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Rural innovators get moment in Fieldays sun

A 13-year-old’s five in one tool, an electric farm bike and a toasty warm kennel are among the recipients of the Fieldays Innovation Awards.

Patrick Roskam was the Young Innovator winner with the Gudgeon Pro 5 in 1 tool for hanging gates. He was shortlisted last year with a prototype of a four in one tool, but spent a year developing it to a fully commercial product.

The Launch NZ Innovation Award winner was Plant Detection Systems’s Andrew Lysaght, who created Andweeder. He also entered last year with a prototype and returned this year after more research and development with a marketable product.

“This product brings a step change to the industry, converting an intensive manual process to an automated and precision process. In doing so, they’ve solved a long-standing problem that has bamboozled hi-tech machine vision technology,” the judges said.

The judges gave a Launch New Zealand Innovation merit award to Simcro for its Easi-Dose Applicator and Magazine system.

The IP Service award went to Ranger New Zealand’s 2WD lightweight farm bike, formed by industrial desigers Anthony Clyde and Darryl Neal. Te Pari Products won the Grassroots Innovation Award for the Electronic Drench Gun, and won $5000.

Two merit awards were given in the category, to Rodney Sharpe for a water pump and to Rosie Todhunter for the Thermo Kennel.

Image: Andrew Lysaght with the Andweeder, winner of the Launch NZ Innovation Award.

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