Finalists in the New Zealand Innovation Awards 2016 demonstrate that Kiwi innovation is thriving, with over a 30% per cent increase in entries that are of world class standard. IncludeD in the finalists are an exciting range of entries; from motion activated wheel chairs, cancer diagnostic tools, sustainable meat substitutes and educational projects that help disadvantaged kids. Spoilt for choice with this year’s entries – these are everyday Kiwi’s doing world changing things.

New Zealand Innovation Council CEO Louise Webstersays she has seen a significant shift in Kiwi innovation that is focused on high growth, export markets that demonstrate world leading approaches to innovation with many businesses going global from day one.

In addition to the innovative products and services entered, one of the biggest changes this year was a rise in entrants focused on making the world a better place. “We saw a new wave of innovative businesses focused on solving social issues. These organisations are still profit making entities, but are driven by a purpose to help solve the world’s problems and have a global impact,” says Ms Webster.

Bayer New Zealand Managing Director Derek Bartlett, says the quality of entrants is impressive. “The aim has always been to recognise great Kiwi talent and the commercialisation of innovativE New Zealand products and services, and the awards certainly achieve that.”

Other foundation sponsors include the New Zealand Innovation Council and Idealog, as well as category sponsors Auckland University of Technology (AUT), Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, Chorus, Datamine, Jade Software, James & Wells, KPMG, 3M, MediaWorks, MOTAT, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), Paymark, Poutama Trust, Plant & Food Research Limited, Radio LIVE, Regus, Sovereign, Veda, Yealands Family Wines, Yellow and 90 Seconds.

The winners of the New Zealand Innovation Awards will be announced at the awards event held TONIGHT at SKYCITY CONVENTION CENTRE.

The 2016 New Zealand Innovation Awards finalists are:

INNOVATION IN AGRIBUSINESS & ENVIRONMENT - Sponsored by KPMG

 Encounter Solutions - Celium

 Farmshed Lab - Flashmate

 Fieldmaster - Hovertractor to Mow Mangrove Seedlings

 Liquidstrip - LIQUIDSTRIP

 OnSide Ltd

 Robotics Plus Limited - Robotic Apple Packer

 Spring Sheep Milk Co. - Spring Sheep Milk Co.

 Zespri - SunGold Kiwifruit

INNOVATION IN DESIGN & ENGINEERING - Sponsored by James & Wells

 ARANZ Geo Limited- Leapfrog Modelling software

 AuCom Electronics Ltd - EMX4 Soft Starter

 AUT/NZA - New Zealand SKA Alliance Big Data Challenges

 DairyFlo - Soft plastic milking liners

 Howick Limited - Automated Steel Framing Machines

 Ogo Technology Ltd - Personal Mobility Device

 Robotics Plus - Robotic Apple Packer

 Wine Grenade

INNOVATION IN EDUCATION, TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT - Sponsored by Chartered

Accountants Australia and New Zealand

 Crimson Consulting

 Educa Limited

 High Performance Sport New Zealand - Goldmine

 Linewize Ltd

 Manaiakalani Education Trust - The Manaiakalani Programme

 Open Polytechnic - iQualify

 The Mind Lab by Unitec - Postgraduate Programme

 Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School - Ruku Ao

 Virtual Medical Coaching Ltd - Virtual Reality Simulation

INNOVATION IN FINANCIAL & PROFESSIONAL SERVICES - Sponsored by Paymark

 ASB - Clever Kash

 Figured Ltd

 Fuel50 - CareerPathing

 Pushpay Holdings Limited

 Quotient

 Ranqx Limited

 Simplicity NZ Ltd - Simplicity KiwiSaver

 The Snowball Effect

 Vault IQ NZ Ltd - Vault IQ Global

INNOVATION IN HEALTH & SCIENCE - Sponsored by Chorus

 ARANZ Medical Limited - Silhouette & FastSCAN

 Caldera Health - Urine Prostate Cancer Diagnostic test

 Fonterra - GA for paediatric nutrition

 Forest Herbs Research Ltd - Kolorex Horopito - Natural Antifungal

 Ogo Technology Ltd - Personal Mobility Device

 Sush Mobile - NZ Blood Service Donor App

 Synthase Biotech Ltd

 Thought-Wired - Thought-Wired nousTM

 Volpara Health Technologies Limited

INNOVATION IN FOOD & BEVERAGE - Sponsored by Plant & Food Research Limited

 Countdown - The Foodbank Project

 Fonterra - GA for paediatric nutrition

 Heilala Vanilla - anything but Plain!

 Ligar - Ligar in F & B

 Spring Sheep Milk Co.

