedicated mission on Electron, we’re able to provide NASA with complete control over every aspect of launch and mission design for CAPSTONE, something typically only available to much larger spacecraft on larger launch vehicles.

“In the same way we opened access to low Earth orbit for small satellites, we’re proud to be bringing the Moon within reach to enable research and exploration.”

he satellite would be launched from Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle from Launch Complex 2, located at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, USA.

CAPSTONE would be delivered on a ballistic lunar transfer by Rocket Lab’s high-performance satellite bus platform Photon after launch.

It would take CAPSTONE around three months to enter its target orbit before starting a six-month primary demonstration phase to understand operation in its orbit.

The target for launch is in early 2021.

READY YOUR LAUGH-HOLE cos stuff just got way more buskery, frens!

Mark 20-23 Feb in your everythings for Salty Buskers Club – an exciting day & night SALT District takeover with cheeky choices to choose from. It’s all here and at www.saltybuskers.club TELL EVERYONE!

Venue

The event is three days with daytime Buskers in SALT Square and the Busker’s  comedy club at night in our very own Dux Central.  

**SALTY BUSKERS CLUB – All AGES**
SALT Square – by Little High
•Thur 20 Feb – 7.30pm-10pm
•Fri 21 Feb – 12pm-2pm & 7.30pm-10pm
•Sat 22 Feb – 12pm-2pm & Sat 22 Feb – 7.30pm-10pm
•Sun 23 Feb – 12pm-2pm

**SALTY COMEDY CLUB – R18**

Quirky science will help broach tough issues at Grow Ō Tautahi- March 20-22-FREE ENTRY-Christchurch Botanic Gardens

 “Ever wanted to know if a cow is smiling? Or how you can make your car run on food waste from the rubbish dump?” Grow Ō Tautahi Science Ambassador Trevor Stuthridge is keen to share cool science alongside research that makes a real difference to people’s lives.

 “I think scientists often forget how amazing our job is and how excited our research can make people,” the AgResearch Research Director says.

 Trevor will lead the Science of Food Hub during Christchurch’s free, three-day Garden Festival Grow Ō Tautahi. Challenged by the ideas and questions of local secondary students, environmental experts from AgResearch, Lincoln University and Environment Canterbury will explore the topics that matter to our region right now and into the future.

 “It is a great chance to make science real by engaging audiences in environmental and sustainability issues that really mean something to their lives,” he says.

 A self-professed “Uber Geek”, Trevor is thrilled to have the opportunity to share cutting-edge science at the Festival and demonstrate how local research can have a real benefit to our personal and community wellbeing. “We’re all becoming more aware that what we consume has a direct impact on both our health and our environment. A future where we tailor food to our individual genetics and track its source according to consumer preferences is now on the horizon.”

 Science of Food Hub presentations will address some of the approaches being taken to balance agricultural, land management and food production in a more sustainable manner. On behalf of the three organisations, Trevor will lead three daily interactive discussions at Grow Ō Tautahi on environmental science issues that relate to our everyday lives. He is inviting secondary school students – our future innovators and thought leaders – to take part in the discussions, ask the tough questions and help generate new, forward-thinking ideas.

 “As well as sharing some fun and quirky ideas, I see Grow Ō Tautahi as an opportunity to explore some of the perceived issues that sometimes divide New Zealand’s urban and rural communities.

 “Canterbury is a critical food bowl for the country and there’s no question that we have some challenges of our own. For example, demands for better land and water management make this a region with an imperative to transform and be innovative in the agricultural space. Indeed, local research organisations and universities view the region as a strong, living laboratory for how science can make a difference for New Zealand.”

 Trevor says he wants to use real examples of how science is changing our everyday lives to engage visitors attending Grow Ō Tautahi. “I want visitors to be surprised, excited and inspired by what they see.

For many city people, agriculture has sometimes become a dirty word; but we and the sector are working together to actively improve these perceptions and practices. I don’t think there’s any farmer out there who isn’t fully connected to the land and doesn’t love it and doesn’t want land to be sustainable for generations.

 “Grow Ō Tautahi is a platform to describe how aware science is of the issues we’re all facing. Visitors to Grow will learn that it is all inter-related – food, social license, the environment, Te Ao Māori and what we need to do to sort it all out.”

 Grow Ō Tautahi, 20-22 March 2020

FREE ENTRY

Christchurch Botanic Gardens

WEB www.growotautahi.org.nz

FACEBOOK @growotautahi

INSTAGRAM @growotautahi

The Government has pledged almost $2.2 million for pounamu and technology industries on the West Coast.

Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau made the funding announcement at Waitangi Day commemorations in Hokitika on Thursday

He said the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) would be giving $800,000 to Development West Coast for a Grey District Regional Digital Hub and an Outreach Hub in Westland. The fund would also be giving $400,000 to Epic Westport for a Buller District Regional Digital Hub.

A further $995,500 would be going to Ngāti Waewae from the fund’s $100,000 Whenua Māori allocation.

Epic Westport was set up in 2016, as an off-shoot of Epic Christchurch by Ben Dellaca and his partner, Natasha Barnes-Dellaca, as a centre where technology companies can share office space.

