Innovation Awards 2016 Zine

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INNOVATIONAWARDS.ORG.NZ 1
I am immensely proud to be a Kiwi and to have
the great privilege of seeing and hearing all about
the wonderful new product, service and business
innovations that are created and commercialised
here in New Zealand on a daily basis.
When I think about ideas, I imagine sparks of light
that emerge out of the darkness - ideas that grow
and develop as they are nurtured. These sparks hold
unbridled potential and energy. They are the impetus
that unites us to create breakthrough solutions,
products, and ways of doing things. They brighten
our lives, impact many millions of people and make
world changing things happen.
2 BAYER SUPREME NEW ZEALAND INNOVATION
& INNOVATION IN TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS
4 YOUNG NEW ZEALAND INNOVATOR
6 MOST INSPIRING INDIVIDUAL
9 START-UP INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR
11 EXPORT INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR
& SUSTAINED INNOVATION EXCELLENCE
13 EMERGING NZ INNOVATOR
15 INNOVATION IN SUSTAINABILITY & CLEANTECH
17 EXCELLENCE IN SOCIAL INNOVATION
& INNOVATION IN EDUCATION, TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT
19 INNOVATION IN FINANCIAL & PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
21 INNOVATION IN MEDIA, MOBILE & ENTERTAINMENT
23 INNOVATION IN DESIGN & ENGINEERING
25 INNOVATION IN AGRIBUSINESS & ENVIRONMENT
29 INNOVATION EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH
31 INNOVATION IN FOOD & BEVERAGE
33 INNOVATION IN HEALTH & SCIENCE
35 INNOVATION IN MAORI DEVELOPMENT
37 INNOVATION IN MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
39 PEOPLE'S CHOICE
The entrepreneurs, innovators, astute business
people and brilliant researchers that make these
sparks come to life deserve recognition and
celebration for their achievements and the support
of the wider community who want them to succeed.
We encourage and support each other to tackle
bigger problems, to dream bigger and to harness
our collective innovative abilities to bring lasting
solutions to life.
This magazine is a snapshot of what we are achieving
in New Zealand right here right now. The people that
make innovation happen and the attitude that makes
New Zealanders globally successful. To innovators
everywhere, New Zealand needs you to succeed and
we are here to help.
From the New Zealand Innovation Council and our
partner organisations, we congratulate the winners
of the New Zealand Innovation Awards on their
innovation success – you are truly doing truly world
changing things!
LOUISE WEBSTER
CEO New Zealand Innovation Council
Director KPMG

2
NZ INNOVATION AWARDS
Bruce Davey.
BAYER SUPREME NEW ZEALAND INNOVATION
& INNOVATION IN TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS
ARANZ MEDICAL
SILHOUETTE & FASTSCAN
“I’m a doctor, not an engineer.”
So says The Doctor in Star Trek:
Voyager. While that statement was true
in the context of the 1990s TV series,
it’s not true at all in Aotearoa in 2016 –
especially for ARANZ Medical.
Anyone even mildly familiar with the
many different iterations of Star Trek
is aware of all the different futuristic
technology on display in the science
fiction franchise. And while some of it
CLICK HERE
FOR VIDEO
– transporters and warp drives – are still
very much science-fiction (emphasis on
fiction), some of the show’s devices are
coming closer to becoming sciencefact.
One of those things: the medical
tricorder, that handheld device that
can scan and treat even the most severe
wounds almost instantaneously.
While we still can't heal wounds
instantly, the scanning function of the
tricorder is something we’ve got in the
real world today, thanks to ARANZ
Medical. The Christchurch-based
company’s patented technologies are
already helping patients in 35 countries
around the world, and its work has even
been acknowledged by none other than
the United Nations.
While such accolades are certainly
impressive, ARANZ chief executive
Dr Bruce Davey says his company has
a simple vision that also serves as a
mission for employees. “Our goal is to
lower the cost and make the provision of
healthcare more efficient.”
To that end, the company – which
counts Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe
and North America as its primary
markets – pours a significant amount
of its revenue into research and
development. Prototypes are developed
and transferred to engineers, where
the hardware and software are readied
for commercial release. The software
development team also releases
systematic updates and upgrades,
constantly improving the informatics
capability and usability of innovations.
The company also used tools such
as Visual Studio, and .NET in short
iterative development cycles, and is a
Microsoft Partner. Technologies are
TUV and FDA approved, complying
with all major health IT requirements,
such as HIPAA, REACH, and PMCF.
Solutions can involve integration with
major electronic medical record and
research documentation systems.
Low on ceremony and high on output,
ARANZ employees usually work in small
teams utilising advanced development,
agile software development and
electrical engineering. The team
includes specialists in medical imaging
and informatics, sales, marketing, and
business development, as well as quality
and regulatory management, 3D surface
acquisition technology, electrical,
system and software engineering,
product management and rapid
development, clinical development

INNOVATIONAWARDS.ORG.NZ 3
and commercialisation. A significant
percentage of ARANZ employees have
PhDs, meaning they’re able to use their
academic experience to contribute to the
company’s innovative firepower.
Among ARANZ’s best-known
innovations, Davey says, is the
FastSCAN, a 3D system that helps
custom-fit orthotics and prosthetics
more comfortably and accurately. The
idea of a laser scanning device is based on
the FastRBF, which enables data sets to
be interpolated by Radial Basis Functions
(RBFs) and was first used by Weta Digital
in the creation of digital models for
creatures in The Lord of the Rings.
The first version of the FastSCAN
came out about 15 years ago, but, as
disruptive as that technology was, it was
also quite bulky and difficult to transport,
he says. Recognising this, the company
released a new version, called the
FastSCAN 2, about two years ago. The
new device is smaller, more affordable,
easier to make, portable, and works
more quickly than the original. “We’re
very focused on making healthcare more
sustainable,” he says. “It’s incredibly
important.”
But the FastSCAN isn’t the only
innovation ARANZ has been recognised
for. The company’s Silhouette scanner
is an advanced non-contact wound
surveillance system that shows the
rate of healing and wound change over
a period of time, allowing for better
monitoring and patient care. Davey says
the company is working on a wireless
version of the scanner, bringing it
closer to Star Trek’s tricorder. As Davey
explains: “You don’t want a cable
around a patient with wounds.”
The system offers a way to
systematically and easily collect accurate
wound images and data, including
measurements and healing trends, with
its accuracy allowing for practitioners
to detect small changes in wound size.
This results in earlier intervention in
treating wounds, and also lets doctors
and medical professionals make better
decisions about how to treat a patient.
And it’s an industry where there’s money
to be made: the wound care market in
the United States is worth an estimated
US$50 billion per year.
Innovation, Davey believes, is not
simply related to a single tangible thing,
like a new phone or type of chair, but is an
entire ecosystem within an organisation.
“When they think about innovation,
people often think of a product,” he
explains. “But it’s really the whole
organisation that creates innovation.”
Any innovation needs to incorporate
both simplicity and excellence to be
successful, Davey says. That way, it can
improve a person’s life.
Davey says he believes New Zealand’s
'strong' innovation ecosystem and
creative mentality to find solutions
makes it an ideal place to come up
with new ideas and to turn those ideas
into reality. He also believes that it’s
easier than ever to innovate in the 21st
century thanks to the tools we now
have available to us. “There’s so much
information now.”
But that also means innovation is
becoming a necessity to simply survive
as a business, Davey says, as “resting
on laurels” can lead to stagnation
and, ultimately, a loss of business as
consumers grow weary.
“If we’re not innovating as an
organisation, we’re dead,” he says.
“Everyone is innovating now. There’s
just an explosion of technology. The
pace of innovation is increasing, but
there’s more pressure to innovate. The
pressure and need to innovate is greater
than ever before.”
EVALUATOR'S COMMENTS
A truly great innovation that reminds me
of the medical centres seen in Star Wars,
and surely the way of the future. The
motto “Help people heal people” is very
appropriate and could even be extended
to “Help people heal themselves.” With
the increased need for efficiencies in all
economies, the pressure of social security
costs in developed countries and the
increasing average age of population, your
innovation is completely relevant to the
market now and opens the door to much
more automation and efficiencies in the
health industry.
A great story of Kiwi innovation based
on deep knowledge and advanced
technical skills – the results of which are
now having an impact globally. This one’s a
winner in my books.

