ŌTAUTAHI INNOVATIONS
This city of ours is a special place. We challenge the status quo and routinely change the world. Ernest Rutherford pioneered nuclear physics just down the road from wherever you’re reading this, Kate Sheppard led an equal rights revolution from Ilam, and Bill Hamilton invented the jet boat on our rivers. We punch above our weight for fresh and innovative thinking.
So, who’s pushing the limits today? What businesses are changing the future of humanity and helping the world in their own innovative ways? All these businesses call Christchurch home.
ELECTRICAIR
In an achievement reminiscent of the Wright Brothers, Christchurch company ElectricAir recently flew their electric plane across Cook Strait. It was the world’s longest flight over water by a pure electric plane and cost about $2 in electricity. Gary Freedman founded the company in an effort to reduce the carbon emissions of the aviation industry and hopes their Cook Strait flight is the spark that shifts the industry towards electric.
MEDSALV
Making NZ’s healthcare system more environmentally and financially sustainable, Medsalv reprocesses single-use medical devices and makes them clinically safe to use again. Christchurch Boys’ High leaver Oliver Hunt started it as a Masters project at the University of Canterbury. It has since won innovation awards all over the show. Medsalv estimates they can keep thousands of tonnes of medical waste from landfills and save the NZ health system up to $100 million each year. Legends.
ECLEAN ENVIROTECH
Here’s a harsh reality – less than a generation ago, most of our waterways were swimmable. This is no longer the case, but Christchurch company eClean Envirotech is hoping to turn things around. Ngārie Scartozzi used her expertise in aquaculture to come up with a ‘bioreactor’ of bacteria and other organisms that reduces nutrient loads in waterways. She sees it becoming a commonplace technology in agriculture and other industries.
NZ NATURAL FIBRES
Imagine making F1 cars, superyachts, and road bikes from hemp. Cool, right? That’s the future, according to NZ Natural Fibres. They were recently successful in securing a $3.2m grant via MPI to research and develop their hemp growing, processing, and marketing capabilities. They’re the only hemp fibre company in NZ to own their supply chain end-to-end and have big plans for industrial and consumer products made from hemp fibre. Bring on the future!
PARTLY
This Christchurch company revolutionised the auto parts market by creating online infrastructure for a traditionally offline industry and making it easy for mechanics and companies around the world to ensure they’re buying the right parts for the right vehicle. They have online data for more than 40 million auto parts. They’re also on the money, having raised $1.7m in seed funding, with customers in more than 13 countries.
VXT
It’s often said voicemail is outdated, but perhaps it was just the functionality that was past it. Christchurch-based company Vxt has changed the voicemail game for businesses and individuals around the world by creating an app to listen and even transcribe voice messages. The app has more than 20,000 downloads, and Vxt recently raised $600,000 in seed funding. The young go-getting team, led by 25-year-old Luke Campbell, has growth in their sights.