Frost Fans: Winds of change

It’s an appropriately chilly morning when I visit Frost Fans, so I assume Andrew will be in a good mood, given that it’s mornings like this the fans earn their keep. And then some. ‘The fans’ that Andrew Priest and the crew make, branded FrostBoss, protect delicate crops on the mornings when the mercury falls […]

Fingermark: Touching business

Luke Irving is hungry. Literally. I ask about a coffee, but he needs food. I’ve grabbed him between calls, and while I go for a long black, Luke tucks enthusiastically into a Kindred Road Tuna sammy. I find it interesting, because in these times of the highly managed public image, many CEO’s would probably stay […]

Upstock: Ready to order

I’d never heard of Upstock to be honest, and Havelock North founder Phil Fierlinger, wouldn’t have it any other way. Upstock isn’t for you and me, unless you’re in the food service trade. It’s sort of an online place for ‘shops to shop’. With Upstock, gone are the days of a chef scribbling an unreadable […]

Croptide: Today NZ, tomorrow the world!

Agritech start-up Croptide is on a mission to bring greater know-how globally to the simple act of watering crops. Born out of a Massey University master’s project, and founded by Hawke’s Bay engineers Finn Brown and Hamish Penny, Croptide’s pioneering water sensing technology has captured the attention of major players in New Zealand’s horticulture sector. […]

Ownership move strengthens IT support across the Bay

Running a business in the ‘now’ with an eye on predicting the future has led to Hawke’s Bay IT firm Prophecy Networks being acquired by leading national and fast growing IT firm Securecom. Rachael Price is passionate about Hawke’s Bay and has been involved with Prophecy Networks since 2011 leading the Napier-based team and twelve […]

Fingermark Triumphs as 2023 AmCham New Zealand Technology Exporter of the Year

Hawke’s Bay based technology company, Fingermark, has been named the 2023 AmCham – DHL Express Success & Innovation Awards for Technology Exporter of the Year to the Unites States. The award recognises Fingermark’s exceptional achievements in the global technology export industry and its remarkable contributions to the tech sector within New Zealand. Fingermark stood out […]

Re-Leased plays big role in retaining tech talent in the Bay

It was not too long ago that school leavers were leaving Hawke’s Bay in their droves. Tempted by big city lights and the promise of high-flying careers, the region was, at the time, seemingly lacking the opportunity, and the excitement to keep the twenty-somethings around. In recent years, however, thanks to some long-term thinking and perhaps risky business moves […]

Napier Data Dashboard makes award finals

A custom-made data dashboard that describes Napier’s economic and social wellbeing has gained a place in the ALGIM Awards finals for Digital Project of the Year. The dashboard, known as The Pulse of Napier, was initiated as part of Council’s Pandemic Recovery Plan, to continually monitor the wellbeing of Napier as it recovered from the […]

Leaders in Automation for food procesing

MHM Automation designs and supplies automated systems for food processing. They understand the challenges processors face and develop solutions to deliver better quality product with improved food safety and reduced reliance on manual labour. The company is recognised as a technology leader, with its equipment installed for some of the world’s most prominent names in […]

Think smart, Work Smart

Think Smarter, Work Smarter is the call to arms at Kinetic Electrical and when it came to its role on the new Rockit post-harvest facility, this proved to be the case. Kinetic Electrical managing director Darren Bambry went to the front line of the project to ensure the tight deadlines were met, stepping up as […]

CR Automation raises the bar in post-harvest performance

Founded in 2002 as an automation contracting company CR Automation has a track record of supporting local and international businesses in post-harvest produce handling, water & waste water, food & beverage, and manufacturing. CR Automation director Peter Richards says in 2016 CR expanded into Turnkey Solutions with the establishment of a team comprising of mechanical […]