Hi-Tech Heroes: Celebrating the Brightest Stars of Aotearoa's Tech Ecosystem

The 2025 NZ Hi-Tech Awards gala in Wellington delivered the perfect finale to Techweek25, showcasing the remarkable breadth and depth of innovation flourishing across Aotearoa. From ocean-floor exploration to space technology, this year's winners represent the cutting edge of Kiwi ingenuity, proving that world-class technology can emerge from any corner of our small island nation.

The Major Winners: From Tauranga to the Stratosphere

The evening's top honour, PwC Hi-Tech Company of the Year, went to SYOS Aerospace, a Tauranga-born company that has achieved remarkable growth in just four years. SYOS has developed heavy-lift uncrewed vehicles that operate across air, land and sea. Their flagship SA200 drone is capable of carrying a 200 kg payload for rescue, defence and logistics missions.

The judges were particularly impressed by the company's "unrivalled capability-to-cost ratio" and dual-use potential, which has already attracted customers on both sides of the Tasman. SYOS was also highlighted by the Hon Nicola Willis in her opening address, recognising their exceptional contribution to New Zealand's technology sector.

The prestigious Tait Communications Flying Kiwi honour was bestowed upon Sir Peter Beck, recognising his transformative impact on New Zealand's technology landscape. Two decades after Rocket Lab's humble garage beginnings, Sir Peter continues to push boundaries with the development of the Neutron medium-lift rocket, a Virginia production hub, and the creation of more than 600 high-value space sector jobs in New Zealand.

From Student Side-Hustle to Export Success

Luke Campbell of VXT claimed the Xero Hi-Tech Young Achiever award, exemplifying how student innovation can flourish into a company that’s rapidly scaling to international markets. Campbell co-founded VXT at the University of Canterbury in 2018 with a simple mission: turn voicemail into text. Today, VXT has evolved into a comprehensive cloud-phone and AI call-administration platform serving thousands of professionals across Australasia.

This growth trajectory was matched by Projectworks, winner of the ASX Emerging Company of the Year. The Wellington-born professional services automation platform raised a US $5 million Series A in 2024, hired a Silicon Valley-based CEO, and now helps 18,000 consultants at 500 firms visualise time, revenue and resourcing in a single interface.

Innovation with Purpose: Technology Serving People and Planet

The Spark Public Good Award recognised Optimation Connect for their biometric, self-service platform that is digitising community-corrections work for agencies in New Zealand and Queensland. By slashing paperwork, the system frees frontline staff to focus on rehabilitation rather than administrative tasks.

Environmental innovation was celebrated with Cleanery taking home the Kiwibank Most Innovative Hi-Tech Solution for a Sustainable Future. Auckland chemists Ellie Brade and Mark Sorensen transformed household cleaners into concentrated powders, reducing plastic by 98% and carbon emissions by 70%. 

Cultural Leadership and Indigenous Innovation

The awards showcased the vital contribution of Māori innovation to New Zealand's tech landscape. Lee Timutimu received the Datacom Hi-Tech Inspiring Individual award for his two decades of work weaving mātauranga Māori into augmented-reality experiences through Arataki Systems, while also growing the Māori tech economy and developing the next generations’ tech skills through Te Matarau - the Māori Tech Association.

Deep Dive Division, led by Waikato siblings Tua and Courtney Karalus, took home the Poutama Trust Hi-Tech Kamupene Māori o te Tau – Māori Company of the Year award. As Aotearoa's only Māori and Pacific-owned commercial and scientific dive company, they blend traditional diving expertise with underwater remote operated vehicle (ROV) technology and kaitiakitanga principles to survey film sets, salvage debris and regenerate reefs.

Breakthrough Technologies Addressing Global Challenges

The Aware - an HSO Company Most Innovative Deep Tech Solution award went to Kitea Health for their rice-grain-sized wireless sensor that monitors intracranial pressure in hydrocephalus patients. This Auckland Bioengineering Institute spin-out has already implemented their technology in the world's first child recipient, with potential applications for heart-failure monitoring on the horizon.

Also in the healthcare space, Toku Eyes claimed the Duncan Cotterill Most Innovative Software Solution award for their CLAiR AI system, which analyses retinal photos to identify heart-disease risk. The technology has earned FDA Breakthrough Device status, moving routine eye examinations closer to becoming comprehensive health assessments.

Precision Manufacturing Meets Creative Innovation

The Village Goldsmith demonstrated that innovation extends to traditional crafts, winning the NZX Creative Tech & Braemac Manufacturer of the Year award. Ian Douglas' patented Floeting® Diamond sets gems without claws or bezels, creating settings 20 percent stronger than traditional methods that are now adorning customers in more than a dozen countries.

Mindhive Global secured both the NZTE Most Innovative Hi-Tech Agritech Solution and Punakaiki Fund Hi-Tech Start-Up Company of the Year awards for their machine-vision technology that grades leather hides in just six seconds. By halving reject rates, the system has already been installed in tanneries across nine countries, with potential applications across a raft of other industrial processes.

Building the Talent Pipeline

The Consult Recruitment Best Contribution to the Tech Sector award went to Talent RISE, the only youth-employment charity backed by a global recruiter. Last year, they coached 554 rangatahi and placed 61 into tech roles, fuelled by their $96,000 "Step Up Challenge" fundraiser, addressing the critical need for developing New Zealand's future tech workforce.

Why It Matters for New Zealand

From micro-implants to macro-rockets, this year's winners share a common mindset: solve real-world problems, scale globally, and keep people and planet at the core. This approach not only creates economic value but also addresses some of society's most pressing challenges.

As Techweek25 came to a close, these success stories serve as powerful inspiration for the next wave of Kiwi innovators. They demonstrate that with the right combination of vision, persistence, and support, New Zealand technology can compete and win on the global stage, regardless of our geographical isolation or market size.

The class of 2025 has set a high bar for future Hi-Tech Awards, and their achievements will undoubtedly inspire the innovations we'll be celebrating at Techweek26 and beyond.