Record Hi-Tech awards signal coming of age

Hayden McCall · May 24, 2016

The hi-tech industry celebrates in style with record attendance on Auckland’s waterfront…

Listed cinema management software company Vista Group was named ‘Hi-Tech Company of the Year’, while its sister company Movio pulled in the innovative software award for its movie-goer analytics solution.

The 900-strong audience were treated to athletic gymnastics displays among the presentation of 13 awards to a diverse range of applied software and technology solutions spanning the public sector, fisheries, agriculture, health, environment, entertainment and utility industries.

The breadth of solutions considered by the judges demonstrated the growing maturity of the industry with around 50 finalists each with genuine market prospects. Most have global aspirations if not already established international networks, boding well for the sector’s future prospects. Missing from the dais were seemingly perennial awards ceremony darlings Vend, Orion Health and Xero (the latter was not even a finalist) making room for the next wave of growth companies from the sector.

In selecting Vista Group the judges said, “Vista Group demonstrated strong growth with an offering that truly has worldwide potential. They have a well thought-out and tailored product and market knowledge and a fantastic understanding of their target market”. The company is already well established with a presence in 60 countries around the world selling a billion movie tickets each year, and holding an estimated 40 percent share of total global ticket sales.

“Vista Group demonstrated strong growth with an offering that truly has worldwide potential.”

The 22nd annual event marked the culmination of Auckland’s inaugural ‘TechWeek’, which with regional development agency ATEED as key sponsor has created a time and place for celebrating the city’s successes and ambitions in the tech industry.

Video production company 90 Seconds was also recognised, winning two awards to take out both the Most Innovative Company award and the Best Technology Solution for the Creative Sector award. The win capped a big year so far for 90 Seconds’ founder Tim Norton who recently raised $11 million in venture capital funding to help the company expand further into global markets. The judges remarked, “90 Seconds is the Uber and AirBnB of video production, having developed a genuinely disruptive scalable model with global aspirations. They are achieving impressive revenue growth and expanding globally, while maintaining strong levels of profitability. 90 Seconds is well positioned to be a world leader in a $9 billion industry.”

The judges (or one of the 50 strong group from New Zealand and abroad) remarked that the calibre of this year’s entrants was at an all-time high, making the job of selecting winners exceedingly challenging.

The 2016 Awards also saw the introduction of the new Maori Innovation Award which attracted a record number of entries for a new category. The inaugural award went to Precision Seafood Harvesting for its revolutionary technology that replaces traditional trawl nets. It was also a vote for tech innovation outside of the software category. The award got a fervent response from the company’s followers, who broke out an impromptu haka after the acceptance speech.

The evening also welcomed two new Flying Kiwis into the Hi-Tech Hall of Fame, Katherine Corich, founder and CEO of Sysdoc Group and Sam Morgan, founder of Trade Me alongside a growing list of eminent leaders in the sector.

New Zealand Hi-Tech Trust chair Wayne Norrie said it was great to be able to recognise their achievements on such a momentous night.

“Both Katherine and Sam have achieved so much. They have built up hugely successful businesses, they help and mentor the next generation of Kiwi entrepreneurs and they also do so much philanthropic work. It’s great that their peers recognise their achievements – both are very worthy recipients of the prestigious Flying Kiwi Award,” says Norrie.

The 2016 NZ Hi-Tech Award winners are:

2016 Flying Kiwis and inductees into the Tait Communications Hi-Tech Hall of Fame
Katherine Corich
Sam Morgan

Fronde Hi-Tech Young Achiever Award
Winner: Danu Abeysuriya – CEO of Rush Digital

Qual IT Best Technology Solution for the Public Sector Award
Winner: Silverstripe

IBM Most Innovative Company Award
Winner: 90 Seconds

Runners up:
Figure.NZ
Flick Energy
Movio
SnapComms

ATEED Best Technology Solution for the Creative Sector Award
Winner: 90 Seconds

Runners up:
Parrot Analytics
Shotover Camera Systems

Callaghan Innovation Maori Innovation Award
Winner: Precision Seafood Harvesting

Runners up:
Code Avengers
Kiwa Digital
Origins Software
Straker Translations
Whanau Tahi

Duncan Cotterill Innovative Software Product Award
Winner: Movio

Runners up:
Orion Health
Timely
Vend