Best of 2021: Whether it's 'cowgorithms', posts made from recycled plastics or reimagining the wool sector, we spoke to some clever Kiwis this year.

 

The 25-year-old on a mission to revolutionise the wool industry

Scientist Logan Williams has invented a material he hopes will save New Zealand's wool industry from its five-decade decline.

 

Reinventing the wheel: the history of NZ-made bicycles

Of the many bicycles that have been manufactured in New Zealand over the past 150 years, 60 are still in existence today.

Listen - Emma Lewisham: world-class skincare entrepreneur

Emma Lewisham is the Auckland-based founder of the rapidly growing natural skincare brand that bears her name - and boasts celebrity fans like Kourtney Kardashian and Margot Robbie.

 

Bart de Vries: creator of the "world's healthiest desk"

Former physio Bart De Vries is on a mission to create office furniture that helps prevent back pain. The adjustable wooden desks created by his new company Limber have been hailed by international experts as "the world's healthiest desk".

The woman behind South Auckland’s innovative entrepreneurs’ hub

Does a co-working space that sells local fashion and indigenous art while mentoring young creatives sound too good to be true? Manawawharepu Udy has created just that.

 

Auckland carpenter's YouTube videos go global

Scott Brown's carpentry 'how to’ videos are helping DIYers get the job done not just in New Zealand but around the world.

 

Making sustainable seafood from cells

Sandhya Sriram is putting her love of food and passion for stem cell science into the world's first cell-based crustacean meat company.

 

A bright future for Future Post

A Waiuku company making fence posts from used plastics cannot keep up demand.

 

Pioneering new food in Southland

New Zealand's southernmost province is aiming to put itself on the map for producing premium food products, such as ice cream made with pinot noir grape skin powder.

Manu Caddie: ​medicinal cannabis entrepreneur

Manu Caddie talks about utilising the land to boost economic growth in Ruatorea.

 

Entrepreneurial farmers use their own sheep wool to make blankets

Jono Reed was only 14 when he started breeding cattle. His wife Sarah uses the fleece from their hoggets to produce blankets and knitting yarn for her Grumpy Merino brand. 

 

Wellington-based sustainable shoe company launches in the USA

After Jeremy Bank's daughter found plastic all over a beach in Hawai'i, the Wellington entrepreneur was inspired to create sustainable shoes.  His company YY Nation produces shoes from merino, pineapple husks, algae, bamboo and recycled plastic.

Listen - Jayden Klinac: entrepreneur and environmentalist

In one year, Jayden Klinac's suburban farm in Wellington has diverted over 40,000 kg of food waste and packaging from landfills. He's also developed New Zealand's first biodegradable and compostable water bottle.

 

From poverty in Malaysia to helping trace Covid-19 in NZ

Amidst profound deprivation, Alan Chew’s illiterate parents raised him to become a leader in innovation and helping those in need.

 

From space rockets to 'cowgorithms'

 A Kiwi agri-tech company called Halter is creating electronic cattle collars that use sound and vibration to guide and contain individual cows. Halter's founder and CEO Craig Piggott dreamed up the idea while working at Rocket Lab.