Fieldays 2025: Innovation Hub highlights agriculture's future, using robots and kiwifruit leather
From waterway-mapping robots to leather made from kiwifruit, Kiwi innovation was on display at the Southern Hemisphere's biggest rural expo.
Jeffery To was twiddling his thumbs at home during the Covid lockdown when he came up with the idea of a robot that could scour our waterways and collect pollution
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Wool is making money again – and other rural success stories
Jeffery To was twiddling his thumbs at home during Covid lockdown when he came up with the idea of a robot that could scour our waterways and collect pollution data. Jeffery To showing The Detail's Sharon Brettkelly the MĀKI boat V2 – Hydrohub, which maps and monitors water quality. Photo: Davina Zimmer 'My wife was getting sick of me being at home all the time,' says the Waikato engineer. 'After watching YouTube I built an autonomous boat that mapped the local lake with the target or vision of cleaning the lake forever.' In true number eight wire fashion, he built the miniature boat with three PVC pipes and a metal tray, but the technology on board the vessel was groundbreaking and expensive. He posted his mapping of the lake on social media and caught the attention of Waikato Regional Council. 'They asked me if I would be interested in mapping other lakes. I said certainly. Since then I've learned a lot about water quality in New Zealand, what can we do, what should we do, what is possible.' To's engineering/technology company, Māki, was one of dozens of exhibitors in the innovation hall at Fieldays last week and a finalist in the Prototype Award. He tells The Detail the Māki boat is also capable of mapping parts of harbours and the sea around islands that humans cannot reach by car or boat. He has deliberately kept the materials cheap so that councils can afford them, and put the money into the technology that maps and collects data. 'With the engineer background, we first identify how big the problem is. With the boat, we know how bad the problems are. The next thing is finding solutions that can do things in a sustainable way to help with the problem, how do we slow it down,' To says. Chris Harper is operations manager for KiwiLeather Innovations. Photo: Davina Zimmer 'But in order to reverse it I think there's a lot more work and I hope that with technology and innovation we can help a little bit.' A few booths away in the innovation hall, Chris Harper explains how the small mats sitting on his display table were concocted in his kitchen from kiwifruit waste. On the wall behind him are photos of luxury fashion boots and handbags. They are the vision of KiwiLeather Innovations, run by Harper and his partner Shelley Houston. After hours of experiments in their kitchen, the vegan leather is now in development at Scion, the crown research institute in Rotorua. Harper says the market-viable product should be ready by November, but the couple is already in talks with major global brands including Adidas, BMW and Victoria Beckham. He says the next step is to get funding to set up a pilot project. 'We are going to have to find some space in the Tauranga region where we can set up our first presses to get the moisture out of the kiwifruit, our first kilns to dry the kiwifruit to make the powder and our first compounding area where we can actually make our secret sauce.' Harper says they expect to produce up to 10,000 square metres of KiwiLeather. A wool couch decorated with woollen blankets, pillows and throws was the centre piece of the booth showcasing all things wool at Fieldays. Photo: Davina Zimmer Another iconic New Zealand product, wool, is a special focus at this agriculture expo. After years in the doldrums, wool is starting to make a comeback, according to Angus Hansen, founder and operations manager of Wisewool. 'It has definitely turned a corner,' says Hansen, sitting on an all-wool and wood couch in the It's Wool booth, surrounded by other products made from the fibre by several companies. 'We [Wisewool] source wool from about 300 farms in the Tairāwhiti region, which is around three million kilos. We use a portion of that for Wisewool which is value added and we sell our products mainly into bedding and furniture – which we're sitting on now – globally.' Hansen says the company is paying its farmer suppliers more than market rate. 'Farmers are making money off their wool again. So, yeah, wool has been in a tough spot for actually quite a long time and it finally feels like [with] the groundswell of us making changes [and] adding value, farmers are finally making money off their wool again.' Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here. You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.
