11 May 2026

FIELDAYS 2026 INNOVATION AWARDS PARTICIPANTS LEAD THE WAY FORWARD AGAIN

From 10 - 13 June at Mystery Creek, 58 selected individuals, companies, and start-ups will exhibit their ideas and cutting-edge solutions in the Fieldays Innovation Awards, with AWS, who joins the programme in 2026 as overall sponsor. 

This year’s selected Innovators feature a wide mix of ideas, from AI and automation to safety, monitoring, and diagnostics, and plenty of ‘why didn't I think of that’ inventions designed to offer smart solutions and make life on the farm, orchard, or rural block easier and more efficient.  

“People will notice the Awards look different from 10-15 years ago, because of the breadth of entries, and the evolution of technologies, but as we near the 60th year of the Awards, I’m pleased that they still showcase the new, bold, and practical solutions they always have,” says Steve Chappell, Programme Manager, New Zealand National Fieldays Society.   

The programme connects participants to the innovation ecosystem in New Zealand, where they can engage with a panel of expert judges and tap into a wider network of mentors and partners to help refine, fund, and amplify their innovation. 

The event also serves as a direct line to the primary industries audience, allowing innovators to engage with farmers to validate their concepts and gain honest, invaluable feedback. 

“Fieldays is where start-ups can move from a viable concept to international impact,” says Chappell. “It’s nice to see entrants working their way through the categories again this year, and being inspired by the success stories of previous Awards entrants. 

Amazon Web Services (AWS) return to the Fieldays Innovation Awards as a sponsor, and in an increased capacity, reflecting the growing role of cloud technology, data and digital capability in advancing agricultural innovation “As overall Awards sponsor, AWS will support our innovators across all stages of the programme, helping strengthen pathways from concept through to commercialisation, while tapping into the one-of-a-kind opportunity Fieldays provides to bring the whole eco-system together in one place for four days a year,” says Chappell. “It’s so appropriate to have Amazon linked with the Awards again, as this year we have participants from Agnition Ventures to Zamati Technology Ltd. 

 "AWS is committed to supporting Aotearoa's agriculture sector and the innovators shaping its future. The Fieldays Innovation Awards highlight the ingenuity of Kiwi founders, researchers, and growers, and we're proud to play a supporting role in helping their solutions grow, scale, and reach global markets," says Manuel Bohnet, Country Manager New Zealand, Amazon Web Services. "With cloud, data, and AI capabilities delivered through our resilient AWS infrastructure here in New Zealand, we look forward to supporting the next wave of agritech innovators as they bring new ideas to life".   

Award participants are divided into the three main stages of development: 27 in the Prototype category, supported by Sprout Agritech and Blender Design; 18 in the Early-Stage category, supported by Map of Ag; and 13 in the Growth & Scale category, supported by PwC. 

Five participants are also in the running for the Young Innovator of the Year award for participants aged 19 and under.  

“The Awards continue to evolve, and serve as a marker for progress in New Zealand,” says Chappell. “We’ve seen a marked increase in AI-based solutions this year, which was expected, and we’re looking forward to looking at the Awards structure after this year’s Fieldays to see how we need to shift to make sure we adapt to change while remaining true to the traditional heart of the Award and the practical solutions.”  

Participants are hoping to win a share in a total prize package of cash, services, and products worth more than $75,000 to help get their ideas off the ground or accelerate their path to market. 

The People’s Choice Award also returns in 2026, with King St as sponsor, giving Fieldays visitors the chance to have their say by voting for their favourite innovation. All entrants are eligible, with the top-voted innovator receiving a $2,000 cash prize, while one participating voter will win a $500 voucher. Voting will be open throughout the event at the kiosk inside the Fieldays Innovation Hub. 

The Awards are kindly supported by sponsors AWS, Map of Ag, Blender Design, Sprout Agritech, King St. Advertising, AgriTech New Zealand, and PwC.  

Award Participants can be visited around the Fieldays event and in the Fieldays Innovation Hub. Full details can be found on the official Fieldays App. 

Watch the Innovation Awards ceremony live on Fieldays’ Facebook and YouTube channels on 11 June at 5:30pm. 

