Published on the 02/06/2021 | Written by Heather Wright

Agritech, nanofibres, robots and wellbeing among winners…

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare has claimed top honours at the annual Hi-tech Awards, taking out the PwC Hi-Tech Company of the Year gong, with smart cow collar company Halter and Moxion, a platform for film makers, also shining bright.

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, which provides respirators among other healthcare offerings, has seen its value soar, despite a share dip, since the start of the pandemic, with the company reporting record net profit after tax of $524 million – up 82 percent year on year – for the year ending March 31.

The company beat out other big names including Rocket Lab to claim the top award.

“When Covid hit, their 5000 employees rose to the occasion and rapidly re-engineered their business to deliver vital products the world desperately needed –  addressing, for example, the global shortage of ventilators,” international judges for the awards said. “All while continuing to innovate and expand their healthcare product offerings, and expand its global reach”.

“They are leading us out of the pandemic with such innovative solutions.”

The awards gala dinner, attended by 1300, saw Halter win the Endace Most Innovative Hi-Tech Hardware Product and the NZTE Most Innovative Hi-Tech Agritech Solution categories while Moxion took out the Auckland Unlimited Most Innovative Hi-Tech Creative Technology Solution and the Punakaiki Fund Hi-Tech Start-up Company of the Year awards. Moxion provides a dailies – daily film footage – and content review platform for filmmaking.

The night also saw Wayne Norrie recognised with the prestigious Tait Communications Flying Kiwi Award and inducted into the NZ Hi-Tech Hall of Fame.

A record number of entries were received for this year’s 14 awards, organisers of the awards say.

New Zealand Hi-Tech Trust chair David Downs said it was great to hit so many highs this year despite the impact of Covid-19 in 2020. “It’s fantastic that we can … celebrate the successes of our great tech companies, and the contribution they are making not only to New Zealand’s economy but also how they are leading us out of the pandemic with such innovative solutions.”

The full list of winners and finalists is:

PwC NZ Hi-Tech Company of the Year
Winner: F&P Healthcare

Finalists:

• Bluelab
• Link Engine Management
• Pushpay
• Rocket Lab
• Seequent

Pacific Edge Hi-Tech Emerging Company of the Year
Winner: Whip Around, which provides an inspections and maintenance tool for vehicle and asset inspections
Highly Commended: Lawvu

Finalists:

• MacroActive
• Revolution Fibres
• Tradify

Punakaiki Fund Hi-Tech Start-Up Company of the Year
Winner: Moxion

Finalists:

• FileInvite
• Hectre
• Medsalv
• Rocos

IBM Hi-Tech Inspiring
Winner: Craig Hudson

Finalists:

• Chris Johnson
• Kylie Price
• Laura Bell
• Serge van Dam
• Sir Stephen Tindall
• Carmen Vicelich

Callaghan Innovation Hi-Tech Kamupene Māori o te Tau – Māori Hi-Tech Company of the Year
Winner: MB Century, which measures pressures and temperatures in geothermal wells

Finalists:

• Agrisea
• Jobloads
• NZ Trade Group
• Weirdly

Duncan Cotterill Most Innovative Hi-Tech Software Solution Award
Winner: Rocos, a cloud-based robot operations platform

Finalists:

• asBuilt Digital
• Auror
• Fuel 50
• Landkind
• Parkable

Kiwibank Most Innovative Hi-Tech Service
Winner: chnnl, a digital platform for employee wellbeing insights

Finalists:

• Darkscope
• Datamine

Endace Most Innovative Hi-Tech Hardware Product
Winner: Halter

Finalists:

• • Alimetry
  • Dotterel Technologies
  • Revolution Fibres
  • StretchSense

Halo Consulting Best Contribution to the NZ Tech Sector
Winner: NZ Tech

Finalists:

• • • Elevating Aotearoa’s Future
    • Humanitix
    • Microsoft
    • Revolution Fibres

NZTE Most Innovative Hi-Tech Agritech Solution
Winner: Halter

Finalists:

• • • • Hectre
      • Levno
      • Waybeyond

Xero Hi-Tech Young Achiever
Winner: Maria English

Finalists:

• • • • Anna Dao
      • Anna Spyker
      • Georgia Robertson
      • Jamie Beaton

Soul Machines Most Innovative Deep Tech Solution
Winner: Nanolayr – previously known as Revolution Fibres, the textile manufacturer produces nanofibres for air filtration (including face masks), composite reinforcement and acoustics

Finalists:

• • • • Alimetry
      • Anagenix
      • Dotterel Technologies
      • Formus Labs

Auckland Unlimited Most Innovative Hi-Tech Technology Solution
Winner: Moxion
Highly commended: Alimetry

Finalists:

• • • • Datamine
      • Imagr
      • Staples VR (Staples Productions)
      • Writer’s Toolbox (Advanced Learning Ltd)

Visa Best Hi-Tech Solution for the Public Good
Winner: Student Volunteer Army and Custom D who provided the volunteering mobile app

Finalists:

• • • • Impactlab
      • Orion Health
      • RUSH

Tait Communications Flying Kiwi Award
Recipient: Wayne Norrie