Hi-tech heroes 2026: celebrating the brightest stars of Aotearoa’s tech ecosystem

The 2026 NZ Hi-Tech Awards delivered a powerful finale to Techweek26, bringing the sector together to celebrate the companies and individuals proving that world-class innovation can be built in Aotearoa, and scaled to the world.

With close to 1,300 people in attendance at Spark Arena and a record number of entries judged by an international panel, the class of 2026 reflects the breadth of what Kiwi tech is doing right now. It’s also a reminder that our best companies are not only building great products, they’re building capability, talent, and momentum for the whole ecosystem.

The Major Winners: global scale, built from Aotearoa

The evening’s top honour, PwC Hi-Tech Company of the Year, went to Tait Communications, a Christchurch-founded company that continues to innovate at pace on the global stage.

International judges highlighted Tait’s ability to keep moving fast despite being 57 years into its journey. In a standout year, the company passed the half‑billion‑dollar revenue mark, expanded into new countries through organic growth and acquisition, and introduced technically advanced new products while competing strongly on the world stage.

Another major winner was Hectre, which took out two awards on the night. The orchard management and fruit quality platform won both NZTE Most Innovative Hi-Tech Agritech Solution and Hi-Tech Kamupene Māori o te Tau – Māori Company of the Year. It’s a strong signal of Aotearoa’s agritech depth, and the growing momentum of Māori-led technology companies with global relevance.

The prestigious Flying Kiwi honour was bestowed on Vaughan Fergusson, founder of Vend, recognising not only his entrepreneurial achievements but also his ongoing contribution to the sector through mentorship and philanthropy, including support via the Pam Fergusson Charitable Trust. 

From emerging leaders to breakout momentum

The Xero Hi-Tech Young Achiever award went to Lucy Turner, CTO and co-founder of VXT, highlighting the next wave of technical leadership coming through the ecosystem. Lucy’s win is a reminder that strong product companies are built on deep engineering capability, not just great ideas.

That next-wave energy was echoed by Kara Technologies, winner of Hi-Tech Startup Company of the Year. Kara is building AI-powered sign language translation using hyper-realistic digital avatars, helping make content and services more accessible for Deaf communities. It’s a Kiwi startup tackling a globally relevant problem, with inclusion built in from the start. We were lucky enough to hear directly from Co-Founder Arash Tayebi on Monday at our Techweek Launch. You can read more about his story here. 

The ASX Hi-Tech Emerging Company of the Year award went to Calocurb, recognising a company moving beyond early traction into a clear growth pathway. Built on New Zealand research into appetite suppression by Plant & Food Research, Calocurb is a strong example of the commercialisation journey New Zealand needs more of: taking deep capability and turning it into product, adoption, and scale.

Innovation with purpose: technology serving people and the planet

A standout public-good winner was Hark by 800 Trust, which took home Best Hi-Tech Solution for the Public Good. Hark is a solar-powered AI bioacoustic monitoring system that can run many species classifiers on-device, enabling 24/7 passive wildlife monitoring. It’s a powerful example of technology supporting conservation outcomes in practical, scalable ways.

Environmental innovation was celebrated with TCS winning Most Innovative Hi-Tech Solution for a More Sustainable Future for their product milkcollect, highlighting the impact of innovation on a high-emission industry where efficiency improvements can quickly compound and lead to tangible environmental impact.

Breakthrough technology and deep tech momentum

The Fujitsu Most Innovative Deep Tech Solution award went to MACSO Technologies, recognised for frontier innovation in AI and sensing. Deep tech is hard, long-term work. MACSO’s win reflects a growing confidence that Aotearoa can build at the cutting edge, not just adopt what’s built elsewhere.

Starboard Maritime Intelligence was Highly Commended, recognised for innovation supporting better maritime intelligence and decision-making.

Creative technology and advanced manufacturing, made here

Two winners on the night reinforced something Techweek celebrates every year: tech and innovation are broad terms that hold a diverse range of businesses across many sectors. 

Kitten Space Agency by RocketWerkz won Most Innovative Hi-Tech Creative Technology Solution, recognised for creative tech that stands out in a global market.

And Architectural Glass Products won Most Innovative Hi-Tech Manufacturer, showcasing Aotearoa’s continued strength in high-value manufacturing and engineering-led innovation.

Building the ecosystem, and recognising the people who lift others

Two awards celebrated a different kind of impact, the work that strengthens the sector itself.

Oxygen Advisors won Best Contribution to the NZ Tech Sector for their decade of work to build financial capability within New Zealand’s high growth start-up ecosystem. And Tim Young (Smart Access) received the Hi-Tech Inspiring Individual award, for the way he turned his own experience navigating the world as a tetraplegic into technology that now helps communities across Australia and New Zealand.

Why it matters for Aotearoa

From advanced communications and agritech to conservation tools, accessibility technology, deep tech and manufacturing, the winners of 2026 share a common mindset: build solutions that matter, scale them with ambition, and compete globally.

The class of 2026 sets a high bar. Their success is not only something to celebrate, it’s something that will inspire the next wave of Kiwi innovators we’ll see at Techweek27 and beyond.

Explore the full 2026 winners list
Read the official media release