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Researchers Professors Brigid McNeill and Gail Gillon from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC) studied early literacy development in 3,700 five- and six-year-olds to see if providing more intensive, smaller reading groups is making a difference. The research investigated the Better Start Literacy Approach (BSLA) which is an example of a structured literacy teaching approach that Professors Gillon, McNeill and colleagues developed specifically for the New Zealand education context. It is currently in more than 1,000 schools across Aotearoa New Zealand. While many schools use structured literacy to improve reading skills, it became compulsory in all State schools at the start of this year. St Anne's Catholic Primary School in Woolston, Christchurch, implemented Tier 2 in 2017 with new entrants teacher Jo Smart saying it's making a huge difference to their kids. 'The strength of the programme is that it repeats the learning over the day. What is done in the intervention matches what is done in class but at a more intensive, small group level. This helps students who struggle with retention by providing multiple repetitions of concepts using varied activities,' Smart says. 'We're identifying students who need additional literacy support after their first term of school. This is different to the older intervention programmes where students were identified after a year of school. It means that there is support for them about nine months sooner, before children get the frustration of feeling unsuccessful or comparing themselves to their peers. 'It's been brilliant to have this early intervention in place. Students are so excited to learn to read, and giving them the additional support they need and deserve before they feel any sense of failure is so important. With the old system of intervention, the gap between students who needed support and those who didn't was alreadyso big after a year of school,' Smart says. The approach is a more systematic way to teach both phonics and word decoding skills as well as vocabulary and listening comprehension to decode words and understand their meaning. Classroom wide teaching is known as Tier 1, and Tier 2 (small group) teaching supports children who need more help. BSLA Tier 2 teaching begins in children's first year at school. It involves small-group sessions focused on building foundational skills. The lessons are explicit, systematic, and designed to complement classroom instruction by offering more intensive practice and support, especially important for students at risk of developing reading difficulties. Professor McNeill says their study offerspromising evidence that targeted, evidence-based literacy interventions can make a meaningful difference – at scale. 'Our study found that children receiving more intensive literacy support significantly outperformed those who didn't. On average, these children caught up to peers who had stronger initial literacy skills, indicating the intervention helped close early learning gaps. Successful early literacy development is critical to children's academic success,' Professor McNeill says. Professor Gillon says the learning gap between struggling readers and their peers is closing right in their first year at school. 'Children experiencing success early in their reading and spelling development is vital for their ongoing engagement and enjoyment in literacy learning activities.' She says the findings from the study are extremely important. 'It is critical as we advance structured literacy practices and that we base our interventions on robust evidence of what works for our education context here in New Zealand.' The work signals a step towards ensuring greater equity in early literacy development. We need to ensure literacy interventions we introduce are working for those that need it the most. Professor McNeill highlights the need for literacy initiatives that are not only effective but that work to close these learning gaps. 'The study shows that when structured literacy is properly implemented, when teachers are well supported, all learners can be supported to thrive in their early literacy development—regardless of background or starting point.' Professor Gillon says the data will provide confidence to teachers, school leaders and to the Ministry of Education. 'Theinvestment in early learning and intervention for children needing extra support with reading and writing in the primary school years is achieving improved outcomes in their literacy development. Its success also depends on the high-quality development of teachers, and robust assessment systems that identify whether early support is required.'
