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NZ Herald
23-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Syos wins company of the year at Hi-Tech Awards, Sir Peter Beck named Flying Kiwi
The contract meant Syos' Tauranga-based founder, Samuel Vye, will now fulfil his prediction that revenue would jump from $4m to more than $55m this year. His firm's website says Syos drones have 'proven operational success in conflict zones'. Willis said Syos was 'creating some of the most world-leading drone technology, and they are literally helping fight the conflict in Ukraine - because they do it better than any other country in the world, from Mt Maunganui.' The British deal was announced when Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met his counterpart Sir Keir Starmer in April, when the countries' joint efforts to train Ukrainian forces were on the agenda. Last September, Vye was on an Aerospace New Zealand summit panel covered by the Herald, where a strong theme was that NZ is too squeamish about defence contracts. 'Silicon Valley VCs are happy with defence and dual-use investing. New Zealand is behind, in my opinion. We're still allergic to anything that could be considered used by the Navy or Army or Air Force – whether it's got 1080 on it or it's got guns on it,' Vye said. 'You could say we just make Toyota Hiluxes ... and then the payload goes on it.' Syos drones were also used for agriculture and environmental monitoring. Vye also told the Christchurch summit: 'We couldn't raise from New Zealand VCs because every single group – well, most groups – couldn't invest in dual-use technology because it was against their investment criteria and ESG [environmental, social and governance] policies so hence we went down the high-net-worth individual route.' After Syos' banner 2025, more options are likely to open up. Total immersion Deep Dive Division, a robotic diving company founded in 2018 by Tua and Courtney Karalus, was named Māori Company of the Year. The company is based in the Waikato but has done a significant volume of work in Tauranga, including laying artificial reefs in Tauranga Harbour as part of Cyclone Gabrielle restoration work. Deep Dive Division's founders joked they were 'social housing for crayfish'. It bills itself as NZ's only Māori and Pacific-owned commercial and scientific diving company. Its services range from hull cleans and biosecurity to film production – including work on blockbuster Avatar: The Way of Water. Beefy AI Wellington's Mindhive Global won the start-up and agritech categories. It uses AI to detect 25 types of defects in cowhides within seconds, combining machine learning, image recognition, and industrial hardware in a way that's technically robust and commercially viable, the award judges said. Mindhive has recently landed business in Brazil and Italy, the home of leather. The Most Innovative Tech Solution and Most Innovative Manufacturer gongs were picked up by The Village Goldsmith - which is also disrupting a long-standing industry with its development of a unique platform, developed over 17 years and many lasers, that allows diamonds to float without visible prongs, claws, or clasps. It was an innovation the judges said was recognised globally as the most significant change in diamond solitaire ring design since 1886, leading to a deal with Tiffany & Co. Beck joins 'Flying Kiwi' hall of fame Sir Peter Beck was recognised as the 2025 Flying Kiwi and inducted into the NZ Hi-Tech Hall of Fame. He received the honour for taking his company Rocket Lab from a start-up 20 years ago to the multibillion-dollar company it is today, while at the same time contributing to the development of the Kiwi aerospace industry and personally investing in a slate of homegrown start-ups. Watch Beck's pre-recorded acceptance clip below: The 2025 NZ Hi-Tech Award winners PwC Hi-Tech Company of the Year Xero Hi-Tech Young Achiever Winner: Luke Campbell (co-founder & CEO of VXT) Advertise with NZME. Spark Best Hi-Tech Solution for the Public Good Winner: Optimation Consult Recruitment Best Contribution to the NZ Tech Sector Winner: Talent RISE Datacom Hi-Tech Inspiring Individual Winner: Lee Timutimu Winner: Kitea Health Poutama Trust Hi-Tech Kamupene Māori o te Tau – Māori Company of the Year Tait Communications Flying Kiwi Winner: The Village Goldsmith Advertise with NZME. Duncan Cotterill Most Innovative Hi-Tech Software Solution Winner: Toku Eyes Highly commended: Carepatron Braemac Most Innovative Hi-Tech Manufacturer of the Year Winner: The Village Goldsmith Kiwibank Most Innovative Hi-Tech Solution for a More Sustainable Future Advertise with NZME. Winner: Cleanery Winner: Mindhive Global Punakaiki Hi-Tech Start-up Company of the Year Advertise with NZME. Winner: Mindhive Global ASX Hi-Tech Emerging Company of the Year Winner: Projectworks Highly commended: Calocurb
NZ Herald
22-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
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
RNZ News
07-05-2025
- RNZ News
Social housing for crayfish
We're heading to the Bay of Plenty where a special project is underway to restore marine life. Huge sediment plumes caused by severe weather events like Cyclone Gabrielle, have destroyed marine habitats across part of the motu. In Tauranga moana - Tauranga Harbour, port dredging has also played a part. Tua Karalus runs commercial dive company Deep Dive Division - he's part of a team creating artificial reefs, so hundreds of marine creatures have a new place to call home - he thinks of it as social housing for crayfish.