4
NZ INNOVATION AWARDS
YOUNG NEW ZEALAND INNOVATOR
CLICK HERE
FOR VIDEO
JAMIE BEATON
CRIMSON EDUCATION
Before you understand anything else about Jamie
Beaton, understand this: at 21 years old he has
graduated from Harvard with a degree in Applied
Mathematics-Economics and a Masters in Applied
Mathematics. Oh, and he also co-founded Crimson
Education in 2013, a full service education consultancy
that recently attracted a $85 million valuation.
Somewhere in there he also won first prize at the
Global Student Entrepreneurship Awards (GSEA), a
series of competitions for student entrepreneurs who
own a for-profit business.
While the word 'prodigy' often comes to mind when
discussing Beaton, he says he wants people to focus
on other things. “I think Kiwis are entrepreneurial
compared to other parts of the world,” he says. “I
wouldn’t say we are the most entrepreneurial, but I
would definitely say, for a Western economy, we do
pretty well for ourselves. I think in terms of the startup
community, it’s still in its nascence compared to other
parts of the world, and then I think in terms of business
education and in terms of learning about business
and entrepreneurship in school, I think there’s not
necessarily as much focus as there could be.”
Focus is something Beaton has in spades, but, he
says, anyone can have it with the proper motivation,
support and advice. “When I was going through
my schooling, I took a very focused, intensive and
strategic approach to my course work, my subjects,”
he explains. “I sat ten A-level exams when most
students took three or four in my last year, and I did
that through very early preparation, and by having
a lot of very good advisors and tutors helping me to
master the content very quickly.”
It’s all the more impressive considering Beaton
was raised by his mum Paula for the first five years of
his life after a divorce and lived in a house with his
grandparents. He went from St Kentigern to King's
College to Harvard, where he took roughly double the
normal course load. In earning two degrees in three
years, David Ager, a senior fellow at Harvard Business
School who taught Beaton in a class, said he was
among only three of the roughly 2,500 students he
had taught over 12 years who had graduated so quickly;
an undergraduate degree in the United States alone
normally takes four years.
Crimson Education has about 30 full-time staff, more
than 2,000 consultants and tutors across the world,
and offices in the UK, Singapore, India and Thailand.
This year, Crimson also completed a landmark Series B
funding round, securing US $30 million of investment.
The investment, led by Tiger Global and Tiger
Management, is the largest Series B funding round for a
New Zealand company in business for three years.
Next on the radar, Beaton says, is opening an office
in China, and possibly later in South Korea. “I think
it’s definitely the apex of international education,” he
explains. “I think Asia’s a very exciting new market.
We’ve been building a strategy for it for quite some time
and we’re very excited to jump into it soon. We also are
very excited about a Korean market too and we have
different teams working on different corners ready for
roll out at various stages.”
Scaling Crimson is a key focus for Beaton, but he
says there’s also a greater purpose behind what he’s
doing that is already achieving results that he claims are
proof that what he’s doing is working. “Scaling quickly
is definitely a very, very high priority,” he says. “We’ve
just had a number of really exciting results come out:
Every single student who gained academic admission
to Harvard and Stanford from New Zealand this
year used Crimson, and 90 percent of students who
gained admission into the Ivy League community used
Crimson as well. So scaling is of high importance, but
the student outcomes that we’re getting even beat our
internal expectations, so we’re very, very excited.”
As well as things may be going at Crimson, Beaton
swears it’s because of his voracious appetite to learn any
and all things about business. “I’m just obsessed with
business,” he says. “I think it's absolutely fascinating
and I really relish learning about all these different
industries. One of the reasons why I love investing –
I’m a generalist analyst – I look at all kinds of different
industries, all kinds of different growth phases, and
different markets all around the world, so I’m just
generally fascinated with how businesses develop, scale
and compete. I’m definitely in the phase of immersing
myself in areas where I’ve just got tonnes to learn and
just to soak in as much as possible. I think private equity
is very interesting and international relations as well.”
And (you have to wonder) what about money?
“I don’t really think about money,” he says. “I think
that generally the free market and the power of
entrepreneurship to transmit powerful ideas to the world
is fascinating. So, in general, money, revenue, these kind
of metrics track impact. In some businesses that’s not the
case, but in general, good ideas they tend to grow very
large from an enterprise value standpoint. I think that,
to that extent, we live in a world where people can vote
with their wallets and decide what services are valuable
and what services are not, and I think that there are
certain important metrics to track. Intrinsically, I think
money is just an input in a broader scale. I don’t think it’s
a particularly important thing by itself.”
Keys for entrepreneurship, and innovation, are
good mentorship and guidance, says Beaton, because
a good mentor can inspire and motivate while also
helping someone see things differently or discover new
solutions to a problem. “I had a number of really good
teachers who provided a lot of really good emotional
and tangible support to every leadership initiative and
project and campaign that I did, so I definitely think
there’s great support,” he explains. “I think that one of
the areas for improvement [for Crimson Education]
would be in the instilling in young students the belief
they can do it. That’s one of the things we really focus
on at Crimson. Nearly all of our students are involved
in leadership development programmes where we help
them actively build up campaigns, clubs, companies,
initiatives, things like that, but by really focusing on
helping take their interests and really apply them to
their community and really build leadership skills, so I
think there a really strong base for that at school, and
definitely room for improvement as well.”
But for all his success, Beaton says there’s one thing
he says that he wants people to take away from his story
– and which forms the entire raison d’être of Crimson.
“In New Zealand, I really want more young Kiwis to
realise that entrepreneurship at a young age is very
much doable, accessible and achievable.”
EVALUATOR'S COMMENTS
The Crimson story is phenomenal and I am sure their growth
and development will continue to be watched with interest
from New Zealand. In that vein don’t forget about New
Zealand and how your exceptional talents can be brought to
bear on the issues that New Zealand faces!

Jamie Beaton, left, and Crimson co-founder and COO Sharndre Kushor.
INNOVATIONAWARDS.ORG.NZ 5

6
NZ INNOVATION AWARDS
MOST INSPIRING INDIVIDUAL
JENENE CROSSAN
FLOSSIE.COM
CLICK HERE
FOR VIDEO
It isn’t surprising Jenene Crossan is an
inspiration to so many. In her 21 years
as a digital entrepreneur, she’s built and
sold multiple companies and shared
her hard-earned knowledge with those
following in her footsteps. And surprise,
surprise: she’s strongly driven by a desire
to innovate. “I love innovation,” she
explains. “I just love creating things.
Innovation is what gets me out of the
bed in the morning. It keeps me from
getting bored.”
For proof of her innovativeness, one
need look no further than Flossie, an
‘Uber of beauty’ app that lets users
book in appointments at hairdressers,
spas, nail salons and more on-demand.
“It’s a billion-dollar industry in New
Zealand every year,” Crossan explains
of the app’s market potential. “It’s a lot
like Uber. Mobile is where things are
going. There’s no doubt about it. We’re
increasingly seeing it. Customers want
to get what they want, when they want
it, and they want the convenience. The
old model of booking a hairdresser
appointment six weeks in advance is
obsolete. You don’t know where you’re
going to be in six weeks.”
Begun as an e-commerce site in
2012, Flossie shifted to a mobile app in
late 2014. Although Crossan says she
believed it always had the potential to be
a “game-changer” because of its ability
to disrupt the industry and its ease of use

INNOVATIONAWARDS.ORG.NZ 7
for customers and businesses, she only
began to scale the company in April this
year. And it’s caught on quickly since, she
says. “We’ve had 400 percent growth in
the last six months,” she explains. “Our
target is 1,000 percent growth by the end
of next year.”
Such a goal may seem ambitious,
especially considering Flossie already
has hundreds of salons registered and
thousands of members throughout New
Zealand. But Crossan knows a thing or
two about getting companies going –
and has some big names backing Flossie:
Tim Cook (the New Zealand investor
not the Apple CEO), Adrian Burr, the
co-founders of Hell Pizza, Peter Cooper,
Stephen Tindall, Theresa Gattung,
Scott Gilmour, the team behind Sonar6,
and Rob Campbell.
Aside from some of the biggest names
in business, Crossan has a proven track
record of success, too. Her first foray
into digital came in 1994, when she was
just 16 years old, at Info Tools. Four years
later, at 20, she launched nzgirl from
her spare bedroom on a second-hand
computer. The online publication, where
Crossan remains a director, has since
gone on to become the largest social
magazine in New Zealand.
And that’s not all. At 22, she started
her second business, 18 Ltd, which was
later sold to Research International.
Wellington-based venture capital firm
Movac backed Crossan’s next venture,
a female-led ad network, Flossie Media
Group, which was later launched in
Australia and merged with a technology
company to form email platform Actual
Dialogue (Crossan kept the Flossie
name). And, in 2014, Crossan founded
Bloggers Club (now known as BC), a
social influence agency. Headed by CEO
Spencer Willis, the agency represents
more than 400 influencers across a
variety of sectors and industries.
And there’s more. Recently, Crossan
became a director of Simplicity,
a nonprofit KiwiSaver investment
entity (and winner of Innovation in
Financial & Professional Services, see
page 19). Simplicity is disrupting the
industry because of its, well, simplicity,
both in terms of its platform and the
transparency of its fee structure.
“I love that story,” Crossan says of
being involved with Simplicity. “You
have your thing you’re into, and for
me it’s always been, ‘how do you fix
things?’ I love how we can harness data,
technology, to improve lives.”
With such experience, it comes as no
surprise that Crossan has strong views
on innovation. If a business doesn’t
innovate, she says, that’s the equivalent
of death.
Having a culture of innovation at
a business or organisation is critical,
Crossan says. And it’s not just to get
an edge over any competitors – it’s
to simply stay afloat and meet the
ever-changing needs and desires of
customers who demand convenience
more than ever before.
“To beat your competitors, you
need to innovate,” she explains. “The
female consumer today is a really busy
individual. If we were standing still at
any point, that’d be it. We’d be finished.”
If all that’s not enough, Crossan
is also extensively involved in the
mentorship of younger innovators –
particularly female innovators – who
seek her wisdom, she speaks regularly
about her own innovation journey and
somehow also finds time to take care of
three children. Now that’s inspiring.
EVALUATOR'S COMMENTS
I love the fact that the Flossie app has
become the New Zealand marketplace
for beauty treatments and therapy. This
has allowed people to make fast easy
transactions, saving valuable time of having
to phone around for an appointment.
I would love to see this app go global.

Veda: Helping businesses make
decisions with data insights
From its humble beginnings renting out televisions to its customers, dtr has morphed into
a finance company, offering both hire purchase finance and personal lending products.
But with 23 stores across New Zealand, the company was facing some challenges. As an
existing Veda client, dtr looked to the data analytics company for guidance and solutions.
MARK SPRING, MANAGING DIRECTOR, DTR
“We engaged Veda to take a look
at our business and compare
what we were doing to what they
were seeing elsewhere in the
marketplace”’, says dtr’s Managing
Director Mark Spring. “Veda was
able to help us improve our
processes, and added to some of
our thinking in terms of flexibility,
product development, and
innovation.”
Because each of our branches
has a relationship with its local
community, decentralisation had
become one of the biggest issues
for dtr. “That decentralised model
meant we frequently struggled
with control over processes and
standardisation”, says Spring.
Veda helped dtr put a framework
in place to interpret and use
customer data to their advantage.
Spring says the data insights
gave the company more control
over engagement with local
communities, helping the business
to be more customer-centric for
each specific area.
Veda was also able to help
dtr improve the way in which
the company communicates
with customers. dtr’s customers’
preferred method of communication
varied, says Spring. “Some of our
customers wanted to engage and
communicate online whilst others
wanted to deal with us face-to
face. We use a term called 'golden
pathway' which means that every
pathway is different for a specific
CAROL CHRIS,
MANAGING DIRECTOR,
VEDA NZ
customer, and to be most effective
in the marketplace, we've got
to understand what that ‘golden
pathway’ is for each client.
With the help of Veda’s third
generation decision-making
system, DecisionPoint 3, dtr was
able to manage those pathways,
improving the way the company
engaged with its customers. Spring
says the Veda system customised
communications and ensured the
company was delivering what its
customers wanted. ”At the same
time, we still had a standardised
system from a control perspective.
Veda acted as a fresh pair of eyes
who we could easily explain our
problems to.”
“These type of innovative
insights are designed to meet
the needs of our customers in
a continually evolving market,”
says Carol Chris, Veda’s Managing
Director. “Data insight is the key
to informing businesses and
fundamental to driving successful
strategy in business. Veda is a very
customer-centric organisation
and our focus is on working with
companies like dtr to meet their
changing needs.”
Spring is optimistic about
the future and is confident that
the relationship with Veda will
continue to help drive business.
“We see trends in the marketplace
around rationalisation, scale and
product development which
will bring us closer to together.
Ultimately, we see Veda as a
partner that can support us with
providing innovative solutions. This
is just the beginning of the Veda/
dtr journey.”
Sponsored by Veda

