New Zealand Hi-Tech Awards names record 2026 finalists
The New Zealand Hi-Tech Awards have announced the finalists for its 2026 programme after receiving more than 300 entries, the highest number in the awards' history.
The finalists span categories including company growth, software, manufacturing, agritech, sustainability, creative technology and individual achievement. Organisers said the record number of entries reflected the depth of New Zealand's technology sector despite difficult trading conditions for some businesses over the past year.
NZ Hi-Tech Trust chair Marian Johnson said judges had seen another lift in both participation and quality.
"It's inspiring to have received yet another big jump in the number of entries this year, particularly when things have been pretty tough for some companies over the last 12 months. Whilst the tech sector has not been immune to some of these challenges, it has shown determined resilience and remarkable growth in some areas," Johnson said.
The shortlist for PwC Hi-Tech Company of the Year includes Aroa Biosurgery, Auror, Dawn Aerospace, Gallagher Group, Halter and Tait Communications. Finalists in the emerging company category are BioOra, Calocurb, Hectre, Starboard Maritime Intelligence and Starshipit.
Startup finalists are Goodair, Nosebuds, Kara Technologies and Sea-Flux. The Datacom Hi-Tech Inspiring Individual category includes Ankita Dhakar of Capture The Bug, Dan Walker of Microsoft, Irina Miller of Daisy Lab, Tim Young of Smart Access and Trent Fulcher of Starboard Maritime Intelligence.
Other categories reflect a broad mix of sectors. Māori Company of the Year finalists are Alps2Ocean Foods, Bio Innovations, Hectre and PAM. The software solution shortlist includes CloudHound, PAM, Partly, RossOps, UneeQ Digital Humans and VXT.
In sustainable technology, finalists are Aofrio, Captivate Technology, Helical, NZ Auto Traps, Partly and TCS. The manufacturing category includes Alimetry, Architectural Glass Products, Aroa Biosurgery, Astute Access, Cleanery and Fisher & Paykel Technologies.
Recognition for contribution to the wider sector goes to GridAKL, Ministry of Awesome, Mission Ready and Oxygen Advisors. Agritech finalists are BDX, Bovonic, Hectre, TCS and Trackit.
The young achiever shortlist includes Jean-Luc Ellis of WasteX, Lucy Turner of VXT, Nathan Konigkramer of Spectrum Consulting and Sam Broadhead of Sence. In deep tech, MACSO Technologies, Starboard Maritime Intelligence and ZealaFoam were shortlisted.
Creative technology finalists are Access Quest by Smart Access, Kara Technologies, Kitten Space Agency by RocketWerkz, StaplesVR and UneeQ Digital Humans. The public good category includes Access Quest by Smart Access, Canterbury Seismic, EVolocity, 800 Trust (Hark), oVRcome and Wildlife.ai.
Judging process
Johnson said local and international judges agreed the standard of entries continued to rise, making the next phase of judging difficult because of the strength of the finalist pool.
The awards are now in their 31st year and are run by the NZ Hi-Tech Trust, a not-for-profit organisation that supports and promotes the wider industry. The programme covers businesses working across software, electronics, telecommunications, mobile, agritech and creative technology.
Sector weight
The awards come as technology remains one of New Zealand's larger export-facing industries. Johnson pointed to the size of the sector and the growing number of companies expanding internationally. "The Hi-Tech sector is valued at over $23b, and we have an ever-growing number of Kiwi-founded companies becoming global success stories. This sector continues to be at the forefront of our export economy, and we look forward to celebrating at the Gala Dinner in May," Johnson said.