“PGF support for these hubs will connect Westport, Greymouth and the Westland district to online services to benefit business owners and entrepreneurs. Westland’s hub will be mobile, and can be moved to different locations through the year,” Tabuteau said.

It has already funded $100m for getting communities online, including $32m for ultra-fast broadband and to fix mobile blackspots on the West Coast.

The $995,500 allocation to Ngāti Waewae would allow the iwi to source and manage pounamu on their land and grow their carving and tourism ventures, Tabuteau said.

“While Māori own pounamu, it is currently sourced as a by-product from gold and coal mining, and iwi pay a significant fee to recover it. This PGF-funded project will assist in purchasing equipment to secure a direct supply, as these products are in huge demand.”

Projects on the West Coast worth more than $150m had been funded by the PGF in the past two years, he said, “and this is not the end of it”.

In November, thousands turned out at a protest in Greymouth over the Government’s treatment of the West Coast.

Grey mayor Tania Gibson said the freshwater action plan, the potential ban on new mining on conservation land, the Indigenous Freshwater Fish Bill, the rejection of windblown timber legislation, and an upcoming review of significant natural areas by district councils all had potential to do “irrevocable harm” to the West Coast economy.

The Government was “pushing people to the edge, not knowing what their future holds”, she said.

Rural Communities Minister and West Coast MP Damien O’Connor said this announcement was the continuation of the hundreds of millions invested in education, tourism and infrastructure projects on the Coast.

“This Government believes in the Coast and we’re backing it to succeed,” he said.

Brush Technology have been working with Aaron Lock (@SurfcoachNZ) to develop Surflocker – a fully automated surfboard and wetsuit hire kiosk. Comprising a web app booking and payment service with solar-powered embedded hardware to control electronic locks, Surflocker is like Lime scooters for surfboards!

Click on here for more info.

Goto SURFLOCKER.CO.NZ to book.

Farming by robot is no longer a fantasy, and it also could be a breakthrough for preserving our soil quality, a group of Kiwi entrepreneurs say.

Christchurch’s Radius Robotics is developing a wheel-based robotic system which would direct drill seeds with a minimal footprint, irrigate, weed and collect data.

Reducing the amount of land having to be tilled was one of its key aims, co-founder Henry Bersani said.

Soil was a carbon sink and so the less it was disturbed, the less carbon was released, and less water was lost.

“The more you pull up the soil, the more you expose it to the elements, you lose nutrients and the looser the soil is, the more prone it is to run-off.”

With climate change, water security was becoming a big issue. “In the United States, the Middle East and parts of Africa, it’s really critical that we find new ways of using water in agriculture.”

Soil degradation has become a major agricultural talking point, and although it’s a contested theory, there is a school of thought that there are only a finite number of seasons before the world’s topsoil is exhausted.

Bersani said there were some synergies between this thinking and technologies like theirs.

“The ultimate goal of what we’re trying to achieve is the large-scale automation of polyculture farming as opposed to monoculture, the idea that you plant multiple different species instead of hectares on hectares one single crop.

“By doing that, you’re able to restore that organic carbon content, the nutrient content, you’re deterring pests naturally through the mimicry of the natural systems.”

Automation could also reduce a farm’s reliance on labour. However, Bersani rejected the notion that robotics was just about taking jobs. In some parts of the world, farming labour was scarce.

“Quite often you’ve got enormous amounts of crops which are just going to waste because they’ve got no one to come in and tend to them.”

“There are some places that are really screaming out for that lower semi-skilled labour which just doesn’t exist because realistically mass migration into the cities.”

Radius was being careful how it described its system because it was still working on its patent, but the key was to cut the cost of production, Bersani said.

“What we’re trying to do is take the perspective of, what if we re-imagined arable cultivation from the ground up and took a really radical approach to it?

“Instead of saying, how do we strap a piece of technology onto a tractor and essentially do what we’ve always done, which is essentially another iteration on the beast of burden – how do we try and achieve a multitude of goals within a single system?”

“So while there’s some really amazing technologies out there, most of them are confined to one particular task. They’re either planting or they’re weeding, or they’re irrigating or they’re harvesting, and each of them have their benefits.

“But as far as we understand, we are one of the only companies that’s trying to address conventional farming on a number of different fronts.”

Robotics have been creeping into farming in various ways. Automated milking sheds have started appearing in New Zealand, and recently Japanese company Yamaha invested in Hawkes Bay company Robotics Plus, which has devised robotic apple packers and is working on a fruit harvesting robot.

Radius’ team of three includes Bersani; mechanical engineer Daniel Morris and chief executive Rob Swatton, who has worked in robotics and virtual reality (VR), and has an interest in permaculture.

The start-up is shortlisted for a Palmerston North agricultural accelerator programme and is a finalist in one of the country’s richest start-up competitions, Callaghan Innovation’s C-Prize.

C-Prize’s focus this year is on technology with the potential to improve the environment on a global scale.

Selected from 140 entries, the 10 finalists will each receive $10,000 to support their project and business mentoring over the next six months.

The winner, which will be announced in June, will receive $100,000 cash but also the institute’s help and connections to help them commercialise their product.