Technology Commendations
Previous winners

2006 winners

Optimation

Wellington-based Optimation New Zealand Ltd has developed unique technology for Equip Utilities Limited, for automatically billing customers in the international non-telco utilities market where smart metering is being introduced. Equip has made an important contribution to Optimation’s 25 per cent growth in high skill-high value jobs and 40 per cent revenue growth in the 2006 financial year.

Compac

Vision technology developed by Compac Sorting Equipment Ltd for sorting and grading kiwifruit improves pack house efficiency and accuracy, resulting in lower packing costs and enabling a pack house to continue operating at full capacity at all times, even when there is a shortage of skilled staff. Compac’s equipment is already being used internationally.

Weta

Weta Productions Limited is the screen production division of the special effects group of companies, Weta. Weta Productions’ new animation pipeline uses various forms of technology in a unique way to create high quality animated television while remaining within television budgets. The new Weta technology is debuting around the world in a children’s television series, Jane and the Dragon.

Mako Networks

Mako Networks, Auckland, has developed a comprehensive Internet security and network management system targeted at small to medium sized businesses to give protection from the risks and costs often associated with Internet connections. The technology bundles technologies into a single system comprising a modem, firewall, and router that sit at users’ premises and secure remote management servers that control them.

2005 winners

Cabco Group Limited

Cabco Group Limited has designed an electronic shopping trolley, called a 'TV Kart', since before 2000.

The carts are designed to entertain young children while their parents shop in a supermarket or retail environment. By keeping children occupied and amused, the carts should enable parents to also have a better shopping experience.

Shaped like a vehicle with a large shopping basket and a cab for two children, TV Karts are themed and fitted with LCD screens which play videos of famous kids' characters, such as Bob the Builder.

Cabco has secured a contract to supply 15,000 carts over the next three years to Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer based in the US. It is also supplying carts to H.E. Butt (H.E.B), a large US food retailer. Cabco predicts the Wal-Mart contract alone has the potential to produce sales of $NZ50 million per annum.

Cabco is based in Auckland, where its factory is also located, and it has a branch in Dallas, US.

Innaworks Development Limited

Wellington company Innaworks Development Limited has produced a product that alleviates a key technological barrier facing mobile game and application developers today: the size constraint.

Called mBooster, the product automatically reduces the size of mobile games and applications for the J2ME platform, a version of the computer language Java used for cell phones, PDAs (personal digital assistants) and other consumer appliances. Three years in research and development, mBooster incorporates important advances in compiler technologies and compression technologies.

Since the product was launched in May, Innaworks has focused on exporting mBooster to Europe and North America. Currently without a directly competing product, the company is on track to capture 30% of the world-wide market within a year and hopes to enter Asian markets next year.

The global mobile game sales market exceeded $US1 billion in 2004 and is expected to reach $US6-8 billion by 2008. mBooster is in an excellent position to benefit from this growth.

Innaworks received the Telecom New Zealand Incubators Award for 'Innovation of the Year' in April.

Cyberglue Software Limited

Auckland-based Cyberglue Software produces a range of e-business web applications. Their latest product, eAlertTM, believed to be a world-first, is an Internet-based software and hardware system that provides a single integrated system for managing emergency notifications. It allows government agencies, Civil Defence, councils, utility and infrastructure companies to rapidly provide critical information to other parties; helping to save lives, protect property and give those affected time to respond.

Cyberglue's eAlert assists before, during and after a crisis with intelligence gathering, comprehensive information management and sophisticated incident handling.

Incidents can be loaded in less than 30 seconds by nominated users via any Internet connected device.

Notifications are sent out in multiple formats such as fax, email, SMS text message, pager,
website and IVR (interactive voice response).

The system was developed as a response to the New Zealand Automobile Association (AA) and Transit New Zealand's need for a much improved highway reporting service. Cyberglue's eAlert has been powering AA Roadwatch since mid-2004.

Following the Boxing Day tsunami in the Indian Ocean, eAlert has attracted attention from organisations around the globe.

Terralink International Limited

Terralink International is a Wellington-based geographic information company, with a branch in Albany, Auckland.

Privatised from the former Government-owned enterprise Terralink NZ Ltd in 2001, its business specialises in delivering mapping, property information and geospatial datasets, as well as aerial and satellite images of New Zealand. These are used to produce many of New Zealand's official topographic and city maps.

Terralink's latest technology platform - high resolution satellite imaging technology - has large international applicability.

The new technology allows processing of a wide range of satellite images with different resolutions, which can compete on a par with aerial photographs taken from an aircraft, the current gold-standard.

Terralink hopes the satellite image technology will help grow its annual revenue to $NZ50 million by 2010.

It has already signed an alliance agreement with Europe's largest aerial mapping company Hansa Luftbild that is likely to result in Terralink winning multi-million dollar contracts from Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia.

2004 winners

Virtual Katy Limited

Virtual Katy Development Limited, established in Wellington in 2002, is the producer of Virtual Katy, the innovative sound editing software solution for the international film and television industry.

Virtual Katy, a unique tool that revolutionizes the post production process, has been used extensively on productions such as 'The Lord of the Rings', 'Bridget Jones Diary 2' and 'Thunderbirds'.

Virtual Katy have recently secured large international orders in America and Europe, made possible under the guidance of the newly appointed CEO Paul Dixon and with the assistance of investor funding provided by Sparkbox Ltd, New Zealand's foremost 'business angel investment' company.

Electronic Navigation Limited

Electronic Navigation Limited is a marine electronics company based in the Westhaven marine precinct.

It supplies integrated electronic systems to the super yacht industry, technology to the fishing industry and the recreational boating market and to the Australasian maritime surveillance and safety markets.

Electronic Navigation Limited is in the process of launching a new product called Wassp - or Wide Angle Sonar Seafloor Profiler - which will provide users with very detailed information about the seafloor shape, composition and fish school size and location. The global target market for Wassp includes commercial fishing and diving; marine research, exploration, search and rescue, police and customs, education; hydrographic and obstacle avoidance markets.

Tekron International Limited

Tekron International designs and manufactures time synchronisation equipment. Their flagship product - a GPS based time code generator for the power industry - provides atomic clock accuracy for network monitoring and control.

Chaos of power blackouts in North America and Europe highlighted the importance of reliable electricity supply to modern economies. Blackouts could increase in frequency as demand escalates and networks operate under higher loads.

Tekron time synchronisation installed as part of control systems both aids in disaster recovery and provides greater efficiency, enabling networks to operate closer to capacity.
Exports account for 70% of Tekron sales, with products exported to North America, South Africa, Middle East, Asia and Australia.

SERKO® - Corporate Online Travel Solution

Interactive Technologies produces the Serko suite of advanced booking and travel management solutions for travel agents and corporate travel administrators. Within a short time-span Serko has shaken up the New Zealand travel industry and achieved 60% corporate market take-up here.

Interactive Technologies continues to expand the Serko suite and its most recently released product, Serko Online, for the first time puts the power of real-time online travel management in the hands of corporate travel administrators - while remaining fully integrated with Serko corporate/retail, used by travel agents.

With the Serko suite already well received in the Australian and Asian markets, Interactive Technologies is now set to launch Serko into new markets worldwide.