\u201cWhile Tait was founded 57 years ago, the company continues to innovate on the global stage and move at speed \u2013 not an easy achievement for such a well-established company,\u201d the panel of international judges said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTait is coming off a phenomenal year, passing the half-billion-dollar revenue mark. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt grew organically and by acquisition, expanding into new countries and introduced technically advanced new products, and it competes strongly on the world stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
The entrance to Tait Communications new Christchurch campus.<\/p>\n
The maker of radio communications gear has had a focus on keeping manufacturing local at its sprawling Christchurch campus<\/a>. <\/p>\n Its biggest growth spurt in recent times came over 2023 and 2024 as revenue jumped from $421.6m to $426.6m on Tait\u2019s acquisition of distressed Australian player RFI. <\/p>\n In 2025, Tait made a net profit of $44.1m on $516m revenue.<\/p>\n Tait has itself been the subject of acquisition. In 2018, Japan\u2019s JVC Kenwood received Overseas Investment Office approval to acquire 40% of the Christchurch firm, with the option to acquire the remaining 60% at a future date. <\/p>\n It has yet to do so; the Sir Angus Tait Trust still owns a majority of the shares.<\/p>\n Tait\u2019s customers in 150 countries include the London Fire Brigade, Transport for London\u2019s 10,000-strong bus fleet, and various public safety agencies and utilities across the United States.<\/p>\n But one of its biggest projects has been at home with its involvement in the $1b-plus Public Safety Network<\/a> overhaul of emergency communications. Tait took full control of the behind-schedule project in 2024 as Kordia was reduced to subcontractor status.<\/p>\n Hectre won two categories: the Agritech Innovation and the Hi-Tech Kamupene M\u0101ori o te Tau M\u0101ori Company of the Year category. <\/p>\n Earlier this year, the Auckland start-up raised $12 million<\/a>, in part thanks to the \u201cgolden visa\u201d influx<\/a> of investment money, to further develop its \u201cAI vision system\u201d for grading fruit by size, colour and quality before it enters a packhouse.<\/p>\n Hectre has won business in Europe and the US. Founder Matty Bloomfield recently told<\/a> the Herald he\u2019s targeting $100m revenue and a $1b valuation.<\/p>\n Vend founder Vaughan Fergusson<\/a> was recognised as the 2026 Flying Kiwi and inducted into the NZ Hi-Tech Hall of Fame. <\/p>\n He was recognised for his entrepreneurial endeavours, plus the \u201cmajor contribution he has made to the industry through his philanthropic contribution via the Pam Fergusson Charitable Trust and the support and mentoring of Kiwi tech founders\u201d.<\/p>\n Fergusson, raised by a paraplegic, wheelchair-bound solo mother, began his career as a co-founder of start-up Travelbug (\u201cWe were Airbnb before there was Airbnb\u201d), which was bought by Trade Me in 2008.<\/p>\n He went on to found Vend, a point-of-sale software company that replaced cash registers with iPads, which gained users around the world. Investors include Sam Morgan and Peter Thiel.<\/p>\n Vend was sold to Canadian firm Lightspeed for around $455m in 2021. Fergusson held an 8% stake at the time of the sale.<\/p>\n He invested in a dozen start-ups, including Upstock<\/a> (which aims to make life easier for small firms ordering wholesale supplies and dealing with supermarket stocking) and CoGo<\/a>, an app that helps users track the planet-friendliness of their spending.<\/p>\n He also created the OMGTech! trust that helped underprivileged kids get tech education. It was wound down in late 2024, with Fergusson blaming \u201ca change in priorities for government\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\nHectre co-founder and chief executive Matty Blomfield (centre) with his sales team in Berlin for Fruit Logistica 2026.<\/p>\n
Data from trucks pulled up under a Hectre Arc overhead scanner.<\/p>\n
Vaughan Fergusson recycled money from his Vend payday into a new wave of start-ups, plus a charitable trust.<\/p>\n