On The Up: Bay of Plenty shines in NZ Hi-Tech Awards with five finalists
Tua and Courtney Karalus of Deep Dive Division (left), Jenny Rudd of Dispute Buddy and Samuel Vye of SYOS Aerospace are finalists in the NZ Hi-Tech Awards. Photos / Supplied
Bay of Plenty innovators have made a strong showing in one of New Zealand's biggest awards events.
Tauranga and the Bay boast five finalists in the prestigious Hi-Tech Awards, including for cutting-edge work in drone technology, lymphatic therapy and software assisting with legal disputes.
For 30 years, the awards have
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They also need to be exemplar students. Last year, the foundation awarded 90 scholarships, out of over 700 applicants. I have come across scholars whose families have experienced periods of homelessness, who have parents that can't work due to illness and have to work part-time to support them, who have developed their own personal tools to manage dyslexia and ADHD. There have also been the truly awful stories of kids who have been neglected, abandoned and even living in their cars. And they're scholar recipients — which means they are also achieving excellences and merits, they're head boys and girls and they're already volunteering with community groups and mentoring other students. Honestly, these kids sparkle like Christmas trees with the amount of badges they have hanging off their blazers. Plus, to manage all that, they have already honed their executive function skills at 16, more than many of us will ever have. 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SYOS Aerospace has been awarded the top accolade at the 2025 NZ Hi-Tech Awards, named as PwC Hi-Tech Company of the Year. The event, held at the TSB Arena in Wellington, marked the 30th anniversary of the awards and attracted a near record number of attendees, including a record presence of Government Ministers. The NZ Hi-Tech Awards celebrate achievements across the software, electronics, telecommunications, agritech, creative, and other hi-tech sectors. SYOS Aerospace, based in Mount Maunganui, impressed the international judging panel with its business growth and export success. The jury remarked, "The company sells its products to government and commercial customers for security, border patrol, surveillance, disaster response, delivery, logistics support, agriculture, and environmental monitoring. The company has shown that you can build big things in small – and pleasant – places. They have made the 'jump' overseas that is critical to getting Kiwi companies to global scale." Among other notable awardees, Mindhive Global and The Village Goldsmith each secured victories in two categories. Mindhive Global was acknowledged both as the Start-up Company of the Year and winner in the Most Innovative Hi-Tech Agritech Solution category. The judges were struck by its application of machine learning and vision systems in agriculture, stating, "Their proprietary vision system detects over 25 types of defects in cowhides within seconds, combining machine learning, image recognition, and industrial hardware in a way that's both technically robust and commercially viable." The Village Goldsmith received awards for Most Innovative Hi-Tech Creative Technology Solution and Braemac Most Innovative Hi-Tech Manufacturer of the Year. The company was recognised for its platform that allows diamonds to appear to float without traditional prongs or clasps, with the initiative described as "an innovation recognised globally as the most significant change in diamond solitaire ring design since 1886." Sir Peter Beck was named the 2025 Flying Kiwi and inducted into the NZ Hi-Tech Hall of Fame. The founder of Rocket Lab, Beck was acknowledged for building the company over two decades into a multi-billion dollar enterprise while contributing to the development of New Zealand's aerospace industry and investing in start-ups. The honour highlights his ongoing role in growing the sector's profile both nationally and internationally. Marian Johnson, Chair of the New Zealand Hi-Tech Trust, said the sector's achievements should be a source of pride for the entire country, especially given the challenges of recent years. "We're witnessing an industry that is continuing exceptional growth as well as innovation and matching it with the best in the world." Johnson added, "We continue to see exceptional growth of both our largest tech companies and a burgeoning ecosystem of start-ups and it's so exciting to see this as we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Hi-Tech Awards." The awards were judged by over 80 local and international experts, with the organisers noting a rising number of submissions and an increase in overall quality. The competition featured a wide array of categories recognising individuals and companies for achievements in software, sustainability, hardware manufacturing, public good, and Māori technology enterprise. Other winners included Luke Campbell of VXT as Hi-Tech Young Achiever, Optimation for Best Hi-Tech Solution for the Public Good, Talent RISE for Best Contribution to the NZ Tech Sector, and Kitea Health for Most Innovative Deep Tech Solution. Deep Dive Division was named Māori Company of the Year, Cleanery took out the Most Innovative Hi-Tech Solution for a More Sustainable Future, Toku Eyes won Most Innovative Hi-Tech Software Solution, and Projectworks was named Hi-Tech Emerging Company of the Year. Highly commended entrants included Carepatron and Calocurb.
Scoop
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