Participants, where they reside, and details of their entries: 
* Young Innovator Award 
 

Prototype Award supported by Sprout Agritech and Blender Design: 

Agnition Ventures – Veld - The first tool to recommend the best use for every piece of land — showing pasture productivity, carbon opportunity, and environmental risk on the same paddock, with a dollar figure attached to each. Christchurch, New Zealand 

Agri Impact Limited - Impact Insulator – A wooden post electric fence insulator attached with one single screw. Paeroa, New Zealand 

Atamai - Atamai Ag - A farmer-first digital platform that simplifies farm data, compliance, and certification by bringing everything into one place. It reduces duplication, cuts administrative burden, and turns everyday farm records into useful insights. Christchurch, New Zealand 

CowManager NZ - The CowManager Milk Sensor - A practical, battery-powered inline milk sensor for conventional milking parlours that identifies with CowManager readers each cow per bail, measures each udder quarter during milking, and turns early deviations into immediate, actionable alerts with a traceable follow-up workflow, so mastitis and milking process issues are caught earlier and handled more consistently. Hamilton, New Zealand. 

dappld – Portable Off‑Grid Heated Water System - A rapidly deployable heated water system combining high‑quality marine-grade materials with inflatable construction, recirculating wood‑fired heating and NZ wool insulation to provide portable hot water access, recovery and temporary water storage in remote environments. Taihape, New Zealand 

DustStar Collabs Limited – Pacala - The digital version of the tools farmers already use: blueprints, paddock maps, logbooks; now brought into one screen, connected to the same source of truth, and finally able to come into the paddock with you. Tauranga, New Zealand 

Foresight - A technology-integrated, tree-mounted, fruit-measuring device that seeks to respond to the problem of repetitive, manually intensive, and often inaccurate collection of fruit data during the growing season through intentional design. Wellington, New Zealand 

Forever Harvest – Forever Harvest - Cellular horticulture to grow fruit and nuts without the tree, using food‑safe tissue culture methodologies to produce high‑value fruit and nut biomass. Christchurch, New Zealand 

Geraldine High School – DRINK IT! * - A carbonated passionfruit energy supplement designed specifically for teenagers, using natural green‑tea caffeine and L‑theanine to provide sustained energy without the crash of traditional energy drinks. Geraldine, New Zealand 

GrowMoreSPT - GrowMore Virtual Agronomist - A Mobile App that takes the results of Soil and Pasture tests to accurately prescribe Fertiliser Blends and find the lowest cost supply. Hamilton, New Zealand. 

Herd AI – Herd - A voice‑first farm management system that lets farmers capture what is happening on farm and turns that into records, tasks, reporting and audit trails. Balclutha, New Zealand 

KaiProva Labs – KaiProva - A verified supply layer for pasture‑fed young beef that connects farmers, processors, and global food buyers to audited low‑carbon protein. Kakanui, New Zealand 

Kiwileather Innovations - A world-first prototype that converts New Zealand kiwifruit waste into a durable, flexible, plastic-free leather alternative. Feilding, New Zealand 

Massey University - Safe Sow Farrowing Hut - A round one-sow farrowing hut designed for outdoor pig system, with potential implementation in an indoor system too, that reduces piglet mortality during birth while improving sow and piglet welfare and ease of management. Palmerston North, New Zealand 

myCOW NZ - myCOW App - An Application that empowers farmers to make easier and more informed feed nutrition decisions by pulling together milk, cow and farm data every day, visually displaying this data against targets and using AI to interpret and provide basic direction alongside their chosen rural professional advisor. Christchurch, New Zealand 

Scanabull – Scanabull WeighApp - A 3D LiDAR AI‑powered tool that delivers accurate, real‑time cattle liveweights from a simple phone scan. Cambridge, New Zealand 

Skilplane – Simplane – A next-generation interactive aircraft simulator that combines real physical motion, compact design, and immersive controls to provide safer, more accessible, and more affordable pilot training on the ground. Tokoroa, New Zealand 

Skilplane – Simcopter – A land-based helicopter simulator. Tokoroa, New Zealand 

Skilplane – Skilcopter – An interactive land-based helicopter simulator that combines realistic controls, physical motion, and compact design to provide a safe, immersive, and accessible rotary-wing training experience. Tokoroa, New Zealand 