INNOVATIONAWARDS.ORG.NZ 9
START-UP INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR
CLICK HERE
FOR VIDEO
LIGAR
LIGAR IN THE ENVIRONMENT
It’s about as 'hard science' as you can get, but Ligar chief
executive Nigel Slaughter says what his Hamilton-based
company does isn’t too hard to wrap one’s head around.
“What we’re doing is enabling people to take out specific
molecules from things,” he explains matter-of-factly.
“Any place where you put a molecule in the wrong place
can cause damage. And we can capture that.”
In order to capture those molecules, Ligar builds
impressive-looking contraptions that can recover molecules
and return them to a closed-loop system. To recover the
molecules, Ligar uses molecularly imprinted polymers
(MIPs) to capture specific molecules, filtering them out
of liquid flows and extracting them for reuse. Ligar can
manufacture MIPs in large volumes, which Slaughter says
opens up opportunities for cost-effective removal of heavy
metals, toxins, organic pollutants and pesticides from waste
streams, waterways and other liquids. “It’s a science that’s
been available for a long time in laboratories, but we’ve
made it available essentially for everyone.”
Slaughter says pollution prevention and sustainability
are key areas where Ligar’s technology could be most
useful. For example, tanneries lose chromium during the
tanning process, he says, and their recovery is usually
too expensive to be worth the cost. But millions of
dollars’ worth of chromium can now be recovered in
an immediately reusable form with all contaminants
removed through the use of Ligar MIPs.
Slaughter explains that development began in
2011, and the first system should be up and running
in Australia before the end of the year. “Up until now
we’ve been relatively quiet about exposing ourselves,”
explains Slaughter.
But he says the Innovation Awards win could change
that. “It’s validation of the team and the science and
work that’s been done.”
And as for innovation? That’s what Ligar is almost
entirely based on, explains Slaughter – and it’s what allows
the company to survive. “We wouldn’t have a company
without innovation,” he says. “The vast majority of what
we do is innovative. We have to be innovative, because
what we’re doing hasn’t been done before.”
EVALUATOR'S COMMENTS
Introducing a cost-effective way to not only clean up
waste streams but have some waste product reused is
a great achievement.

NURTURING
OPEN
MINDS
IT’S PROVEN
THAT SUCCESSFUL
INNOVATION IS
LINKED TO
BETTER FINANCIAL
PERFORMANCE.
SO IT’S NO SURPRISE THAT NEW ZEALAND
COMPANIES ARE SUCCESSFULLY USING
INNOVATION TO TAKE THEIR PRODUCTS
AND SERVICES TO GLOBAL MARKETS.
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise’s support of the
Innovation Awards is an important part of how we help
Kiwi companies to grow internationally – bigger, better,
faster. All for the benefit of New Zealand.
We’d like to congratulate all finalists and winners of
this year’s New Zealand Innovation Awards. It’s these
businesses and the people within them that display the
innovative and open mind-set that is part of being Kiwi
and succeeding in business.
NZTE – proud sponsor of the
2016 New Zealand Innovation Awards
nzte.govt.nz

INNOVATIONAWARDS.ORG.NZ 1 1
EXPORT INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR & SUSTAINED INNOVATION EXCELLENCE
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ZESPRI
SUNGOLD KIWIFRUIT
Think of New Zealand’s iconic agriculture
exports. Put animal products aside and
what do you think of? Kiwifruit?
You can thank Zespri for that. The
Mount Maunganui company is the world’s
largest seller of kiwifruit, with sales in more
than 56 countries around the world and
managing 30 percent of the global volume.
In the 2015-2016 financial year alone,
Zespri sold 131 million trays of premiumquality
Zespri Kiwifruit. With 22 offices
around the globe, the company still
manages to spend about $20 million
per year on innovation to support the
2,500 growers in New Zealand and
1,200 offshore.
Zespri’s SunGold kiwifruit, developed
with help from Plant & Food Research,
is one of its key innovations. Developed
over the last 20 years through an
exhaustive process of trial and error,
breeding multiple varieties of kiwifruit to
get the SunGold hybrid just right, they
are also resistant to a disease known as
PSA, which can devastate entire kiwifruit
crops. In other words, the SunGold is
a big innovation in terms of what we all
may be eating in the near future.
Zespri has orchards in four Northern
Hemisphere countries to provide yearround
supply in the few months where
New Zealand kiwifruit is not available
and it's currently doing trials in China.
To get its kiwifruit to export markets
like China, another one of Zespri’s key
areas of innovation is how its products
get to the other side of the world before
they spoil, while also minimising harm to
the environment.
One method the company employs is
bulk refrigerated cargo (known as ‘reefer’)
shipping, which is 36 percent more carbon
efficient than traditional shipping.
Then there’s what Zespri does with
packaging. In a world first, Zespri
introduced compostable fruit labels
across all Zespri Organic kiwifruit in
2013, after a large-scale trial conducted
in 2012. The company has a goal of
introducing compostable fruit labels
for several years, and worked closely
with US-based packaging manufacturer
Sinclair to overcome the daunting
technical challenges involved. Sinclair
tested the degradability of labels to
international standards and found
they degraded within 22 weeks, with
less than 10 percent of the original dry
matter remaining.
Oh, and the company also
encourages its growers to use
sustainable practices, and maintain the
biodiversity of Aotearoa. Natural bee
pollination is encouraged, and, to do
so, the company actively works with
New Zealand beekeepers to support the
industry and funds research to make
sure the bees keep coming back time
and time again.
Zespri grower Graham Dyer, who
grows his kiwifruit at BayPark Orchard
near Tauranga, says sustainability
should be an important focus of any
business. “Sustainability is a passion,”
he says. “It’s about leaving our property
in better condition for the future
generations, including our children and
grandchildren.”
EVALUATOR'S COMMENTS
This innovation has a tremendous story to share, ticking the boxes in meeting unmet
consumer needs and significantly improving value and benefits throughout the supply chain.
It is a great example of innovation for other primary industries in New Zealand to follow
proactively, rather than waiting for a crisis to stimulate the same re-orientation.

INNOVATIONAWARDS.ORG.NZ 1 3
From left: Mark Evans, New Zealand Police deputy chief executive of Strategy; Mike Clement, Police deputy commissioner
of national operations; Tom Batterbury, Auror head of product; and Phil Thomson, Auror CEO.
EMERGING NEW ZEALAND INNOVATOR
CLICK HERE
FOR VIDEO
AUROR
It’s every business owner’s worst
nightmare: getting your products stolen
from you – and not getting them back or
be compensated for their theft.
And it’s not an unfounded fear, either.
Theft costs New Zealand businesses about
$2 million per day, but since most thefts
are of low value items, they go unreported
due to the cost and labour required to
report and follow up with police.
Kevin Ptak and the team at Auror
know this, which is why they’ve
developed a software platform that
allows police and businesses to share
information about crime and to work
together to identify offenders. “Crime is
clearly a global problem,” explains Ptak,
Auror’s marketing and communications
lead. “Retail crime alone accounts for
about $100 billion globally per year.”
Auror’s easy-to-use software helps
streamline the crime reporting process
to reduce response times and increase
the likelihood that offenders are caught.
Once incidents are uploaded, Auror’s
software is able to 'connect the dots',
linking offenders and vehicles, tracking
theft trends, generating reports on theft
activity, and allows interactivity between
different users. The software also has
tools, including Automatic Number
Plate Recognition, to alert police when
offenders are spotted.
Although the way Auror works
sounds an awful lot like Batman working
in the background to reduce crime
in Gotham City, unlike the Caped
Crusader, it hasn’t been met with
skepticism at all from law enforcement.
Auror has already entered into a
nationwide partnership with New
Zealand Police to have its software
available nationwide, after it was first
tested with Canterbury and Counties
Manukau Police.
Police deputy commissioner of
operations Mike Clement certainly has
good things to say about Auror. “We
have seen significant time savings in the
incidents we process from retailers,” he
says. “On top of this, we have access to
actionable intelligence on high-volume
crime, enabling retailers and Police to
better prevent crime.”
And there’s evidence that the
technology works. In one incident,
Auror and Counties Manukau Police
were able to identify an offender linked
to more than 44 incidents worth
more than $25,000 in total across 18
different shops. The man had more
than 20 associates and seven vehicles
associated with him.
Auror has also made inroads into the
Australian market, with more than 150
petrol stations signing up since May,
including BP and Caltex in Victoria,
South Australia, New South Wales,
Queensland and Western Australia.
“We believe a collaborative
partnership between industry and
police needs to be underpinned
by fast, accurate, and powerful
information,” explains Auror head
of product Tom Batterbury. “We’re
transforming how police and
businesses work together to prevent
and solve crime in real-time, and
remain committed to providing the best
crime prevention platform in the world.”
Then there’s the accolades. In August,
Auror won a competition organised
by SaaStr, the largest community of
Software as a Service (SaaS) founders
and entrepreneurs, to attend their annual
conference in San Francisco in February
2017. Startups from around the world
submitted 90-second videos about why
their company should receive $5,000
in travel expenses, four tickets and VIP
access to the conference. Auror beat
out 20 other competitors from five
continents to win the competition.
The win, Ptak says, is somewhat
similar to how the company first got
going. “It’s as homebrew, New Zealand
No. 8 wire as you can get.”
EVALUATOR'S COMMENTS
It’s a very compelling story, with a simple
solution to an age-old problem. Clear
time and labour savings make this crime
combating solution an easy sell to retailers.

