Celebrating success in Nelson Tasman Q2 2019
Posted on Friday 30 August 2019
The Nelson Artificial Intelligence Institute
The Government’s Provincial Growth Fund has made a $3.4 million loan to the Nelson Artificial Intelligence Institute, announced last week in Nelson by Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau.
Artificial Intelligence is on the cusp of a global revolution and the Artificial Intelligence Institute will bring economic and social opportunities to the Top of the South region and New Zealand as a whole.
Food Factory
Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau also announced a Provincial Growth Fund grant of $778,000 to the Food Factory, operated by Picot Productions, to help aspiring food and beverage entrepreneurs to test their products for market.
The Food Factory is the brainchild of Pic Picot, best known for Pic’s Peanut Butter, although this is a separate venture.
Cawthron Institute Chief Executive recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours List
Professor Charles Eason CRSNZ, Chief Executive of Cawthron Institute, has been appointed as a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for his services to science and wildlife conservation.
Whilst humbled by the award Professor Eason says it was a tribute to the wider Cawthron staff. “Our people have an inspiring vivacity and the ability to link fundamental research through to practical outcomes that make a real difference for New Zealand.”
Vortex Spas win big at Australia’s top design awards
Congratulations to Vortex Spas who won a Good Design Award for their revolutionary IKON spa at Australia's top industry design awards in July. IKON won the prestigious Gold accolade for outstanding design and innovation in the product design category.
Vortex Spas relocated its international headquarters from Newcastle, Australia, to Nelson Tasman in 2017, bringing close to 20 skilled jobs to the region at the time. While the decision to relocate was largely motivated by creating a "better quality of life" for staff, this award showcases that as well as offering an extraordinary lifestyle, Nelson Tasman is also the perfect environment to develop innovative world-leading brands.
Proper crisps launch compostable packaging
Everyone is looking to reduce plastic in their lives and a Nelson-based food company is leading the way in reducing its plastic packaging.
Proper Crisps has been innovative about the snack food inside its packets and is now introducing innovation into the packaging itself, showing itself to be a market leader yet again.
Locals are NZ Food Awards finalists
Two Nelson Tasman companies are finalists in this year’s NZ Food Awards.
Cereal makers YUM Inc Ltd are finalists in the Cuisine Artisan Award section for their Coffee Deluxe Granola. Owners Sarah Hedger and Mike Cowlin make cereal from their Bridge Street premises, having started their business only four years ago.
Proper Crisps producer, Proper Snack Foods Ltd, has also made the grade in the Countdown Grocery Award for its Purple and Gold Potatoes with Cracked Pepper & Sea Salt crisps. The company has been a finalist a number of times in the awards and has won four times since 2010.
Wairoa Gorge mountain bike park officially gifted to New Zealand
Mountain biking has been described as the new golf - it provides an attraction and draws in visitors, keen to try the new tracks, with an accompanying economic flow-on impact as local businesses provide hospitality and services.
It doesn’t seem that long ago that whispers were heard of a land not far from Nelson City where a small army of creative artists with picks and shovels were in the process of making tracks – literally and figuratively - in the quest of making Nelson Tasman a great place to ride bikes.
The land is home to the Wairoa Gorge mountain bike park and it has now been officially handed over to New Zealand by RHL NZ, owned by American Ken Dart.
Whilst the Department of Conservation now own the land, the Wairoa Charitable Trust is appointed to manage it and the Nelson Mountain Bike Club has a 40-year lease to operate the mountain bike park. The Trust also has plans to extend its offering to walking trails so more people can enjoy this fantastic place whether that be by bike or on foot.
Open Oceans Aquaculture in focus
About 250 people from all over New Zealand and the world spent three days in Nelson Tasman discussing the potential opportunities for open oceans aquaculture for shellfish, finfish, and seafood at the beginning of August at a symposium hosted by Cawthron Institute.
Cawthron Chief Executive Professor Charles Eason said the Symposium had been very successful. It had achieved its goal of bringing people together to discuss the way forward for open oceans aquaculture, based on good science and information.