 Sunfed Ltd - Sunfed Meats

 WineFriend

 Zespri - SunGold Kiwifruit

INNOVATION IN TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS - Sponsored by Jade Software Corporation

 ARANZ Medical Limited - Silhouette & FastSCAN

 Auror

 AUT/NZA - New Zealand SKA Alliance Big Data Challenges

 Bluelab Corporation Ltd

 CricHQ

 Linewize Ltd

 NZ Bus - Fleet future-proofing

 OnSide Ltd

 Pushpay Holdings Limited

 Volpara Health Technologies Limited

INNOVATION IN MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS - Sponsored by Datamine

 Banqer

 Bluelab Corporation Ltd

 Haka Tours

 Heilala Vanilla - Co-branding and Collaborations

 MBIE Result 9 Better for Business - R9 Accelerator

 Patternsnap

 Pop-up Globe

 Zespri - SunGold Kiwifruit

INNOVATION IN MEDIA, MOBILE & ENTERTAINMENT - Sponsored by MediaWorks

 90 Seconds

 ASB - Clever Kash

 Flossie.com Ltd

 Patternsnap

 Pop-up Globe

 Spark Ventures

 Springfree Trampoline - tgoma

 Te Ipukarea - Te Aka Dictionary & Te Reo Maori app & Tamata Toiere e-repository of waiata

and haka

INNOVATION IN SUSTAINABILITY & CLEAN-TECH - Sponsored by Yealands Family Wines

 Flick Electric Co.

 FoundationFootprint - Sustainability Reporting

 Ligar - Ligar in the Environment

 Method Recycling - Station

 NANOARC - Transparent Energy Interface

 Regen NZ Ltd - Water & Effluent Irrigation Scheduling Service

 Scion - Bioadhesives

 Stormwater360 - LittaTrapTM

INNOVATION EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH - Sponsored by Auckland University of Technology

(AUT)

 AUT/NZA - New Zealand SKA Alliance Big Data Challenges

 Avertana - Extracting Value from Industrial Waste

 GEO AR Games - Sharks in the Park

 NZ Bus - Fleet future-proofing

 Robotics Plus - Robotic Apple Packer

 Sunfed Ltd - Sunfed Meats

START-UP INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR - Sponsored by Veda

 Dexibit - Mission in musedata

 InsuredHQ Limited

 Ligar - Ligar in the Environment

 Ligar - Ligar in F & B

 Manukee - UMF Manuka Honey Drinks

 OnSide Ltd

 Postr Media Limited - Postr Lock Screen

 Sabre Tactical Limited - MAKO Tactical K-9 Harness

 Wine Grenade

EMERGING NEW ZEALAND INNOVATOR - Sponsored by Regus

 Auror

 CricHQ

 Koordinates

 Linewize Ltd

 Method Recycling - Station

 Quotient

 Sidekicker

 The Snowball Effect

SUSTAINED INNOVATION EXCELLENCE - Sponsored by Sovereign

 ARANZ Geo Limited - Leapfrog Modelling software

 ARANZ Medical Limited - Silhouette & FastSCAN

 Spark Ventures

 Zespri - SunGold Kiwifruit

EXPORT INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR - Sponsored by New Zealand Trade & Enterprise (NZTE)

 90 Seconds

 ARANZ Medical Limited - Silhouette & FastSCAN

 Fonterra - GA for paediatric nutrition

 Linewize Ltd

 Volpara Health Technologies Limited

 Wine Grenade

 Zespri - SunGold Kiwifruit

EXCELLENCE IN SOCIAL INNOVATION - Sponsored by Yellow

 Banqer

 Countdown - The Foodbank Project

 High Performance Sport New Zealand - Goldmine

 KiwiHarvest

 Manaiakalani Education Trust - The Manaiakalani Programme

 The Mind Lab by Unitec - Postgraduate Programme

 Thought-Wired - Thought-Wired nousTM

INNOVATION IN MAORI DEVELOPMENT - Sponsored by Poutama Trust

 Kidscoin Ltd

 Manaiakalani Education Trust - The Manaiakalani Programme

 Ngati Rangi Trust - Ruapehu Whanau Transformation Plan

 Squiggle Ltd - Young Engineers

 Te Ipukarea - Te Aka Dictionary & Te Reo Maori app & Tamata Toiere e-repository of waiata

and haka

 Te Whare Hukahuka- Enabling Maori Leaders

MOST INSPIRING INDIVIDUAL - Sponsored by 3M

 Jamie Beaton - Crimson Consulting

 Jenene Crossan - Flossie.com

 Lillian Grace - Figure.NZ

 Russell Burt - Manaiakalani Education Trust

YOUNG NEW ZEALAND INNOVATOR - Sponsored by MOTAT

 Alejandro Davila - Conical (VR Studio) / Colab

 Alistair Scarfe - Robotics Plus

 Jamie Beaton - Crimson Consulting

 Katherine Holt - Massey University

 Kerman Kohli - The App Shop

 Ross McCarthy - Airwave Ltd

BAYER SUPREME NEW ZEALAND INNOVATOR - Sponsored by Bayer New Zealand

 Will be announced on the 20th October at the NZ Innovation Awards event

THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD - Sponsored by Idealog

 All finalists - public voting open from the 12 September to the 30 September 2016 at