St Paul’s Collegiate School’s Agribusiness students have been awarded Young Innovator of the Year at Fieldays 2016.
Ben McColgan, Hugh Jackson, Connor Gordon and Angus Kelly’s product – Crankworks – is a post hole borer holder that attaches to a trailer or motorbike to assist a single person with bore hole production by eliminating the twisting movement.
The four young innovators developed the product in one of their Agribusiness classes at St Paul’s.
The Agribusiness programme, which is currently offered exclusively at St Paul’s, was created by St Paul’s, DairyNZ and Beef + LambNZ to inspire secondary school students to consider a career in the primary industries by opening their eyes to the world of opportunities in the sector that go beyond the farm gate.
Peter Nation, NZ National Fieldays Society CEO said the level of ingenuity in the Innovation Centre this year was second to none.
“You’re looking at innovations today that could very well revolutionise agribusiness tomorrow,” said Nation.
“I’d like to congratulate all of the inventors here today. What you’re doing means you’re tuned in to the foundation of the industry, which is innovation. We don’t grow and we don’t advance without stopping and asking the pertinent questions about where we are, how we got here and what it will take to move forward.
“Looking around the Innovations Centre today, the right questions are being addressed.”
There were 70 entrants in the Fieldays Innovation Awards this year.
Award winners
- Fieldays Young Innovator of the Year – St Paul’s Collegiate School, Crankworks
- Vodafone Innovation and Technology – Agricultural Software Limited, FarmWalker Pasture Meter
- Locus Research Innovation Award – Kevin Bain, Pest Trap Reset Mechanism
- Origin Innovation IP Award – Progressive Equipment Limited, Pipe Grabber
- Crowe Horwath Agri Innovation Award – Styx Solutions, Styx Batten and Outrigger System
- Tompkins Wake IP and Commercialisation Award – Antahi Innovations Limited, TrutiTuber and FlexiTuber
- Tru-Test Prototype Grassroots Award – Kevin Bain, Pest Trap Reset Mechanism
- Tru-Test Prototype Established Award – Styx Solutions, Styx Batten and Outrigger System
- Fieldays Launch NZ Award – The Wrangler Limited, Pollen Smart
