Congratulations RiverWatch! Winners of the Bridge Hub 2020 Water Challenge New Zealand Startup Stream Category

Congratulations RiverWatch! Winners of the Bridge Hub 2020 Water Challenge New Zealand Startup Stream Category

by | Oct 30, 2020 | Trans-Tasman Water Challenge

As sponsors of the Bridge Hub 2020 Water Challenge New Zealand Startup Steam Category, Jacqui and I were delighted to join James Muir, co-founder of RiverWatch, at Zespri HQ on Friday as the winners of the Bridge Hub 2020 Water Challenge were announced.

If you missed the virtual Finale which featured Vic Crone, CEO of Callaghan Innovation and David Thodey, Chair of CSIRO, you can view the presentation on YouTube here.

RiverWatch is the next generation of water quality monitoring, providing an easier, smarter way to gather water data.  An innovative, compact device, using the latest in remote sensing technology and IoT networks, delivering real time data straight to your phone or desktop. And with knowledge comes power, to make targeted changes to improve New Zealand’s declining fresh water quality.

James and his team were well deserved winners of the New Zealand startup stream category. An alumni of the Sprout Accelerator programme, they are addressing one of the most important environmental issues facing New Zealand and the world right now.

The 2020 Bridge Hub Water Challenge was the first major trans-Tasman agritech initiative. Over 120 entries were submitted from Australia and New Zealand in both startup and research categories. A further 20+ entries were submitted by startups and researchers based in Israel, a key ecosystem partner of the Bridge Hub. This interest reflects the absolute importance of water; it’s availability, management & quality for our agrifood sector. It is our most significant natural resource.

Working with our co-sponsors and partners in New Zealand, Zespri and Callaghan Innovation, has been a blast. Together, we have not only highlighted a major challenge that New Zealand and the world’s agrifood industry collectively face, we have also created the opportunity for a collaborative road map to address this challenge with partners across the Tasman.

So what’s next? Wharf42 intends to work with the Bridge Hub to build a collaborative network of researchers and startups working in this space. Both organisations recognise that the Challenge was far more than simply a one-off event. It provided the opportunity to build a community of like-minded organisations and individuals seeking to address one of the world’s most significant existential issues.

My final word goes to Bridge Hub and the team there; Craig, Di, Ethy & Grant. In what were very trying times, where closed borders within Australia added a new dimension to the word ‘trying’, the team never lost faith or focus on the Challenge. It’s been great working with the Bridge Hub and wearing Wharf42’s trans-Tasman lens, it provides a great platform for joint future initiatives.

Going forward, for all of us, the real work and the real opportunity begins now.

The Bridge Hub Trans-Tasman Water Challenge Research Finalists Announced!

The Bridge Hub Trans-Tasman Water Challenge Research Finalists Announced!

by | Sep 14, 2020 | Trans-Tasman Water Challenge

The Bridge Hub & Wharf42 are excited to announce the eight research finalists from Australia and New Zealand who have progressed to the next round of the Bridge Hub 2020 Trans-Tasman Water Challenge Research Stream.

The purpose of the Bridge Hub 2020 Water Challenge has been to uncover the best and brightest research, the most innovative ideas and the best startups that positively impact water sustainability within our agrisystem. The Water Challenge was launched in July by the Hon Michael McCormack, Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and the Hon Phil Twyford, Minister for Economic Development in New Zealand.

Finalists will now progress to the next round which includes a two week workshop series being delivered in partnership with Callaghan Innovation and the Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN). CSIRO, the Australian Research Stream sponsor and Zespri, the New Zealand Research Stream sponsor will be involved in the next round of judging to take place.

One Australian research winner and one New Zealand research winner will each receive a cash prize of $25,000. Blue River Group will invest up to $100,000 into the commercial outcome of the prize winning research from each country. So drum roll. Who are the New Zealand research contenders in the Water Challenge final? Many congratulations to;

  • Nitrate removal to safeguard water quality
    Associate Professor David Leung
    University of Canterbury, NZ

  • EFF-GO – 21st Century Solution for 21st Century Waste
    Dr Peter Dyer
    Callaghan Innovation, NZ

  • Real-time control of irrigation through acoustic sensing to prevent runoff and pollution
    Dr Chandra Ghimire
    AgResearch Ltd, NZ

It’s been a fantastic honour to work with the Bridge Hub to identify some of the ground-breaking research work being undertaken in both Australia and New Zealand to address this critical issue. To the nine other New Zealand research organisation submissions, we will continue to work with you to assist deliver real value to our agribusiness sector.

If you want to learn more about the ongoing development of the Wharf42 Insights Programme and other initiatives currently being kept under wraps, please sign up for our free Monthly Newsletter.

Wharf42 Sponsors the $5,000 Prize for the Winning NZ Trans-Tasman Water Challenge Startup Entry

Wharf42 Sponsors the $5,000 Prize for the Winning NZ Trans-Tasman Water Challenge Startup Entry

by | Aug 14, 2020 | Trans-Tasman Water Challenge

Wharf42 officially relaunches its website today. It’s great to be back!