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New Zealand Business Optimism Highest Since 2021, Bosses Expect Revenue Growth
2degrees' 2025 Shaping Business Study has found New Zealand's business sector is the most optimistic it has been since the survey began in 2021, with leaders significantly more optimistic than in 2024. 2degrees today unveiled the results of a survey conducted by insights and research agency Matter, which engaged more than 500 employing business decision-makers around Aotearoa between mid-April to early May 2025. The research, which is now in its sixth edition, aims to understand the key issues, trends, concerns and opportunities on the minds of business owners, CEOs, directors, general managers and C-suite leaders, which are impacting the business landscape. The research found that NZ business leaders are positive about the year ahead, with 45% of those surveyed saying they feel more optimistic about the outlook and prospects for their business compared to the previous year. This was a very significant (12 point) increase from 2024, where 34% said they felt optimistic about the coming year. When asked what factors have led to greater optimism, the top reasons business leaders responded with were: business growth (45%), growth in customers or demand (40%), and improving products, services or sites (38%). Andrew Fairgray, Chief Business Officer of 2degrees, said the results show that New Zealand business owners feel like they're moving in the right direction. 'We haven't seen optimism this high in years, with business owners seeing opportunities to grow and introduce new products and services according to the latest 2degrees Shaping Business report,' Fairgray said. 'Productivity is also on the rise. More Kiwi businesses are coming to terms with what recent technological advances like AI can and can't do, and they're starting to employ these tools to improve their businesses. This is saving time and money, which allows these businesses to reinvest in other areas. 'At 2degrees we've always been big believers in how technology can be used to improve businesses by freeing up time and giving business owners the opportunity to improve what they offer their customers.' The proportion of businesses that identify as 'Thriving' has also grown to 19%, indicative again of the upswing in optimism after a tough period. A large number of leaders anticipate their revenue will grow in the year ahead. More than two thirds of businesses surveyed in Shaping Business said they agree that growth is a key business goal for the year ahead and the focus is on growing profit or revenue. This sentiment is significantly stronger among larger businesses (in terms of both size and turnover), and reflects a shift from a cautious 'maintenance' stance to a more bullish growth agenda. Productivity growth Productivity is trending upward, with 46% of Kiwi businesses reporting they are more productive now than they were in 2024. A significant contributor to this improvement appears to be the adoption of AI, with one in four businesses attributing their productivity gains to these technologies. This suggests a growing recognition of the value digital tools can bring to operations. Interestingly, when asked what businesses think will help them achieve higher levels of productivity fewer say: hiring more highly skilled staff. That figure has dropped from 33% last year to 26% in 2025, indicating a shift in how employers view the key drivers of productivity - moving from talent acquisition toward leveraging technology. Andrew Fairgray says: 'These findings should be seen as a positive signal - it's not about reducing headcount, but about empowering the talented people we already have. By embracing the latest technology, New Zealand businesses are unlocking new levels of productivity and enabling their teams to do their best work. This is an encouraging shift to see.' Challenges Despite the positive trends in productivity, businesses continue to face ongoing challenges - most notably, reduced customer spending and increased input costs. Nearly 80% of businesses surveyed have seen their operating costs increase in the past 12 months, and for those in this situation, costs are generally increasing at higher rates than they were in 2024. To help balance rising costs and the changing customer landscape, around one in two businesses are planning to increase prices in the next 12 months, and as seen with running costs, the rate of these increases is also trending higher vs 2024. Encouragingly, businesses are twice as likely to describe current market competition as 'healthy' rather than 'poor,' with larger businesses (51+ employees) more likely to hold this view. Helping Businesses Businesses have identified a range of ways they could use support in the coming year. Cashflow remains a key growth driver, while better technology and digital skills are becoming more prominent in 2025. When asked how the government could best support the business sector, tax incentives and breaks were the most frequently cited options. Many also highlighted the need to address inflation and the rising cost of living as key priorities for economic support. For more information on the Shaping Business Study, and to download the report for free, visit the 2degrees website here: About 2degrees 2degrees is a full-service telecommunications provider, committed to fighting for fair for Kiwis and businesses. 2degrees provides broadband, mobile, and electricity services across New Zealand. Since its launch, 2degrees has been on a mission to disrupt the market, standing up for fairness and flexibility in an industry that needed change. 2degrees is backed by award-winning customer service, and delivers innovative solutions, allowing customers to choose the connectivity options that suit them best. Through custom-built technology platforms and a commitment to doing things differently, 2degrees empowers Kiwis to stay connected on their own terms.
