Kiwi Ingenuity should be celebrated as much and even more than the glorious achievements of the All Blacks on the Rugby field.

By Joel Leonard
New Zealand is more than a haven for Hobbits, champion rugby teams, picturesque scenery, and adventurous vacations. Also a haven for Kiwi-Ingenuity!

Kiwi Ingenuity has evolved to become the real national treasure for New Zealand. Located over 900 away from Australia, New Zealanders, or Kiwis have had to become very resourceful in order to cope with their remoteness and as a result have been forced to invent their own solutions and have been able to maximise their creativity, otherwise known as Kiwi-Ingenuity.

Have you ever heard about Jetboats? From Wikipedia- A jetboat is a boat propelled by a jet of water ejected from the back of the craft.

Unlike a powerboat or motorboat that uses a propeller in the water below or behind the boat, a jetboat draws the water from under the boat into a pump inside the boat, then expels it through a nozzle at the stern.

Jetboats were originally designed by Sir William Hamilton (who developed a waterjet in 1954) for operation in the fast-flowing and shallow rivers of New Zealand, specifically to overcome the problem of propellers striking rocks in such waters.

Previous attempts at waterjet propulsion had very short lifetimes, generally due to the inefficient design of the units and the fact that they offered few advantages over conventional propellers.

Unlike these previous waterjet developments, such as Campini’s and the Hanley Hydrojet, Hamilton had a specific need for a propulsion system to operate in very-shallow water, and the waterjet proved to be the ideal solution.
From this, the popularity of the jet unit and jetboat increased rapidly.

Through further developments, it was found the waterjet offered several other advantages over propellers for a wide range of vessel types, and as such, waterjets are used widely today for many high-speed vessels, including passenger ferries, rescue craft, patrol boats and offshore supply vessels.

Also did you know that some Kiwis are converting road-kill into profits? Yes, believe it or not pesky possums are now being added to Merino wool and being used in various clothing items like gloves, sweaters, hats and socks. Since possum hair is strong, light, soft, very water resistant, it provides an ideal substrate and garners premium rates.
Farm raised possum sweaters can fetch over $300 on the global market.

Also did you know that US President Theodore Roosevelt donated dozens of red and white tail deer to New Zealand in the early 1900s? Now those deer and other additions have reproduced to become an environmental hazard and pest for local populations.

As opposed to eliminating them Kiwis realised that they could farm the deer, market to local restaurants and grocers. And believe it or not NZ venison is now sold even in the United States. So kiwis were smart enough to convert a donation into a profit maker.

Because of the volcanic origin and glaciers, New Zealand has rich mineral deposits like titanium and other precious, rare metals.

To help New Zealand become leaders in new metal creation, TIDA, the Titanium Industry Development Association was formed and have several multimillion dollar 3d printing machines that can convert powdered metal into new designs, prototypes and even new custom designed functioning products. And with the abundance of available resources, TIDA will be able to help stimulate future business and economic growth for years to come.

Also SAFE, South Auckland Forgings Engineering Ltd and other metal shops are helping forge new products and tools for energy plants, infrastructure and other manufacturing operations. These facilities help provide support to help advance Kiwi ingenuity and manufacturing growth.

With the efforts underway to rebuild Christchurch and other industry development to build the next generation of skilled talent, Kiwi-Ingenuity has strong growth potential and should be celebrated as much and even more than the glorious achievements of the All Blacks on the Rugby field.

Kiwi-Ingenuity can be the fulcrum to drive Kiwi prosperity for the future.