Today we are also announcing our sponsorship of the $5,000 prize for the best New Zealand Bridge Hub Trans-Tasman Water Challenge Startup Entry. We are teaming up with our great friends at Zespri, who are sponsoring the major $25,000 New Zealand Bridge Hub Water Challenge Research Prize.

Water is our most precious natural resource. Its availability, its management and its quality are of critical importance to the human race. For the global agrifood sector, extreme weather events brought on by climate change have had a devastating impact. Australia has suffered from years of drought whilst in New Zealand, we have been experiencing both extended dry periods and damaging floods.

The Trans-Tasman Water Challenge, initiated by the Bridge Hub, a NSW innovation hub, and supported by both the Australia New Zealand Agritech Council and the New Zealand government’s Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (ITP), has been designed to bring together researchers and startups from both sides of the Tasman, focused on finding solutions to address these issues.

Across the ditch, many of Australia’s leading research organisations including CSIRO, AgriFutures Australia and the Universities of Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide are taking part. In New Zealand, applications have already been submitted from a large number of researchers and startups.

As well as the cash prizes, Wharf42 will work with ALL the startups who submit applications, post the Challenge’s completion. We are working with Callaghan Innovation to set up a series of online workshops which will cover off a number of key opportunities. Separately, we will activate the Wharf42 Insights Programme to provide relevant market intelligence data to assist the commercialisation of the submitted applications.

Finally, we are working with the Bridge Hub to identify opportunities to field trial and test solutions, on-farm, in both Australia and New Zealand. For New Zealand startups wanting to increase their offshore visibility, this Challenge offers an amazing opportunity.

We have extended the application close date for the Water Challenge to Friday 28 August. If you want to submit an application and help address this critical global issue, please go to www.waterchallenge.co

Wharf42 is delighted to be supporting this major Trans-Tasman initiative.

If you want to learn more about the ongoing development of the Wharf42 Insights Programme and other initiatives currently being kept under wraps, please sign up for our free Monthly Newsletter.

Zespri Sponsor $25,000 trans-Tasman Water Challenge Research Prize

Zespri Sponsor $25,000 trans-Tasman Water Challenge Research Prize

by | Aug 2, 2020 | Trans-Tasman Water Challenge

The Australia New Zealand Agritech Council and the Bridge Hub are delighted to announce that Zespri are sponsoring the $25,000 New Zealand Water Challenge Research prize.

The Water Challenge is open to research organisations and researchers across New Zealand. The Challenge was initiated by the Bridge Hub, an innovation hub based in NSW. It is supported by the Australia New Zealand Agritech Council and the Agritech Industry Transformation Plan taskforce.

Peter Wren-Hilton, Wharf42 CEO says; “It’s fantastic to have Zespri as our major sponsor for the New Zealand Water Challenge Research prize. As both New Zealand and Australia address the critical issues facing our most significant natural resource, we recognise Zespri’s huge contribution in developing new ways to improve sustainability in horticultural production”.

As well as the cash prize, the winners of the Research Challenge will have the opportunity to conduct monitored field trials in both Australia and New Zealand. An investment of up to $100,000 will also be made by the Bridge Hub to assist the winner’s commercialise their research.

You can learn more about the Challenge and how to register your interest at www.waterchallenge.co Applications close on Friday 28 August 2020.

If you want to learn more about the ongoing development of the Wharf42 Insights Programme and other initiatives currently being kept under wraps, please sign up for our free Monthly Newsletter.

Wharf42 Sponsors the $5,000 Prize for the Winning NZ Trans-Tasman Water Challenge Startup Entry

Wharf42 supports the Bridge Hub Trans-Tasman Water Challenge

by | Jul 23, 2020 | Trans-Tasman Water Challenge

On Monday 13 July, I hosted the formal launch of the Bridge Hub Trans-Tasman Water Challenge during Fieldays Online.

The focus of the Challenge is to identify current research being undertaken in both Australia and New Zealand designed to address the issue of our most precious natural resource; water. Its availability, its management and its quality.

The Challenge is encouraging research organisations and start-ups on both sides of the ditch to take part in the initiative. In New Zealand, Zespri has offered $25,000 prize money to the winning submission from a research organisation. A further $5,000 is being offered as a prize for the best start-up submission. The Bridge Hub are making up to $100,000 of investment available as an additional equity incentive. This initiative has serious legs.

Cash prizes though are only part of the story. The really valuable part of the outcome, in my opinion, is the potential trialing of applications on-farm in both New Zealand and Australia. Another very valuable component here. Through their ecosystem, the Bridge Hub has secured to interest and support of some key players in the Israeli agritech ecosystem.

You can find out more information about the Challenge and register your interest by visiting www.waterchallenge.co

We hope you can join us on this exciting journey.

If you want to learn more about the ongoing development of the Wharf42 Insights Programme and other initiatives currently being kept under wraps, please sign up for our free Monthly Newsletter.