Bringing new ideas to life
Jade Software are proud sponsors of this year’s
Innovation in Technology Solutions award. Innovation
has kept us moving since 1978. Our smart people
collaborate closely with customers in all sorts of
industries to find new ways for them to compete. It's a
rare company that's with you from the moment of
inspiration, through the design, build, and daily
management of an application.
At Jade, we thrive on innovation. It’s our culture and
our history. We work over a variety of industries from
energy to logistics and insurance. And we know
innovation isn’t just about finding the next idea, it’s
about building it, too. When there's space for a new
idea to change your industry, we know everything it
takes to bring it to life.
To us, culture is where innovation starts.
When people are encouraged to share their
ideas, innovation becomes a whole lot easier.
But encouragement is only one piece of the
puzzle. Providing structure and process turns
your good ideas into tangible solutions.
We love bringing innovation to life.
Always have, always will.
jadesoftware.com/innovation

INNOVATIONAWARDS.ORG.NZ 1 5
INNOVATION IN SUSTAINABILITY & CLEANTECH
CLICK HERE
FOR VIDEO
STORMWATER360
LITTATRAP TM
Our waste is seeping into our waterways,
and it’s killing both us and the creatures
that live in the water.
This is not exactly a new problem,
nor are efforts to do something about
it, but Auckland-based Stormwater360
is tackling the issue with a new product
that, it believes, could be a gamechanger
in saving us from ourselves.
The LittaTrap is a catchpit filter
designed to be easily inserted
underneath new and existing storm
water drains. A wire mesh attached to
brackets, it collects plastic, litter and
other large pieces of rubbish, while
letting water flow through. When a
LittaTrap is full, it can easily be lifted out
of a drain and emptied.
“The litter issue is a massive one,”
explains Greg Yeoman, who co-founded
Stormwater360 in 1996 with Mike
Hannah. “It’s a global problem.”
The LittaTrap is a disruptive
innovation because of its simplicity and
affordability, he says. “It’s affordable,
and it gives people some control over
this escalating issue.”
The LittaTrap builds off the
EnviroPod, another product developed
by Stormwater360, that also collects
rubbish in drains. Although only a few
units have been sold so far, Yeoman says
a recent business trip to Canada and the
United States could potentially result
in international opportunities. Winning
the Innovation Awards could also help
get the word out, he says. “It’s quite an
honour. It’s great people are realising
[water pollution] is an issue. There
seems to be a lot more awareness of it.
This is really important technology.”
Several dozen LittaTraps are
currently in use in New Zealand, but
ideally, Yeoman says he would like
every town and city to use it, so that
oceans and other waterways can
remain pristine – or at least aren’t
harmed any further by humans.
Although he admits the LittaTrap isn’t
the most technologically dazzling
innovation, he says it doesn’t need
to be because of the importance of
the problem it solves. “It’s a simple
solution to a simple problem,” he says.
“But sometimes the simple solutions
are the best ones.”
EVALUATOR'S COMMENTS
Great idea. I especially like the fact that the product is light, cheap and easily transportable
which are all key attributes as you develop your export market. Best of all, LittaTrap protects
our pristine oceans from waste, meaning consideration could be given to offshore licensing
manufacturing agreements.

Business success
depends on
knowing your
customers and
how to reach
them. That’s
where Yellow
comes in.
2 million Kiwis use the Yellow network every month
across our online and offline properties.
The world is changing fast. Just like your business, we’ve adapted to the digital age.
We’ve built over 5,000
websites in 3 years
We’ve managed
over 5,300 Google
AdWords campaigns
We’ve delivered over
21 million clicks to our
customers’ websites
All of this makes us New Zealand’s largest digital agency for small to medium
businesses, while still retaining the powerful reach of our print books.
yellow.co.nz
YPGCOM120

INNOVATIONAWARDS.ORG.NZ 1 7
EXCELLENCE IN SOCIAL INNOVATION
& INNOVATION IN EDUCATION,
TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT
MANAIAKALANI EDUCATION TRUST
THE MANAIAKALANI PROGRAMME
The phrase children are our future is one
of the most tired, oft-repeated clichés.
But, like most clichés, it’s also true – which
is why providing the most opportunities
possible and empowering children to
shape their future, and the future of the
world as a result, is so critical.
That’s the mission of the Manaiakalani
Education Trust and its Manaiakalani
CLICK HERE
FOR VIDEO
Programme which looks to improve
student achievement for 12 mostly decile
1A schools in the Auckland suburbs of
Glen Innes, Point England and Panmure.
These areas are Auckland’s oldest state
housing community, and 95 percent
of students from the areas are of Maori
and Pasifika heritage. With a focus on
digital learning so students can gain
digital fluency to become more engaged
citizens, the Manaiakalani Programme is
not only achieving improved educational
results, but also realising the potential for
enhanced employment and life outcomes
for students who take part.
To make digital citizens of student
learners and their whanau, the
Manaiakalani Programme is able to be
accessed anytime, anywhere, and at any
pace that suits. In order to make that
possible, the Trust supports parents to
buy a personal digital device for each
learner, provides wireless internet access
at home and school, and supports
Manaiakalani teachers in their continuing
innovation in learning methods.
While whanau are their principal
partners, the Trust has also had support
from a dizzying number of organisations
and businesses. Foundation North
(formerly ASB Community Trust)
donated $1.2 million in 2011 to
enable staffing the Trust, developing
infrastructure and bulk purchasing digital
devices, giving them the resource to
develop dedicated administrative systems
to run the programme. Spark Foundation
donated $1 million in 2013, followed
by a further $1.2 million in 2014-2015.
This funding is being invested in research
into the outcomes being achieved in the
Manaiakalani school cluster, so every
New Zealand school can adapt or learn
from its techniques. It is also helping
fund an innovation hub, including an
Innovative Teacher Academy that will
continue to push boundaries of digital
learning techniques and share findings.
Vector contributed $100,000 to the
construction and insurance of the
Tamaki learning net, while will.i.am’s
foundation i.am.angel donated
$100,000 to the Trust after the artist
made a surprise visit to Point England
School in early 2013.
On top of that, the Trust also counts
such companies as Google and Samsung
as technology partners.
The Trust has made a real difference in
student achievement. At Tamaki College,
NCEA level 2 results for Maori and Pasifika
students doubled in 2012, putting it
among the top 60 improving schools in
Aotearoa. In 2013, about 80 percent
of students enrolled in Level 2 NCEA
achieved a pass or better at the school.
While it’s unquestioned Manaiakalani
has made a lot of progress since it was
founded in 2007, an understanding
of what drives the Trust to innovate
can be found by translating the word
“Manaiakalani” from Te Reo into
English: “The hook from heaven.”
An appropriate name if there ever
was one.
EVALUATOR'S COMMENTS
Congratulations and thank you to the Manaiakalani Education Trust for the valuable work you
are doing. It is so important that New Zealand children have an opportunity to learn, grow and
have a positive future. Your work with Maori, Pasifika and all students giving access to digital
technologies and learning opportunities is a breakthrough innovation.

INNOVATIONAWARDS.ORG.NZ 1 9
CLICK HERE
FOR VIDEO
INNOVATION IN FINANCIAL
& PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
SIMPLICITY NZ
SIMPLICITY KIWISAVER
Just ponder this number for a brief
moment: the world’s largest investment
not-for-profit, Vanguard, handles $5.5
trillion dollars per year. That’s trillion,
with a 't' – or about 70 times as much
as the entire New Zealand economy is
worth. And that’s just one company in
the industry.
But the gargantuan amount of money
available in investment funds isn’t
the main reason Sam Stubbs and his
company, Simplicity, are in business.
“We wanted to revamp the customer
experience – make it friendly, online
and simple,” he explains. “This is the
Uber of the industry. It’s incredibly
disruptive. The industry is one of the
last dinosaurs.”
What makes Simplicity so disruptive
is it makes investing in KiwiSaver simple.
Users can sign up online, similar to
logging in to online banking. Fees are
also easy to figure out – all funds carry a
fee of just $30, plus $3 for every $1000
in an account (a rate of 0.3 percent).
With this model, Stubbs says, a person
can save about $65,000 during their
lifetime. “We want to make the biggest
difference to New Zealanders,” he
explains. “It’s a huge amount of money –
and that’s with the current regime.”
There’s also a social message behind
what Simplicity does, as 15 percent of
all money made goes to charities. And
the organisation itself is a not-for-profit
that’s entirely owned by The Simplicity
Charitable Trust. Investing ethically –
and not in land mines or cigarettes – and
being transparent about investment is
something that Stubbs says he prides his
organisation on.
Sam Stubbs.
Being ethical is important, he says,
especially in an industry as awash with
cash as Simplicity’s is. “If you look at
the industry, it has four of the five most
profitable companies in New Zealand. So
it’s a ‘prisoner’s dilemma’ when it comes
to innovation.”
Then there’s the vital statistics of one
of Simplicity’s chief partners, fellow
not-for-profit Vanguard. “Vanguard owns
[the equivalent of] five percent of every
company in the US, and one percent of
the companies in the world. That’s $5.5
trillion dollars [per year]. It’s about 70
times the size of New Zealand’s economy.”
In development for three years before
it was officially launched in August,
Stubbs says the interest in Simplicity has
been higher than he expected, reaching
its 12-month target for clients in three
weeks. As word about Simplicity
spreads, it seems likely those numbers
will increase – or so Stubbs is hoping.
And as innovative as the platform is,
he has a rather, well, innovative way of
simply looking at what innovation is.
“Innovation to me is like Christmas,” he
says. “Sometimes you know what you’re
getting. Sometimes you get surprises.”
EVALUATOR'S COMMENTS
Congratulations on your disruptive business model that is customer-centred in every way –
simple, transparent, friction free and putting the customer in control. Love the added benefit of
charity support which has the potential to create loyalty given a non-human customer experience.
Very compelling. This has the opportunity to disrupt and make a difference to New Zealanders.