Sterineedle – Sterineedle  - A clip‑on holster that automatically sterilises livestock vaccination needles between animals. Hamilton, New Zealand 

St. Paul’s Collegiate School – PigProp* - A portable pigtail standard carrier that attaches to motorbikes or can be carried by hand to safely transport multiple fence standards. Hamilton, New Zealand 

St. Paul’s Collegiate School – SmoothSip* - An extension for a screw‑on calf feeder that filters clumped milk powder, so calf teats don’t get blocked. Hamilton, New Zealand 

St. Paul’s Collegiate School – Tractor Armour* - A heavy‑duty steel mesh front‑end guard designed to protect tractors in orchards and tight farming environments. Hamilton, New Zealand 

University of Waikato – Farmland Efficiency System - A retrofit system that uses real-time AI and cameras to scan fruit during harvest and automatically adjust machinery to improve quality, reduce waste, and increase efficiency. Hamilton, New Zealand 

Vat Guard LTD - Vat Guard - A portable, wireless milk vat tap detection system that uses a non-invasive sensor and high-visibility magnetic alert beacons to immediately warn dairy staff when a vat tap is left open, preventing accidental milk contamination. Whanganui, New Zealand 

Watts Tech – The Gate Keeper - An affordable system to automate existing farm gates, enabling livestock management, herd tracking and farm security. Christchurch, New Zealand 

Wild Harvest Solutions Limited - STLKR app- A digital platform connecting landowners experiencing pest deer damage with hunters who can control and commercially recover them, transforming New Zealand's pest control economics by enabling landowners to monetise wild deer removal while helping processors optimise spare capacity. Auckland, New Zealand 

Early-Stage Award supported by Map of Ag:  

Brackley & Co Ltd - The PostMate – A device to attach to a tractor or digger that makes pulling out fence posts more efficient and in a much safer manner than using two people and a chain under a loader, Matamata, New Zealand 

CM Safety – Head On Object Deflector (H.O.O.D) - An operator protective structure designed to deflect orchard hazards and reduce serious injury risks. Te Puke, New Zealand 

DAGI Limited - DAGI (Drench and Grazing Integration) - A farm app that makes invisible paddock-level worm risk visible through colour-coded tables, helping sheep farmers make smarter grazing decisions, reduce unnecessary drenching, slow resistance, and grow lambs faster. Waimate, New Zealand 

elert – elert EQ - A wearable equine monitoring device tracking health, performance and location. Hamilton, New Zealand 

Elm Lab Skincare – A2 Colostrum Baby Lotion - The world’s first baby lotion formulated with high levels of A2 colostrum sourced from a single, traceable family dairy farm. Mosgiel, New Zealand 

Enivo* – Biodegradable plant pots made from New Zealand forestry and primary‑industry waste. Wellington, New Zealand 

FarmShop - FarmFix - An AI-powered assistant that gives farmers instant, cited answers drawn from the operator's manual, spare parts catalogue, and FarmShop's own knowledge base content, available 24/7 on any device. Kaiwaka, New Zealand 

FarmIQ Systems – Grow App - Grow is a simple, easy-to-use app, featuring farm and land planning tools, health and safety, stock records, productivity data, and AI tools like voice-to-text, specifically designed for busy farmers and growers, who don't have the time or patience to mess around learning new technology. Wellington, New Zealand 

Harvest Electronics – Fixed Grid Valve Control Remote - A controller that provides real proof of irrigation flow and automatic fault detection. Masterton, New Zealand 

Hanskamp AgroTech BV – Hanskamp FeedStation Mobile - Automatic and individual concentrate feed distribution for dairy and beef cattle during grazing. Wehl, The Netherlands 

inMR Measure Ltd & Perkinz - Marbl (tm) Live Sheep System – A purpose-designed sheep handler to provide a stable platform to measure intra-muscular fat in live sheep. Dunedin, New Zealand 

Saltis Ltd – AlphaValve - A smart solid‑set irrigation valve with real‑time feedback, diagnostics and wireless control. Oamaru, New Zealand 

