Innovation with impact recognised in 2026 KiwiNet Awards

The Awards honour 18 finalists, showcasing the very best of Aotearoa New Zealand's science-led innovation. Representing universities, Crown Research Institutes, research organisations and innovative companies, the finalists are transforming world-class research into solutions creating new ventures, emerging industries and lasting economic and societal benefits.

This year, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University and Massey Ventures have three finalists across the six award categories.

KiwiNet Chief Executive Officer Dr James Hutchinson says the finalists are the standout performers of New Zealand’s research commercialisation sector, transforming world-class research into innovations that improve lives, strengthen industries and grow the economy.

"These successes do not happen overnight. They are the result of years of deep research, expert commercialisation support and entrepreneurial drive, all focused on getting breakthrough innovations to market. Together, they demonstrate the extraordinary depth of knowledge, talent, ideas and potential we have in New Zealand to create global impact from research discoveries.

“With the Government’s recent boost to commercialisation funding, there is an opportunity to back even more of these innovators and high-value businesses to do great things, helping build a more productive, stable, and globally competitive economy.”

Award winners will be announced at an evening reception on 8 October.

The Massey finalists in the 2026 KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards are:

KCA Commercialisation Rising Star Award

Dr Dan Carlisle - A committed champion for early commercialisation professionals

Dr Carlisle is a rising leader in New Zealand's research commercialisation ecosystem, delivering significant impact through his organisation, while championing the profession and creating opportunities for others to succeed.

As Director of Commercialisation and IP at Massey, Dan provides strategic leadership and operational oversight of the university’s intellectual property assets and licensing portfolio. In a joint role with Massey Ventures, he leads the commercialisation of approximately 15 technologies across agritech, food and nutrition, animal health, medical devices and SaaS.

His most significant deal involved negotiating and executing the commercial exit of an agricultural technology, generating a strong financial and strategic outcome for the university and its creators. He is also leading the development of an investment fund to support Massey start-ups and is commercialising his own software product innovation via Massey Ventures.

Dr Carlisle is committed to strengthening New Zealand's research commercialisation profession. In 2023 he co-founded Nexus, a nationwide initiative supporting early- and mid-career commercialisation professionals through professional development and peer networking.

He is a prominent voice within the ecosystem, representing Massey on the KiwiNet Pipeline Committee and contributing to the National IP Policy through public commentary, consultation with officials, and by leading the university’s strategic response. His drive for professional improvement also saw him recently achieve the Registered Technology Transfer Professional (RTTP) accreditation, an internationally recognised and hard-earned standard for commercialisation professionals.

PwC Breakthrough Project Award

Captivate Technology - Next‑generation materials for industrial carbon capture

Captivate Technology is using a breakthrough in carbon dioxide capture to turn waste gas into a purer, usable commodity, reducing industrial carbon emissions at the source - providing a direct and cost-effective solution to one of the hardest problems in climate mitigation.

At the heart of Captivate’s innovation is a patented metal-organic framework material named MUF-16 (Massey University Framework-16), a sponge-like adsorbent that selectively sieves CO2 from emission sources, while ignoring gases such as nitrogen and methane. Derived from low-cost, readily available materials, Captivate’s technology integrates easily with standard plant equipment and achieves up to 70 per cent reduction in energy required for carbon capture compared to conventional technologies.

The technology was built on a discovery made at Massey in the laboratory of Professor Shane Telfer. Captivate’s journey from lab to market has been led by Massey Ventures, supported by the MacDiarmid Institute and backed by PreSeed Accelerator Funding from KiwiNet. Technology commercialisation validated the material’s stability, impurity tolerance and performance – proving its durability over tens of thousands of cycles (and counting) without degradation – a key factor in its commercial value. 

Captivate Technology was spun out of Massey University in early 2023 and has quickly moved from onsite industrial trials and scale-up to deploying at pace. In 2025, Captivate secured its first major commercial sale in Canada and has since secured a contract manufacturing partnership with an India-based multinational. Captivate is also in commercial discussions with a further 12 biogas operators and technology providers internationally. In early 2026, it raised over $3 million in a seed funding round led by WNT Ventures, enabling several high-profile appointments to scale the business.

Captivate remains a Palmerston North-based company that creates jobs and provides research and PhD opportunities for Massey postgraduate students.

Cytiva Commercialisation Impact Award

C-Dax Pasture Meter - Decades of agri-innovation and international impact

Over 20 years ago, Massey researchers identified a fundamental bottleneck in New Zealand farming - a lack of fast, accurate pasture measurement. Traditional methods were labour intensive and impractical, limiting farmers’ ability to make sound decisions and get the most out of their pasture. 

Pasture Meter was invented as a device towed behind a quad bike, using optical sensing technology to measure pasture volume at scale. What might previously take a farmer five hours walking across a 100-hectare farm, Pasture Meter made possible in a 45-minute drive, taking over 200,000 samples per paddock.

Massey partnered with local agricultural equipment manufacturer C-Dax to commercialise the technology, and the C-Dax Pasture Meter was launched at the 2005 National Fieldays. Over the past two decades, the product has been adopted by farmers across New Zealand and overseas. 

In 2025, C-Dax joined the Sturli family of brands and Massey exited its commercial interest in the technology. Palmerston North-based farming equipment specialist Sturli continues to develop, manufacture and sell the C-Dax pasture meters alongside ATV sprayers, heavy-duty trailers and other agricultural solutions.

C-Dax Pasture Meter has created a lasting legacy - strengthening New Zealand’s global agritech reputation, generating value directly back to the national and local economy with over two decades in sales and export revenue and supporting skilled jobs in Palmerston North. It also illustrates the widespread impact of a successful 20-year partnership of university-industry collaboration, which has generated significant returns for Massey and the creators. The pasture meter continues to deliver impact for the farmers it was designed to help, and sales remain strong domestically and internationally.

Read more about the Awards on the KiwiNet website.