INNOVATIONAWARDS.ORG.NZ 2 1
INNOVATION IN MEDIA,
MOBILE & ENTERTAINMENT
CLICK HERE
FOR VIDEO
90 SECONDS
Although it’s been only six years since
Tim Norton (pictured) founded video
production company 90 Seconds,
the company has already produced
more than 10,000 videos for more
than 1,000 brands in 70 countries,
including Paypal, Virgin, Google, Sony
and Barclays. And, earlier this year,
90 Seconds secured an $11 million
investment led by one of the world’s top
venture capital firms, Sequoia.
With all those videos and all that
funding, the company seems well on its
way to becoming Aotearoa’s Next Big
Thing, which is especially impressive
given that, at the lowest point of his
career, Norton found himself $750,000
in debt. Today, the company has offices
in Auckland, Sydney, Singapore, Tokyo
and London, with plans on opening in
Berlin, New York and San Francisco in
the near future.
What separates 90 Seconds from
the countless other players in the video
production market is its embrace of the
cloud. Clients can easily purchase and
manage shoots using 90 Seconds’ easyto-navigate
platform, and then the whole
process is managed online. And from the
other side, ‘creators’ – the people who
actually make the videos for clients – can
pick up jobs producing videos for clients
if they’re registered with the site.
More than 5,000 freelancers
have used the site so far, which has
been featured by international media
including the likes of the BBC for
its potential to disrupt the video
production industry by eliminating the
middleman in getting videos made.
Sound somewhat similar to what Uber
does with taxis or Airbnb with holiday
accommodation?
General manager Marcus Wild
says innovation can’t come without
risks. Earlier this year in Auckland, he
explained his company’s approach.
“Think about, ‘how can I take the biggest
possible risk and maybe get fired?’ Take a
risk and do something different.”
Giving customers surprises they don’t
expect, thinking about your customers
and being where they are, amplifying the
customer’s voice and actually listening
to what they have to say are all also good
rules to follow, explains Wild.
And another important element of 90
Seconds’ innovation? Fun.
“Have fun,” he says. “If you’re having
fun, your customers are too.”
Tim Norton.
EVALUATOR'S COMMENTS
This is a very exciting venture that is clearly disruptive. I love how the business has been
designed around innovating the customer experience at every key phase of the journey and
having the outcome focused on customer success.

TURNING
INNOVATION
INTO GOLD.
THE SEMINAR SERIES
Innovation is on the boardroom agenda like never before. Everyone is talking about it, but what is the
point of innovation if you cannot transform it into sustainable commercial success?
Join James & Wells and a host of Kiwi innovators as they travel the country sharing their stories on how
they’ve turned their innovation into gold. With the spotlight on New Zealand’s changing innovation
landscape, our panelists will share how to maximise innovation in today’s fragmented and
challenging business world, successfully commercialise innovation and build channels to market.
Christchurch – Friday 4 November | Tauranga – Tuesday 15 November
Hamilton – Wednesday 16 November | Auckland – Thursday 17 November
To purchase tickets or for more information, check out jaws.co.nz

INNOVATIONAWARDS.ORG.NZ 2 3
INNOVATION IN DESIGN & ENGINEERING
CLICK HERE
FOR VIDEO
OGO TECHNOLOGY
PERSONAL MOBILITY DEVICE
For better and for worse, the No. 8 wire
mentality is often used as a catch-all for
Kiwi innovation and ingenuity. But the
Ogo, created by Kevin Halsall (above) to
improve the lives of people with disabilities
and mobility challenges, certainly falls
into the ‘better’ category – and not just
because of the company’s mission.
“It’s part of my passion,” Halsall
explains. “The more I’m innovating, the
bigger the hole I see in the market.”
The Ogo is a hands-free electric
personal all-terrain transport device that
enables a person with a condition such as
paraplegia, spina bifida, or is missing a limb
to move relatively freely. But the Ogo is a
whole lot more than just a fancy wheelchair.
The Ogo boasts a patented active seat
control system that uses core muscle
strength to activate electronic sensors that
power the mechanical parts which move
the device. Looking like a chair that might
have been transported back in time from
the 23rd century, it’s made of fibreglass,
has a top speed of 20 kilometres per
hour, and can travel between 30 and 40
kilometres before needing to be recharged
by being plugged in to an electrical outlet.
The first Ogo was built by Halsall in his
Otaki workshop for a paraplegic friend
named Marcus in 2011. Halsall and Marcus
met when Marcus was teaching Halsall’s
daughters at Otaki College. They both
shared a love of field archery, and their
friendship grew over the common passion.
Halsall saw Marcus, a paraplegic for 12
years, struggling through the rough terrain
of their local Kapiti Club in his conventional
wheelchair, which taxed his energy and
stamina. Halsall wanted to help him.
That first Ogo was based on a Segway,
which Halsall had to buy for around
$14,000 in order to use it for parts. “The
seat actually moves forward and back
and side-to-side,” Halsall explains. “You
just lean to wherever you want to go. The
Segway [technology] creates the selfbalancing
aspect of it.”
After thousands of hours of work and
several prototypes, Halsall’s creation won
first place in the ‘starting a new business’
category in a 2015 competition sponsored
by Equitise that the trans-Tasman crowd
equity platform hosted to mark its
acquisition of rival equity crowdfunder
Rabble. The prize pack included $10,000
in web development and design work, ten
hours of mentoring from investor Suse
Reynolds, and one year of accounts/tax
returns advice valued at $2,500 from
Deloitte Private.
But Halsall says no matter how popular
Ogo gets, his focus remains the same.
“The most rewarding part is seeing
people’s reactions and the difference it can
make in people’s lives.”
EVALUATOR'S COMMENTS
Enabling and empowering people with
a walking disability has great potential to
improve many lives, while also improving
health and wellbeing.

Let’s get going
New Zealand is a great place to start a business and
to do business. We have a natural curiosity and that
leads to innovation.
Our resourcefulness and ingenuity has
resulted in many amazing businesses
that are changing the world.
At KPMG, we want to ensure that more
of your great ideas make it through to
commercialisation, to help Kiwis make
a difference on the world stage.
You started your business because you
were passionate about your idea or
product. Let us help you turn this into
a commercial reality. We can help you
establish your operations, raise capital
and get your strategy right.
Our KPMG Enterprise team is here to
help your business really take off.
Get in touch if you need help with:
Getting started
Managing R&D incentives
Exporting overseas
Raising capital or
finding investors
Focusing on your strategy
Analysing potential markets
Expanding offshore
Selling your business
www.kpmgenterprise.co.nz
0800 576 472
© 2016 KPMG, a New Zealand partnership and a member firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”), a Swiss entity.
All rights reserved. The KPMG name and logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”).

INNOVATIONAWARDS.ORG.NZ 2 5
INNOVATION IN AGRIBUSINESS & ENVIRONMENT
CLICK HERE
FOR VIDEO
FARMSHED LABS
FLASHMATE
Anyone who has lived in Aotearoa for
any length of time can attest to how
important the dairy and cattle industries
are to the New Zealand economy,
especially out in the regions. Likewise,
anyone who has worked with cows
on a farm can explain the tricky art
of knowing when to breed a cow to a
bull, and how often such attempts are
unsuccessful. But guess what? Breeding
cows isn’t art – it’s science. And there’s
some wearable tech that’s making that
science easier than ever before.
Enter Flashmate, a heat detection
device that lets farmers know when their
female cows are in heat and available
for breeding. The device is attached to
a cow on their right flank just below the
hip bone, and when they are in heat, it
flashes red for about 26 hours, giving
farmers time to get things happening on
the calving front.
An intelligent microchip embedded
inside the device powers Flashmate.
The technology makes farming easier
and more productive because farmers
no longer have to rely on guesswork
in knowing when to breed their cows,
allowing them to focus on other tasks. It
is completely waterproof and recyclable,
and includes spray glue so farmers can
quickly put them on multiple cows.
Flashmate is the brainchild of
Fraser Smith and Matt Yallop, who are
partners in Farmshed Labs and have
worked together since 2004. In 2012,
Yallop visited Iceland, where he saw
how technology was influencing the
development of the island nation’s
fishing industry. Yallop was inspired to
work with Smith to develop technology
that would help shape the future of
New Zealand’s second-largest industry.
The background the two both had in
agribusiness and commercialisation of
intellectual property helped them get
things off the ground, and, in 2015,
Flashmate was trialled at several farms
throughout New Zealand.
Flashmate is a potential gamechanger
for dairy farmers or anyone who
raises cattle. DairyNZ has calculated
that improving the ability of farmers to
breed their cows could lead to a $300
million annual increase in revenue for
the industry – or about $28,000 for the
average farmer with a herd of 400 cows.
Sounds like something consumers
would be absolutely bullish on.
EVALUATOR'S COMMENTS
Fantastic to see such rapid growth following
a short development period. This is a game
changing technology making farming easier
and more productive.