Strainrite – Mini Reel - A lightweight, ergonomically designed fencing reel featuring a versatile 3-function locking system for smooth winding, controlled wire payout, and precise tensioning in temporary fencing. Upper Hutt, New Zealand 

Strainrite – Triple Reel Pro - A durable, steel-framed fencing tool that lets you efficiently manage and tension up to three 500 m polywire lines with precise control, reduced tangling, and easy switching between winding and fence modes. Upper Hutt, New Zealand 

TechniPharm International Ltd - Collar Care - An automated headbail designed to hold and extend the neck of a bovine animal in order to easily and safely fix, adjust or remove a wearable collar. Rotorua, New Zealand 

Te Pari Products Ltd – CollarBoss - An innovative headbail accessory designed to make fitting and adjusting virtual fencing collars for cows safer, easier, and more efficient. Oamaru, New Zealand 

xFarm Technologies SA - xFarm Agent - An AI-powered feature of the xFarm platform that allows farmers to manage their farm directly through WhatsApp. Farmers can register field activities, check daily tasks, receive weather and pest alerts, and access farm data, all through natural language chat messages in their own language. AI models extract key information from messages and automatically update the farmer's xFarm account in real time. Milan, Italy 

Zamati Technology Ltd - Hydrolysed High-Protein Beef Meat Broth - A natural hydrolysed high protein beef broth for better absorption of amino acids/peptides and easier digestion. Auckland, New Zealand 

Growth & Scale Award supported by PwC:  

Agnition Ventures – Farm Innovation Network - A platform connecting global and NZ agtech with NZ farmers to accelerate on‑farm pilots and speed up adoption. Christchurch, New Zealand 

Bovonic – QuadSense - A patented in‑line mastitis screening system delivering real‑time teat‑level disease detection. Tauranga, New Zealand 

CropX Limited - CropX Vision - A smartphone‑based, plant‑level water‑stress measurement system that replaces the pressure chamber with instant, accurate leaf‑water‑potential insights across entire vineyards. Wellington, New Zealand 

Lely - Automatic Milk Filter - An automatic milk filter that automates the task of changing the filter socks. It is safe, easy, convenient and reduces labour. Truganina, The Netherlands 

Levno – Levno Feed Monitoring - Strain sensors placed on feed silo legs to give dairy farmers real-time weight data, consumption tracking, and reorder predictions through an app — eliminating the need for manual checks. Palmerston North, New Zealand 

Micron Agritech – Micron Kit - Rapid, on‑farm parasite diagnostics enabling data‑driven livestock treatment decisions. Dublin, Ireland 

MSD Animal Health – Bovilis Cryptium® - The world’s first vaccine for the active immunisation of pregnant cows to raise antigen specific antibodies in colostrum, resulting in passive immunity in newborn calves against cryptosporidiosis. Upper Hutt, New Zealand 

Supreme Direct Ltd - Supreme ProLite Chainsaw Bar - New Zealand’s only locally manufactured chainsaw bar—using premium Swedish steel, a fully replaceable tip, and a radical lightweight design that delivers exceptional strength and wear resistance without hardened rails that can chip. New Plymouth, New Zealand 

T&R Interior Systems – Floc - The world’s first 100% New Zealand wool acoustic panelling. Sustainably grown and fully biodegradable, these natural wool attributes combine with fire resistance properties, durability and creative flexibility of the range. Hastings, New Zealand  

Techion – FECPAK Worm ID Test - A world-first innovation that uses advanced AI imaging to rapidly identify and differentiate worm species, giving farmers and vets clearer, more actionable parasite insights than ever before. Mosgiel, New Zealand 

The Helical Company Limited - Helical - A unified data platform enabling real‑time genomic prediction for livestock breeding at scale. Rotorua, New Zealand  

The Real Fruit Sorbet Company – Kiwi Sorbet - Transforming lower grade non-exportable New Zealand kiwifruit into a premium, all-natural, dairy-free sorbet with 65% real fruit, creating a new “real fruit dessert” category. Auckland, New Zealand 

Trussed Systems – Truss House Portal Frame - A precision-engineered timber portal frame system that maximises the structural value of MSG8 New Zealand plantation timber to deliver faster, more affordable residential and multi-unit construction. Waihi Beach, New Zealand