Agribusiness inventors impress
The value of pioneering courses in agribusiness at St Paul’s Collegiate School has already shone through, with a team of students being named the Young Inventors of the Year at Fieldays.
Edward Sclater, Thomas Nicholson, Spencer ClaytonGreene and Jarrod Mealings, all in year 13, designed a unique product called ‘gudgeon guard’.
The device fits over a gate gudgeon to help lift it off the ground.
‘‘The gudgeon extension is good for farmers of dry stock and dairy who experience a lot of problems with gates that slump or scrape across the ground due to wear and tear,’’ Thomas said.
‘‘Rather than having to replace the entire gate system, these guards can be fitted over the top of each gudgeon to help lift the gate up and get it swinging properly again.’’
The four young inventors designed the product together in one of the multiple pathways in agribusiness which students can take at St Paul’s.
They have also exhibited the gudgeon guard in the Innovation Centre at Fieldays.
New Zealand National Fieldays Society chief executive Peter Nation commented on the product.
‘‘One of the main reasons the New Zealand agricultural industry is so recognised and respected around the world is because of the innovations coming from awards like these,’’ Nation said.
‘‘The people here today are shaping the future of farming and will be making major changes in the industry in another 12 months.’’
Another group from St Paul’s students had also entered the Innovation Awards with their development of a steel rig that serves the purpose of easily marking on a fence post to show where wires should be affixed.
The agribusiness programme that gave the young innovators the platform on which to come up with their designs was spearheaded by St Paul’s Collegiate School.
It was created in conjunction with industry and many schools situated in the North and South Islands.
The students who won the award took away an award of $1000 to develop their design further.