26
BAYER:
GIVING LIFE TO NEW IDEAS
In a world where innovation is moving more rapidly than ever before,
Bayer is offering assistance and support to help get new ideas over the line.
It’s all very well having a new idea or making a new
discovery, but then what? How do you develop your
innovation, find out if it hasn’t been done somewhere
before and ultimately get it to market where it can make
you some money?
There is, of course, no easy answer, but global life
sciences company Bayer has a new initiative designed to
help give life to the right new ideas.
The company, which has a strong focus on farming
innovation in New Zealand, has set up a worldwide
open innovation portal https://innovate.bayer.com/
aimed at supporting new ideas in the life sciences arena.
Bayer New Zealand managing director Derek
Bartlett, who also heads the company’s local Animal
Health division, says being so open about finding new
innovations externally is a positive for New Zealand.
“Although Bayer has its own huge international
research capability, it realises that innovation comes
not only from within the company – it comes from
everywhere and anywhere.
“The open innovation portal is a great way to attract
new external ideas. Our aim is very clear: we want to
bring ideas and projects together with people who can
make it happen and share our passion for innovation.”
Through the portal, New Zealand researchers from
universities, research institutes and start-up companies
can apply for grants of up to $200,000.
But, it’s not only about the money. Also on offer is
access to mentoring, clinical studies and technologies
to further research, which then may develop into
regular scientific collaborations.
There are five main focus areas:
Grants4
Tech
Grants4
Traits
Grants4
Apps
PartnerYour
Antibodies
Grants4
Indications
for innovative technologies that support production in the life
science industry, particularly robotics
a crowdsourcing initiative in agriculture offering financial and
scientific support to develop ideas for novel traits that help to achieve
higher yield, quality and safety in crops
offering, grants, mentoring and free co-working space at Bayer
campuses around the world for digital health start-ups
evaluating novel antibodies and antibody derivatives relating to
cardiology, gynaecology, oncology, haematology and ophthalmology
evaluating novel antibodies and antibody derivatives relating to
cardiology, gynaecology, oncology, haematology and ophthalmology

INNOVATIONAWARDS.ORG.NZ 2 7
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE:
Farmer with tomato plants.
Tumor samples in liquid nitrogen.
Automation DNA extraction.
Examining corn cobs.
FACING PAGE: Kiwi PhD
students Eric Harris and Daniel
Chorley at work in Bayer’s new
weed control research centre,
Frankfurt, Germany.
FACING PAGE INSET:
Bayer New Zealand managing
director Derek Bartlett.
Bartlett sees the innovation portal as an important
complement to Bayer’s existing work in New Zealand.
“We’re lucky enough to have an Auckland-based
APAC Regional Development Centre for animal health
– one of only three such Bayer research hubs around
the world. However, ideas generally should have a clear
market need. It wasn’t long ago that we developed the
idea first and then pitched it to the market. Now, it’s
about developing solutions to problems farmers’ face
with the knowledge that what you deliver will bring
benefits to both the animal and the farmer.”
One advantage of having a regional development
centre is that New Zealand scientists are able to work on
solutions for APAC regional projects and in some cases,
global projects.
“A good example of this is an aquaculture project
our scientists in Auckland are working on for the fish
and shrimp farming industry in Vietnam,” says Bartlett.
“It relates to improving the formulation of the food
so that fish and shrimp grow healthier and as a result,
faster and bigger.”
Bayer New Zealand’s regional development centre
not only employs Bayer scientists, but partners with
New Zealand universities on a range of projects to
improve mastitis treatments for dairy cattle.
Another way Bayer helps bring life to new ideas is
through giving opportunities to fresh young talent.
Working with Callaghan, the company provides
fellowship research grants to post-doc, PhD and
masters students from Auckland, Massey and Otago
universities. The students are working on various
mastitis projects, including using advanced diagnostic
technology to better understand the disease and
therefore how to better treat.
There are also international opportunities for
young researchers. Two young kiwi scientists, Eric
Harris and Daniel Chorley, were part of a group of 11
new postdoctoral researchers from Australia and New
Zealand given a two-year contract this year to work in
Bayer’s new weed control research centre in Frankfurt,
Germany. The site is more than a kilometre square and
contains labs and offices for more than 30 chemists and
lab technicians – all working on possible solutions to
combat weeds.
“Weeds are the single most important reason for
crop losses globally, causing high management costs
and threatening food security,” explains Bartlett.
“Weeds are also becoming increasingly resistant to
herbicides, particularly in Australia and the USA where
weeds such as ryegrass and wild radish are rapidly
evolving and threatening wheat production.
“The search for new modes of action to control
weeds is on and these young researchers are at the
heart of it all – working on promising research projects
in chemistry, biochemistry and biology.
“Collaboration is increasingly becoming essential
to bringing new ideas to life and that can only be
good for New Zealand and our researchers. We firmly
believe that collaboration models will make the
difference when it comes to bringing innovation to
life. Collaborating to accelerate research activities will
greatly increase the probability of success.”
THE OPEN INNOVATION
PORTAL IS A GREAT WAY TO
ATTRACT NEW EXTERNAL
IDEAS. OUR AIM IS VERY CLEAR:
WE WANT TO BRING IDEAS
AND PROJECTS TOGETHER
WITH PEOPLE WHO CAN MAKE
IT HAPPEN AND SHARE OUR
PASSION FOR INNOVATION.
DEREK BARTLETT
IN ASSOCIATION WITH

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INNOVATIONAWARDS.ORG.NZ 2 9
INNOVATION EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH
CLICK HERE
FOR VIDEO
SUNFED
SUNFED MEATS
Shama Lee (left).
The secret of Sunfed Meats’ ‘meat’ is
that it’s not actually meat at all. And it’s
not grown in a lab, like those burgers
you may have read about. Rather, it’s
made from plants.
Sunfed Meats’ plant protein-based
‘meat’ contains the same proteins at
regular, animal-based meat, while also
consuming just 20 percent of the land
and water required to raise livestock.
So it’s not just less cruel to animals, it’s
better for the environment too.
Sunfed’s first product is ‘chicken’
made from Canadian yellow peas. The
exact process is a closely-guarded trade
secret, but one thing that’s not secret is
that it has massive potential to disrupt
the food industry – at least as chief
executive Shama Lee tells it.
But if Lee’s assertions that it could
change the way we produce our
food sounds too good to be true,
it shouldn’t. People certainly seem
to believe in what Sunfed is doing.
Why else would an international
conglomerate of New Zealand, UK
and US investors have put $1.5 million
into the Auckland-based company.
Lee also won the prestigious Start
Tel Aviv startup competition, giving
her an all-expenses-paid trip to the
Israeli city for the five-day event to
learn from successful entrepreneurs
and participate in a bevy of lectures
and workshops. Sunfed Meats was
also featured at the Agribusiness
Investment Showcase this year, and has
qualified for a Callaghan Innovation
research and development grant.
Lee – who co-founded Sunfed in
January 2015 with her husband Hayden
– says her company is unlike anything
else in Aotearoa, with only a few
companies overseas doing something
even remotely similar.
Lee says that a secret of Sunfed’s
process is that it’s wet protein, rather
than the dry vegetable-based meat of
earlier generations that used a large
variety of nutritional substitutes,
many of which were not natural and
instead artificially created. Some of
the ingredients in Sunfed’s chickenfrom-peas,
for example, include water,
sunflower oil, and vegetable powder.
The average New Zealander eats 4 kg of
lamb, 15 kg of beef, 18 kg of pork, and 38
kg of chicken per year, according to OECD
stats – making us among the biggest meateaters
per capita in the world.
Sunfed doesn’t want to deny us
the flavour and texture of meat, it just
wants us to get that flavour and texture
elsewhere, from plants instead of
animals. And with the effects of overfarming
well-known and an ever-rising
population creating an ever-growing
need for food, it’s a noble goal indeed.
EVALUATOR'S COMMENTS
It's exciting to think that in the not-too-distant future we may have a substitute to animal protein
meat products. This will enable a massive advancement in food technology. New Zealand is
primed to be a leader in this industry due to its globally respected agricultural industry.

Q&A with Dr Jocelyn Eason
Authentic brand stories, strong value chain awareness and a passion for food matched
with business savvy are driving success for a new wave of kiwi food innovators
FIND OUT MORE
Q.
Dr Jocelyn Eason leads the
portfolio of Food Innovation
science at Plant & Food
Research. As a first-time judge
in the New Zealand Innovation
Awards she saw plenty to
prove a bright future for New
Zealand’s global food brand.
What attracted you to
get involved with the
Innovation Awards?
We saw a great opportunity to
A. connect with talented, driven
people and companies who
share our passion for food. It’s
a unique chance to publically
recognise the commitment
it takes to bring new foods
to consumers and to start
conversations about how we
can help.
Q.
Are there any specific trends
Plant & Food Research is
seeing in the types of foods
where kiwis are looking
to innovate?
From dairy to wine, fruit to
A. seafood you can be sure
someone is working on
formulating, branding or
delivering that product to
high value consumers in
new and novel ways. More
specifically we’re seeing huge
interest in highly nutritional or
functional products, new uses
for co-products and a rising
interest in how New Zealand
native taonga species can
create a point of difference in
the market.
Q.
As a science company, how
does Plant & Food Research
connect what it does in the
lab with what’s valuable in
the market?
We learn a huge amount
A. directly from clients, plus
we have a team of specialist
researchers who work on
sensory science and product
and consumer insights. We
also have a have a working
model we call ‘Consumer
First’, which we can use at the
start of a project to ask ‘Who
is the consumer, where are
they and what do they value?’
Dr Eason manages the
scientific direction of
research, and oversees
the delivery and
commercialisation of
products, for the food
and beverage industries.
The portfolio includes
140 scientists who
investigate human
responses to food,
the influence of food
on human nutrition
and wellness, and
the production of
nutritionally-rich foods.
Q.
Is New Zealand’s science
changing as our food
industry changes?
I think the biggest change is
A. in how we collaborate within
the science community and
how we connect with industry.
We’re finding that we can
better deliver valuable R&D
when we bring together
multiple science disciplines
within one team – sometimes
within a single organisation
or funding system, most often
across several partners and
investment mechanisms.
That might mean supply-side
partnerships like FoodHQ,
or the High Value Nutrition
National Science Challenge,
or it could be on the demand
side, where companies partner
to purchase or access research
they can then share and apply
to their specific needs.
Q.
What advice would you offer
to entrepreneurs who want
to be successful in food
innovation?
The Food & Beverage finalists
A. in this year’s Innovation
Awards are setting a great
example: really focus on
delivering a solution to
consumers, not just the
product you have or like. Go
beyond the physical product
and make sure you have an
authentic story to tell about
your brand, who you are, what
you want to achieve, and why
that matters to people and
the community. Understand
your value chain – foods can
be complicated to deliver,
know how the chain works and
fix those points of difficulty.
Lastly, do whatever you can to
match your love for the food
with a solid understanding of
business. If you don’t have
that, look for help – there’s
lots out there. That investment
will pay off when you hit the
inevitable wobbles as your
business grows.
Pre-sliced apples
for convenience
Delivering proven
health benefits
From good to
great health
Food gifting in China
China:
Fresh food habits
Plant & Food Research is a
proud to sponsor the New
Zealand Innovation Awards.

