No-waste haybin wins Innovation
Chelsea Hirst’s design for a hay bin that cuts wastage for horses has won the Innovate competition. Run by Manawatu basedbuilding Clever Companies (BCC), the contest finds the top new business ideas which could be marketed.
Five of the six best people presented their ideas to three judges, to decide the winner.
They included 11 year-old Riley Kinloch with his Kozy Kennel, a solar heated kennel for dogs, Doug Tietjens with his exercise pack, Chelsea Hirst with her hay feeder, and a quiet door closer, as well as high school student Maqueendavies with her SWAG kids healthy dairy food for time poor parents to put in kid’s lunch boxes.
Hirst ‘s hay bin has a grate cover.
She said most of the 50,000 sports horse owners in New Zealand were concerned about wasted hay.
Her registered design is called the Beaubin and is easily movable. The hay bin will retail for $390 and her research showed her the market should be able to afford that.
Hirst hopes the Beaubin will be the first of many inventions that her company Peurgon will market.
Horse-racing studs she had approached had shown interest as it meant less hay wastage and stalls would be kept cleaned as a result, she said.
She developed the award winner while working fulltime, and said her family had helped financially.
She and four others pitched in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ situation for the $5000 prizemoney and recognition. Winning will give Hirst a chance to have workspace in the BCC.
Simone Stewart won a prize of working with Massey’s Food Pilot, to the value of $5000, with her relaxation and energy boost for mothers food supplement.
She said she was a busy mother of four and realised she needed to stop each day to re-fuel and refresh. Because of that, she worked on a supplement that would help mothers, called Mumaboost.
The 15 year-old teen Maddison Maqueen-davies, a secondary school student in Manawatu, won the new X-factor award of $1000. She developed SWAG (stuffed with added goodness) a dairy food for children, with low fat, no refined sugar and fruit.
‘‘The five finalists all had progressed over the course of the 10 week competition. We all were very impressed with the quality of each presentation which made our job a tough one,’’ said one judge, Murray Georgel.
‘‘When it came to making the final selection, Chelsea’s business Peurgon was selected based on a few key points. Her initial market is clear and niche. Her product is ready now and Chelsea’s determination and team building skills are impressive.’’
The Innovate competition began in July with more than 100 submissions from Manawatu, Tararua and the rest of New Zealand.
Over the course of two stages, five finalists were chosen who were partnered with a mentor to complete a 10-week market validation programme.
Innovate manager Dave Craig said most entrants had a substantial business model and even paying customers at the end of the programme.
‘‘The competition, initially for Manawatu, had expanded to include the lower half of the North Island. In six years, it has become the premier ideas accelerator in New Zealand.
‘‘Innovate is one way BCC is helping to build an entrepreneurial eco-system in the region.’’