Sponsored by 2degrees
Wānaka Stone Ltd
Investing in innovation has been good for business and staff
Wānaka Stone Director Grant Middendorf says he and fellow director Lucy Middendorf are always looking for better ways of doing things.
“Innovation has been part of Wānaka Stone’s approach right from the start.
“When we started our business, everything was done manually. We knew this was not a sustainable or safe way to operate, so we invested in the most advanced equipment.
“We were the first company in New Zealand to import technically advanced guillotines and conveyors from Italy.
“We also designed and built specialist equipment for working with rock so we could produce the highest-quality stone to meet the needs of our clients.”
Grant says that investing in innovative techniques and equipment has been good for the business bottom line and also good for their staff.
“Using innovative equipment has made the work safer and more enjoyable for our staff and reduced their manual labour so it’s better for their physical health as well.
“At the same time, the technological advances we’ve made have allowed us to increase our productivity and go the extra mile for our customers.”
Wānaka Stone has been operating for 11 years, supplying schist used to create hand-crafted products for high-end residential market and commercial clients in New Zealand and internationally.
K9 Medical Detection NZ Charitable Trust
Aiming to make early cancer detection accessible, affordable, and equitable
K9 Medical Detection NZ Charitable Trust (K9MD) develops canine-based medical diagnostics that use dogs’ extraordinary olfactory ability to detect volatile organic compounds in human urine linked to cancers.
Founded by Pauline Blomfield in 2018, the charity partners with scientists, clinicians, and oncologists to run rigorous trials and ensure clinical standards. K9MD operates a bespoke training and research centre in Invermay, Mosgiel, featuring custom scent-detection
rooms, laboratories, and climate-controlled kennels. Much of the equipment was designed in-house to meet research needs.
The team includes six highly trained detection dogs that act as living biosensors with sensitivity far exceeding humans. K9MD has completed proof-of-concept studies for prostate, bowel, and ovarian cancers, and is now conducting patient trials for bowel and ovarian cancer with independent biostatistical validation.
The programme has generated strong interest from cancer specialists and high patient participation. K9MD emphasises animal welfare through ethical training, foster family care and enrichment for dogs.
Next steps are completing patient trials, publishing peer-reviewed results, translating findings into a primary-care test kit available across New Zealand, and collaborating with laboratories to identify detected volatiles. Global attention acknowledges the potential to reproduce the proven and successful methodologies internationally.
The charity aims to make early cancer detection accessible, affordable, and equitable nationwide today.
Rio Tinto
Agreement shows what’s possible when innovation meets collaboration
Rio Tinto’s New Zealand Aluminium Smelter (NZAS) at Tiwai Point is a global leader in low-carbon aluminium production, exporting over 335,000 tonnes annually to markets like Japan and Korea.
The NZAS plays a vital role in New Zealand’s economy and energy transition, employing nearly 1,000 people and supporting 2,200 indirect jobs.
In May 2024, NZAS signed 20-year electricity contracts, including a groundbreaking demand response agreement with Meridian Energy. This allows the smelter to act as a large-scale battery, reducing electricity use during national shortages.
The agreement provides for up to 800 GWh annually; helping power 60,000 homes during winter 2024’s severe energy crisis.
NZAS formed a dedicated Demand Response team to manage production curtailments and restarts efficiently and safely. Their innovative approach has improved operational agility and demonstrated a strong commitment to national energy resilience.
Executing demand response at Tiwai is a technically delicate feat of precision and coordination, involving complex ramp-down and restart procedures, which in turn can put additional stress on the team at Tiwai.
This is the largest-scale use of industrial demand to manage dry-year risk in New Zealand, and the first of its kind globally within Rio Tinto’s aluminum portfolio. This agreement shows what’s possible when innovation meets collaboration. The Tiwai team are proud to play their part to help out New Zealand when it needs it most.
MastaPlex Ltd
Revolutionising dairy herd health through the innovative Mastatest
MastaPlex Ltd is an agricultural technology company revolutionising dairy herd health through its innovative product, Mastatest. This patented diagnostic system addresses bovine mastitis, a major infectious dairy disease and a leading cause of antibiotic overuse.
Mastatest delivers automated bacterial identification, antibiotic sensitivity testing, and veterinarian-led treatment plans all within 24 hours. The technology is used on-farm, and requires no specialist training. All the work is done through a combination of cutting-
edge hardware and software, automation and artificial intelligence, backed up by a team of microbiology and mastitis experts. Mastatest simplifies mastitis management, reduces antibiotic use, and improves milk quality and volume.
Dunedin-based, MastaPlex was established in 2013. In the past year the company has launched its most advanced third-generation (G3) hardware platform, expanded to include over 20 major dairy markets, and won the Deloitte Fast50 Agtech award.
MastaPlex underpins its innovations with strong data, with its products all validated in peer-reviewed scientific publications. The company benefits from close connections with the University of Otago, and nurtures local scientific talent with internships and part-time roles for students.
The company is continuing to execute on aggressive international expansion plans, is investing in further AI capabilities, and exploring new applications in other animal diseases.
MastaPlex continues to make a global impact by addressing critical challenges in animal health and antibiotic stewardship.
