"Since launching we have fielded calls from individuals and organisations involved in disaster relief from extreme weather conditions and the ePump will enable access to water supplies," Mr Streeter said.
Another market the pair is keen to open up to is remote recreational land such as Department of Conservation huts as well as holiday homes in remote areas.
Mr Streeter and Mr Heaton gained Callaghan Innovation funding which helped developed the controller or the "brain", which is a circuit board that optimises the use of solar power and monitors water pressure, run times and faults logs.
The system is fully automatic and operates like a standard pumping system. It has some smart features to maximise the pumping time and protect the motor.
The ePump can pump up to 120 metres of head and up to 20 litres per minute in daylight hours and can withstand the harshest environments. It can fill stock troughs on hillsides up to 120 metres on hill country and unlike other options it can draw both clean and dirty water.
Top dog
Waikoau sheep dog trialist Dave Wallace got the island and national championships' series off to a good start for Hawke's Bay when he won the North Island short head and yard title with Toi last week at Mangamingi, near Eltham.
While Hawke's Bay centre trialists are regularly among the honours at the New Zealand, North Island and South Island championships, Wallace's win with Toi was the first North Island championships victory for the Hawke's Bay centre since the 2012 event at Ohaeawai, near Kaikohe.
In addition to the wins by Te Aute's Bob Bruce and Te Pohue's Stu McNeill in those championships in the Far North, Wallace and Blue made the runoff in both heading trials, Toi also made a North Island runoff at Taumarunui in 2014, and Wallace and Slug reached the South Island short head and yard runoff at Greenvale, in Southland, last year.
With Toi, and Hawke's Bay Centre 2016 champion heading dog, Wallace has an in-form kennel going into the South Island and New Zealand Championships at Omarama, North Otago, starting on May 30. Hawke's Bay's last New Zealand Championships title was Mark Loye's straight hunt triumph with Troop at Orakei Korakau, near Taupo, in 2013.
Fruitfly backstop
New Zealand's $700 million pipfruit industry says it will have greater confidence in the country's biosecurity system now that it will play an influencing role in helping to manage and govern biosecurity and risk.
Pipfruit New Zealand's chief executive Alan Pollard said growers have welcomed the Government Industry Agreement for Readiness and Response (GIA) and supported the partnership with Government.
Mr Pollard, who signed the Fruit Fly Operational Agreement under GIA on behalf of apple and pear growers, said industry and Government now had a successful template to follow for other biosecurity risks.