NZ Herald
03-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Artificial reefs in Tauranga Harbour aim to restore marine life
The project, involving local iwi and universities, aims to support marine ecosystems and the 'blue economy'. 'The rest is the circle of life,' Tua said. Deep Dive Division is a Hamilton-based company specialising in commercial and scientific diving services across Aotearoa. It is believed to be the only Māori and Pacific-owned dive company in New Zealand, combining Māori perspectives with environmental science and advanced technology. The nine reefs, situated 13m deep in Tauranga Harbour, were collectively named Peara, meaning 'pearl' in te reo Māori and symbolising the nucleus of change, growth and life, Tua said. The artificial reefs were also given another name, 'social housing for crayfish', and use natural fibres and marine-grade concrete along with proven techniques in how to deploy and rig them to the ocean floor. The artificial reef systems have been deployed in the water to biomimic the habitats of our natural marine ecosystems and restore and protect biodiverse native marine life. Six of the structures were manufactured at Hynds Pipe Systems Ltd under the leadership of Hynds Holdings director and R&D director Aaron Hynds. The remaining three were constructed using a 3D concrete-printing technique. The project was a collaboration between Deep Dive Division, the University of Waikato, local iwi, Hynds Pipe Systems Ltd and the Port of Tauranga. The trial is scheduled to run for an initial period of 24 to 36 months. The effects of the artificial reefs on marine life are plain to see and happen fast, Tua said. Tua said when they started installing the second part of the reef, he saw that crayfish were already crawling on the first part. 'It went straight to the hole that was designed for it.' Projects like Peara were a push into the 'blue economy' and the beginning push into aquaculture, he said. 'We embrace this industry because there will be jobs for local people.' It was a purpose-driven project, starting with surveying the water and marine life and understanding the situation in Tauranga Harbour in real time, Courntey Karalus said. There was also a purposeful New Zealand-led and based approach to creating these artificial reefs, she said. 'Many reef systems going in New Zealand are being bought in from Australia.' Deep Dive Division recognised the strong cultural identity New Zealand has regarding the ocean and freshwater, Courtney said. 'We've got a marine heritage that we need to acknowledge.' Deep Dive was established in 2018 and was involved with urban ocean agriculture structures, with a more real-world approach to environmental science. She said the idea for the artificial reef followed the initial meeting with their partners in Tauranga Harbour. 'We were sitting at our home office whiteboard and sketching something up.' University of Waikato professor Chris Battershill and Professor David Schiel, from the University of Canterbury, have led Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment -funded research to assess marine life loss in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. Battershill has worked closely on the development of Peara, providing scientific guidance on the conditions needed for marine ecosystems to regenerate. The Peara reefs were designed to support the growth of seaweed and shellfish, act as a wave break, and attract marine life. Inbuilt harmonics also helped deter whales and reduce the risk of beaching. By introducing hard substrates, such as natural marine rock or engineered structures like Peara, the reefs provided essential footholds for marine life to grow in sandy or silty environments that typically lacked structure. Reef structures and their acoustic properties were designed using mātauranga Māori to support the colonisation of native marine species in harbours, Battershill said. 'These native colonisers help resist the spread of invasive species.' Native kelps such as Ecklonia and Carpophyllum forest species, along with mats of turfing red seaweeds, provided habitat for important taonga like crayfish, kina and other invertebrates that also served as food for fish, Battershill said. 'These reef outcrops offer refuge for marine biodiversity that is now rare or absent in the harbour.'