INNOVATIONAWARDS.ORG.NZ 3 1
INNOVATION IN FOOD & BEVERAGE
FONTERRA
GA FOR PAEDIATRIC NUTRITION
Fonterra may be New Zealand’s largest
company, but size and a long history
as a market leader aren’t barriers to
innovation – at least if its breast milk
substitute is anything to go by.
Of course, 'breast is best', however,
not all mothers can breastfeed, so
Fonterra has developed a breast
milk alternative so infants can still
get the nutrition that’s critical for
their development. Containing such
ingredients as lipids, hydrolysates to
support digestive comfort and allergy
avoidance, and probiotics to support
immunity and potentially reduce
the risk of allergies and digestive
discomfort, the product is aimed at
being as natural a substitute for pure
breastmilk as possible.
It also contains gangliosides
(GA), a type of molecule critical for
immunology and fighting conditions
CLICK HERE
FOR VIDEO
as diverse as influenza and obesity. In
all, Fonterra says the formula is the
product of about US$50 million worth
of innovation and research.
Aside from supporting the health
of an infant’s developing gut wall
and immune system, the lipids
in the formula also support brain
development. The brain is a lipidrich
organ, and complex lipids such
as phospholipids and gangliosides
comprise up to 35 percent of the total
lipids in the brain. Likewise, as 2-3
percent of babies suffer from cow’s milk
protein allergies – meaning thousands of
Kiwi kids can’t drink cow’s milk without
getting sick – the hydrolysed proteins
mean the formula can be digested and
absorbed normally by the infant without
triggering an allergic response.
Earlier this year, Fonterra released
its Anmum formula. Fonterra Brands
New Zealand managing director Leon
Clement says Anmum is a $200 million
brand in Fonterra’s Asian markets, with
an established track record of quality
and trust with parents and caregivers.
“Anmum draws on Fonterra and its
legacy companies’ 50 plus years of
experience in dairy research and in
producing paediatric formulas for third
parties,” he says. “Bringing Anmum to
New Zealand families means we are now
providing nutrition for key life stages.”
Health benefits of Fonterra’s innovation
aside, there’s a fair chunk of change to be
had too. The company claims there’s more
than $75 million to be made in the infant
formula market in New Zealand alone, and
billions in Asian markets like China.
A massive print, online and marketing
campaign certainly suggest Fonterra is
willing to spend the money needed to
get the word out about the formula,
which is blended and packed at
Fonterra’s Canpac site in the Waikato
and sold in baby food aisles at select
supermarkets across the country in
pastel-coloured 900-gram cans.
But there’s more to it than just a
fancy marketing campaign and a lot of
investment into its development. The
co-op also helped create the Anmum
Knowledge Centre, a network of worldleading
scientific research institutes,
paediatricians and child-development
experts. In 2007, Fonterra also set
up the Anmum Advisory Board to
guide research conducted by Anmum.
Headed by Professor Geoffrey Cleghorn
of the University of Queensland’s
School of Medicine, the Board also
assists local doctors and nurses
throughout Asia to keep up with the
latest scientific discoveries and research
into child development.
The fact Fonterra is a trusted
brand means it’s also easier to sell
amid a climate of concern about food
safety and the nutritional value of food,
Clement claims. In fact, he says he
hopes Anmum becomes one of the
top three brands of formula in
New Zealand. “It is a trusted brand
internationally and we are confident
it will become one here too.”
EVALUATOR'S COMMENTS
Thank you for submitting your work on ensuring that mothers of babies who are not able to be
breastfed can access a product that mimics breast milk composition for brain development.
Awesome investment in clinical research to substantiate health claims. Thank you and well
done to the whole team! Pleasing to see Fonterra collaborating with New Zealand based
research providers as well as internationally.

CAN YOU?
chorus.co.nz

INNOVATIONAWARDS.ORG.NZ 3 3
INNOVATION IN HEALTH & SCIENCE
CLICK HERE
FOR VIDEO
VOLPARA HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES
Thousands of New Zealand women – and men – are
diagnosed with breast cancer each year, resulting in
around 600 deaths. And we know the best way to beat
it is early detection. But we also know mammograms are
expensive, and not always as accurate as they could be.
That’s why Wellington-based Volpara’s breast
imaging tools have so much disruptive potential. Its
software helps breast imaging providers deliver high
quality, personalised breast screening, providing realtime
quality assurance and performance monitoring
through dynamic, interactive dashboards.
The software allows more detailed analysis of data
in an easy-to-follow format. It’s especially helpful in
analysing the results of mammograms from women
with dense breasts, for whom mammograms detect
only about 65 percent of cancers. “This gives them
information they’ve never had before,” explains
Volpara CTO David Murray. “It also uses the cloud for
benchmarking, comparing data and sharing it.”
And doctors are already using it. “There is a
tremendous amount of data that we’ve never been
able to access easily,” says Dr Bruce Schroeder, of
Carolina Breast Imaging Specialists in Greenville, North
Carolina. “The ability to track trends for hundreds of
quality metrics over time can dramatically enhance
our ability to maintain quality patient care as well as
reduce the amount of time our staff spends on quality
assurance.”
Volpara chief scientist and CEO Dr Ralph Highnam
isn’t exactly shy about touting the benefits, either. “As
practices transition from one-size-fits-all mammography
screening to personalised healthcare with multi-modality
imaging, real-time quality assurance monitoring is more
important than ever,” he says.
The company already has its technology in use in 35
countries, and claims more than nine million women around
the world have had their breast density analysed using its
software, and it’s also teamed up with GE Healthcare, one
of the globe’s largest medical device companies, to see its
technology in greater use in more markets.
Murray says that while the company’s growth, and
awards recognition, is nice, there’s a more important
mission behind what Volpara is doing. “It’s all around
saving people’s lives,” he says. “We need to apply all
the academic and research skills we have to help our
customers save people’s lives.”
EVALUATOR'S COMMENTS
Congratulations to the Volpara team, this is a very strong entry
and potentially game changing in health with huge growth
potential. It was fantastic to read about the impact your
product and service is having both in terms of commercial
returns and in terms of saving lives. There is a lot that is
impressive about what you have achieved so far, the IP
portfolio, the market traction, the clever design that offers
value. An awesome entry and a great story of innovation!

Chartered Accountants and the business of innovation
A
Kirsten Patterson,
NZ Country Head
Chartered Accountants
Australia and New Zealand
s a nation, we have a history
of turning innovative ideas into
global success, from the humble
eggbeater to the bungy cord. The
digital age has ushered in a new
age of innovators with companies
such as Weta Workshop, and last
year’s New Zealand Innovation
Awards Supreme Winner Kode
Biotech, leading the charge.
Chartered Accountants Australia
and New Zealand is proud to be
involved with the New Zealand
Innovation Awards. Recognising
leading innovators not only
helps to boost the profile of
individual companies, it ignites the
imagination of the next wave of
innovators and shows them what
is possible.
Chartered Accountants (CAs) are
skilled at helping businesses to see
opportunities they may not have
imagined and helping them to turn
ideas into commercial reality. As
a professional body, Chartered
Accountants Australia and New
Zealand is focused on providing
our members with access to tools
to help them continue providing
trusted insight in the rapidly
changing digital era. Our latest
offering is CA Kairos, a ground
breaking, cloud-computing
platform that helps CAs to
crunch big data down into usable
conclusions for their clients.
THESE DAYS, BUSINESSES
ARE SWAMPED WITH
DATA – AND RISK BEING
OVERRUN WITH IT.
These days, businesses are
swamped with data – and risk
being overrun with it. Being able
to use data well can mean the
difference between growth and
flat lining. The difficulty is, as
Gartner research head Peter
Sondergaard puts it, is that:
“Data is inherently dumb. It
doesn’t actually do anything
unless you know how to use it.”
Most businesses don’t have the
time to learn how to be data
specialists. But they do need to
leverage data to boost sales,
improve customer experience
and make the company more
prosperous.
Chartered Accountants - with
CA Kairos behind them - will be
able to help businesses make the
best decisions and take the best
course of action.
In an information driven world,
the business and finance expertise
of a Chartered Accountant can
help you turn big data into smart
data and more importantly turn
innovation into inspiration.
Ask your Chartered Accountant
about CA Kairos or check out
our CA Kairos FAQs on the
charteredaccountantsanz.com
website.
Where some see a flat white, Chartered Accountants see the opportunity to grow a
prosperous business. Chartered Accountants are trusted business leaders who know the
importance of the bigger picture and the value of every detail. To unleash the potential of
your business, choose a Chartered Accountant. charteredaccountantsanz.com/AoP
Copyright (c) 2016 Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand ABN 50 084 642 571. All rights reserved. This material is subject to
our full terms and conditions, available at charteredaccountantsanz.com. 0816-80

INNOVATIONAWARDS.ORG.NZ 3 5
INNOVATION IN MAORI DEVELOPMENT
SQUIGGLE
YOUNG ENGINEERS
CLICK HERE
FOR VIDEO
Although the media is talking about it
more than ever before, there remains
deep levels of inequality among people
who study and later go into careers in
science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM). This inequality
isn’t just related to gender either (though
let’s face it: we still need to get more
young women into, and stay in, STEM).
Large numbers of Maori and Pasifika
students are also being disadvantaged.
Squiggle co-founder and director
Ariana Paul (pictured left) says that’s a
serious problem – and her company is
doing something about it with its Young
Engineers programme. “We have a whole
big concern around our kids in terms of
STEM,” she explains. “When you look
at the uptake levels of our kids going into
STEM at tertiary levels, it’s very few. And
it’s quite elitist.”
Founded in 2014, Squiggle’s Young
Engineers is a STEM-centred programme
that runs in schools and Kaupapa Maori.
Taught in Te Reo and English, the
programme is taught throughout the
term as part of science curricula, after
school hours, and during the holidays at
nearly 50 schools and Kaupapa Maori
in the Waikato, South Auckland and
Rotorua. “We’ve had to come up with a
lot of new terms for engineering terms
and concepts,” explains Paul of the
challenges of running the programme in
Te Reo Maori. “That’s been a challenge,
but so rewarding.”
The Young Engineers programme
shows primarily primary school-aged
pupils how fun, interesting, and rewarding
a career in STEM can be, with engaging
activities like using Lego and other
materials to demonstrate engineering
principles. Paul says it’s based on a
teaching model used in Israel, where
young people are exposed to STEM at an
early age in a fun, interactive way.
In getting the programme going and
spreading it to schools and Kaupapa
Maori, local iwi support has been
critical, Paul explains. “They’ve been
huge! We’ve been so fortunate to have
iwi support. It’s been a game-changer.”
With requests from all over Aotearoa
to start Young Engineers programmes,
Paul says she and fellow co-founder
Jeanne Kerr have been thrilled at the
interest from educators, parents and
students. And while an Innovation
Awards win is nice, she’s not shy about
saying there’s a nobler purpose that
people should be focusing on if they want
innovation to continue in New Zealand.
“Children are our future,” she says.
“We’ve got a really big economy that’s
bursting at the seams with an ageing
population. It needs the people to
keep going.”
EVALUATOR'S COMMENTS
Great to see an adaptation of an Israeli
programme to Kaupapa Maori in Te Reo
and other languages reflective of New
Zealand’s diversity of cultures.

