KEY POINTS:
1. Making good use of waste:
This month Blenheim-based Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation announced it had successfully refined wild algae to create the world's first sample of synthetic paraffinic kerosene.
Blended with petroleum-based kerosene, SPK can be used to power commercial and military aircraft.
The company sources its wild algae from the local oxidation ponds in Marlborough and is essentially recycling a waste product.
Director Nick Gerritsen says this is a significant milestone for the aviation industry and supports the identification of algae-based fuel solutions by Boeing and leading airlines. Wild algae grows in wastewater and is continuously harvested, one of the great benefits of algae over other land-based crops, and it doesn't compete with food crops or farm land.
We also like Hamilton outfit Enviro Energy which launched its waste technology this year, using waste to fuel a self-sustaining system that turns more waste into a safe ash.
2. Cost and energy-efficient web-based businesses:
As well as cutting their costs by being web-based, Nelson-based global carbon credits success story Offset The Rest is also cutting its own carbon footprint and was this year the only company in Asia Pacific to be named as one of the top 30 carbon offset providers in the world.
The company was also identified as one of only three offset providers worldwide to offer exceptional service through a commitment to selling the highest quality carbon credits.
Another example is ReadWriteWeb, a technology blog company that started in Lower Hutt five years ago and is now world famous. The blog provides web technology news, reviews and analysis.
It has grown to become one of the world's top 20 most popular blogs and one of the world's 100 most influential websites - it has around 250,000 RSS and email subscribers.
3. Making the net easier for technophobes:
It's almost web-design-for-dummies: Silverstripe developed a content management system that is targeted at website designers who are not technically savvy.
The company is focusing on developing markets in the United States over the next couple of years.
However, they are targeting a global audience.
Silverstripe graduated from the Creative HQ Incubator funded by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise in June 2006.
The company has tripled its revenue and doubled its staff as it has bagged work for government and large corporations.
Silverstripe has since received funding from NZTE and hosted the recent US Democratic Website which gave it excellent publicity.
This year Aptimize launched the Runtime Page Optimizer (RPO) - a software package that speeds up the working of websites.
It's sold to companies that want to speed up their downloads and are already looking to sell offshore.
They have just received a market development grant which will assist their spread into international markets.
4. Spreading New Zealand creative talent overseas:
High-end boutique production house The Sweet Shop, established in 2001, uses home grown creativity and top New Zealand directors and production crews to make TV commercials that are screened all around the world - this year its anti-nuclear-themed Steinlager Pure advertisement was named one of the best.
The award-winning company has also launched sister company The Rumpus Room producing interactive films. This year a film based on the Pet Shop Boys won it awards for innovation and Mobile Public Service.
5. Launching cracker inventions:
Glenn Martin of Christchurch created an international sensation when he exhibited his Martin Jetpack at America's biggest consumer airshow, EAA Airventure in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in July.
He claimed his real-life jetpack will repay a near $1 million investment by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology "twenty-fold" as he lines up customers around the world.
The jetpack was developed over 27 years and will reinforce New Zealand's reputation as a high-tech country. Martin has had interest from a wide range of organisations around the world, from search and rescue, police, promotional companies and military organisations. Some are talking about buying 100 units.
6. Developing high-tech solutions to fill global gaps in the market:
Palmerston-North based satellite tracking solutions company Spidertracks signed a deal with Cessna to use its aircraft tracking systems in September.
The company was formed last year in order to take the world's first truly portable satellite-based tracking system to the international market.
It fills the gap in the market for an integrated GPS/satellite tracking system that wasn't limited to the cellular phone network and coverage and has attracted clients from across the globe who are looking for accurate flight, marine and vehicle tracking information to ensure the safety of their pilots and to increase the productivity of their businesses through improved tracking and planning.
7. Saving the world from Anthrax:
Christchurch start-up company Veritide has developed a hand-held portable bacterial spore detector which detects biothreats like anthrax and is gaining traction overseas.
In September it was one of 15 high-tech companies in the world which were selected for the Global Security Challenge.
The lightweight, portable Veritide bacterial spore detector is about the size of a large coffee mug and is the result of work by Associate Professor Lou Reinisch from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Canterbury.
Tests have found the technology to be 99 per cent accurate and capable of producing a result within just a few minutes.
8. DB's foray into foods:
The popularity of Tui T-shirts, billboards and books saw DB Breweries extend its merchandise to foods and launch Tui pies and tomato sauce this year.
The product empire that has been built around the Tui beer brand could earn $2.5 million this year thanks to the latest addition - the meat pie.
About 5000 Tui pies and 7000 bottles of sauce are sold weekly and production rate is increasing by about 20 per cent a week. There are projections the merchandise and food items could touch the $2.5 million mark this year.
