Massey students think outside the box for 2026 Grand Ideas competition

The competition, hosted Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University, brings together students from many different disciplines to share their ideas for new enterprises.

For the 2026 competition, there were over 30 entries from students and staff, with pitches spanning creative arts, healthcare, hospitality and more. The judges have now revealed the winners of the Grand Ideas challenge for semester 2, who exemplify the creativity and self-starting nature of students at the university.

First Place: A new sustainable spin for vinyl

Nick Potts, studying a Master’s in Music, won first place for a re-consideration of sustainability and affordability in vinyl record production.

Nick is exploring the potential of renewable materials in replacing the master lacquers and PETG forms that are the standards within industry. The idea was first inspired by his own experience as a musician – navigating the cost of pressing vinyl. Previous experience studying Politics at Massey, where he was given the opportunity to speak to other musicians about the challenges of gathering meaningful royalties through streaming.

“Enabling artists to be able to access production of their own physical media will bring more money directly to the artists themselves.”

Nick’s technical engineering expertise and curiosity about materials also supported his exploration. He aims to develop this solution to reduce costs for recording artists, bring people closer to physical media and support greater sustainability in music industry careers. Encouragement from those within Nick’s Masters programme led him to enter Grand Ideas.

“I'd love to share this idea with as many people as I can, to raise awareness about helping musicians more directly, [while] simultaneously helping the environment.”

Grand Ideas Judge Simone Reynolds, an Advisor in Creative Arts Research Development and Projects at Massey, says the result is an example of connecting across communities.

"Something powerful happens when artists channel their creativity beyond their own practice to strengthen the wider community and sector.”

2nd Place: An IV supporting greater mobility

Mark Morris, a Master of Design student, earned second place in the competition for the concept of a wearable IV infusion system called InFlow. The idea is that the system would allow patients greater movement while receiving an IV. Mark says he is most interested in exploring how his new design could aid mobility.

“The inspiration for this project came from a research investigation into what problems are faced by modern hospitals in NZ.

“From this study, quite a few different problems became clear, but intravenous therapy equipment and the benefits of patient mobility were the two most interesting which formed the basis for the question: How, through design, could I bridge the gap between IV therapy and patient mobility to improve patient outcomes and reduce the burden on healthcare staff?”

Dr Ximenita Trejo Araya, a Commercialisation and IP Manager at Massey Ventures, says the concept is intriguing.

“I can immediately see the value of this idea. It's a simple concept that can make a real difference to comfort, independence, and recovery."

Mark says the Grand Ideas competition would aid in the continued development of this design.

“From the feedback I have received from the stakeholders who took part in this project, I am aiming to continue to explore commercialisation pathways for InFlow. I have entered Grand Ideas to seek further funding to continue InFlow's Development.”

3rd Place: A platform to make small business run smoother

The idea for MILK, an all-in-one software platform for small cafes, came to Science student Ronin Coppins while working in the hospitality industry. Ronin noticed the juggle for owners trying to manage various disconnected tools in their daily operations and admin tasks.

“NZ has such a unique coffee culture, and those small owner-operator stores are at the heart of it, but they are under pressure from almost every direction, so I just wanted to use my studies and past experience to try and help keep that culture alive.”

Ronnin says that seeing the results of previous Grand Ideas competitions encouraged him to enter this year.

“I always thought that it's a fantastic opportunity for students to jumpstart their ideas. I had just launched MILK in our first location as I saw the post about this year's competition and felt that it was perfect timing.”

Judges Neroli Thomson, a Senior Research Officer at Massey University, said Ronin’s clear understanding of challenges within the industry supported his goal to create a fully integrated cafe management platform.

“Combined with the innovator’s passion, energy, and expertise, this gives the idea strong potential for commercial success."

Each example showcases how inventive ideas by students are supported by staff within academic settings. This entrepreneurial approach is developed further through Student Enterprise, looking to increase real-world impact of learnings at the university.