INNOVATIONAWARDS.ORG.NZ 3 7
INNOVATION IN MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
HAKA TOURS
Fact: tourism is now New Zealand’s biggest industry.
Fact: competition among companies for tourist money
is fierce. Another fact: Auckland-based Haka Tours is
one of the most innovative players in the market.
Offering adventure, snow, and mountain biking
tours – among a plethora of other options – the
company sounds a lot like other tour operators, at
least on the surface. But what sets it apart is its unique
'buildable' tours where clients can create their own
entirely unique, once-in-a-lifetime holiday experience.
The company was created in 2006 by Ryan Sanders,
who was eager to “escape the dull working life of
corporate banking”. Sanders had previously been a
professional rugby player overseas, but a snapped
Achilles tendon brought an end to his sporting career.
To get the adrenaline flowing again, he set up an
adventure tourism company featuring a taiaha-wielding
anthropomorphic kiwi as its logo.
With Haka Tours’ model, a customer picks a base
tour – such as a tour of the North Island or a trek through
Fiordland – and can then tack on several different addons,
such as a swim with dolphins or whale watching or
CLICK HERE
FOR VIDEO
even zorbing. A 'seat' is then secured for a $99 deposit,
with the rest of the balance to be paid 30 days before
the tour – whenever that may be. With tours limited to
a maximum of 16 people, all facets – accommodation,
transportation, meals, etc. – are taken care of, and the
company supplies guides who know Aotearoa as well as
the back of their hands.
Although it’s an established brand, especially in the
UK and Australia, a strong social media presence is a key
component of how Haka Tours promotes itself in an everexpanding
tourism market. Smart online promotions
have been a key component of the company’s business
strategy from the very beginning – for example, when
Haka Tours first launched in the UK, it ran a YouTubebased
search for “Britain’s craziest student,” an attempt
to feed off the popularity of Jackass. The promotion
turned out to be a success, with about 50 percent of the
British customers who booked during its first six months
doing so because of the campaign.
Especially active on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube,
an important element of Haka Tours’ social media and
marketing strategy is user-generated content. Primarily
coming in the form of pictures people upload of things
they’ve done on their trips, it helps sell the ‘coolness’ of
the brand in a very relatable way. After all, we often decide
to do things because our friends and family have done it.
Basic psychology/peer pressure.
That peer pressure means Haka Tours is able to
focus on its social networks as a way to advertise its
products. It uses sophisticated targeting techniques to
find potential customers who have shown interest in
travel and other relevant demographics and it shows
them content from customers who have already been
on a trip. And in another clever move, rather than pay
the exorbitant fees to advertise its wares beside popular
search terms on Google, it instead signed deals with the
big tourism websites to represent it.
But is the approach working? Aside from the Innovation
Awards, the company has also won the 2015 TNT Golden
Backpacker Awards for Best Accommodation, were a
2015 Westpac Business Growth Grant winner, captured
the Business Excellence and Emerging Leader prize at
the 2015 Tourism Industry Awards, were the Rankers
Supreme Award winners in 2015, and won the Excellence
in Marketing category at the 2015 Auckland Business
Awards. Oh, and they also have about 10,000 Instagram
followers, and 35,000 Facebook fans.
So, the answer is yes.
EVALUATOR'S COMMENTS
It was really good to see your inspirational story and to hear
about your use of social media to effectively make people
fall in love with your brand. Awesome entry and terrific
business growth.

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INNOVATIONAWARDS.ORG.NZ 3 9
PEOPLE'S CHOICE
ASB
CLEVER KASH
When was the last time you actually went
to an ATM to withdraw cash? Chances
are, it’s not as often as you used to.
According to Statistics New Zealand,
between 70 and 90 percent of our
transactions every day are cashless. And
young people are using cash even less –
which is why ASB has a new way to help
teach kids about the value of a dollar.
Clever Kash is a piggy bank shaped
like an elephant. But rather than
holding coins and notes, it displays a
child’s account balance in real-time by
interacting with the ASB Mobile Banking
app. Simple!
ASB chief architect, James Bergin
says the initiative is a great tool for
teaching kids about money in a way
they can relate to. “Cash works as a tool
for teaching kids the value of money
because it connects to how they learn
about numbers,” he says. “We learn to
count with physical materials, fingers,
counters, before we are able to count
in our head. Also, because cash is a
physical material that we exchange
for value, it has built-in features that
promote an understanding of scarcity
– once it is gone, it’s gone – and loss for
gain – hand it over to the shopkeeper in
order to receive your goods.”
First piloted in September 2015,
more than 47,000 New Zealanders
have expressed interest in Clever Kash
before it has even launched. The idea
came from surveys conducted by ASB
showing 96 percent of parents believed
teaching their children about money is
important, but 64 percent of parents
were struggling to teach their children
basic money skills in an increasingly
cashless society.
“For generations, cash has been the
‘bridge’ between the intangible concept
of money and the tangible world we live
in,” says Bergin. “When you remove the
bridge, you remove that connection,
and people are left stranded trying to
figure out ways to magically pick up the
habits and knowledge that we once used
cash to impart.”
Roger Beaumont, ASB executive
general manager marketing and
communications also believes that while
Clever Kash has disruptive potential,
the more important mission is teaching
children about money in a way they can
relate to. “Clever Kash is a real product
aimed at solving a real problem and
it’s wonderful to see how positively
our customers, and the industry, have
responded to this innovation.”
RUNNER-UP: POP-UP GLOBE AUCKLAND
TEMPORARY THEATRE
Pop-up Globe was a full-scale replica of
the famed second Globe Theatre where
many of William Shakespeare’s plays
were performed for the very first time.
The three-storey, 900-person theatre
popped up in Auckland in February this
year to mark the 400th anniversary of
Shakespeare’s death. About 100,000
people were able to see a performance at
the theatre during the 12 weeks it stood.
Dr Miles Gregory and Tobias Grant
were two of the chief architects of the
project. Gregory says the idea of the Popup
Globe came from a wish of Gregory’s
young daughter. As he was reading her
a pop-up storybook, which contained a
pop-up Globe Theatre, she asked him:
“Daddy, can we go there?” Gregory’s
response: “Well London is a very, very
long way away darling. I don’t think we’ll
get there anytime soon.” So he decided
to bring London to New Zealand.
SECOND RUNNER-UP: EDUCA
EDUCATION SOFTWARE
Wellington-based Educa creates software
that allows educators, caregivers and
parents to track a child’s development,
taking the adage 'it takes a village to
raise a child' into the digital age. The
brainchild of Nathan Li, who came
up with the idea after he and his wife
wanted to be able to be involved with
their daughter Nancy’s life despite
both working full-time jobs, Educa was
originally incubated at CreativeHQ, and
now boasts more than 100,000 users in
19 countries.

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PEOPLE WITH GAME-
CHANGING IDEAS AND
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AUT graduates are sought after for their academic
achievements and transferable skills. Our strong
industry connections, multidisciplinary courses and
research that matters prepare our students to think
about work and enterprise in a new way. They’re all
reasons why AUT is New Zealand’s fastest growing
university, and has a five star rating for graduate
employability.
THE UNIVERSITY FOR
THE CHANGING WORLD
www.aut.ac.nz
5
OUT OF 5
EMPLOYABILITY
QS STARS 2015/16

GOOD JOB!
CONGRATULATIONS
TO THE WINNERS OF THE
BAYER SUPREME NZ INNOVATION AWARD
ARANZ MEDICAL
SILHOUETTE & FASTSCAN
SPONSORED BY
THE WINNERS ARE:
EMERGING NEW ZEALAND INNOVATOR
Auror
EXCELLENCE IN SOCIAL INNOVATION
Manaiakalani Education Trust
THE MANAIAKALANI PROGRAMME
EXPORT INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR
Zespri
SUNGOLD KIWIFRUIT
INNOVATION IN AGRIBUSINESS
& ENVIRONMENT
Farmshed Labs
FLASHMATE
INNOVATION IN DESIGN & ENGINEERING
Ogo Technology
PERSONAL MOBILITY DEVICE
INNOVATION IN EDUCATION, TRAINING &
DEVELOPMENT
Manaiakalani Education Trust
THE MANAIAKALANI PROGRAMME
INNOVATION IN MEDIA, MOBILE
& ENTERTAINMENT
90 Seconds
INNOVATION IN MARKETING
& COMMUNICATIONS
Haka Tours
INNOVATION EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH
Sunfed
SUNFED MEATS
INNOVATION IN SUSTAINABILITY
& CLEANTECH
Stormwater360
LITTATRAP
INNOVATION IN TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS
ARANZ Medical
SILHOUETTE & FASTSCAN
MOST INSPIRING INDIVIDUAL
Jenene Crossan
FLOSSIE.COM
INNOVATION IN FINANCIAL
& PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Simplicity NZ
SIMPLICITY KIWISAVER
INNOVATION IN HEALTH & SCIENCE
Volpara Health Technologies
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
ASB
CLEVER KASH
START-UP INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR
LIGAR
LIGAR IN THE ENVIRONMENT
INNOVATION IN FOOD & BEVERAGE
Fonterra
GA FOR PAEDIATRIC NUTRITION
SUSTAINED INNOVATION EXCELLENCE
Zespri
SUNGOLD KIWIFRUIT
INNOVATION IN MAORI DEVELOPMENT
Squiggle
YOUNG ENGINEERS
POUTAMA
YOUNG NEW ZEALAND INNOVATOR
Jamie Beaton
CRIMSON EDUCATION