Spotlight on Adroit Environmental Technology at the Ahumoana o Aotearoa Conference
The venue’s capacity was capped at 400 and unfortunately, some people will have to wait for next year’s conference,”
“There was a clear focus on strengthening the sector’s resilience, making further productivity gains, continuing to build on our excellent sustainability attributes and ensuring we include all stakeholders in our journey.
“The conference theme Ahumoana o Aotearoa ‘Aquaculture for New Zealand’ reflected the sector’s inherent growth opportunity where environmental, cultural and social considerations are cornerstones.
“We also recognise that research, innovation and technology will be key to making progress and it was particularly encouraging to see companies like Adroit and Spark bringing their unique tech-focused capabilities to support our ambitions,” he said.
Adroit’s Guy Macpherson and Ben Dunkin from Spark were invited to speak in the ‘Shellfish – Environment’ breakout to 250 delegates on the topic of Utilising Environmental Monitoring in Aquaculture.
Macpherson reports that environmental monitoring technology was a hot topic, with enormous interest from delegates.
We met operators really wanting to understand more about what’s happening in the ocean, how that affects their harvest, how it affects their compliance and health and safety, and having the best product possible for their brand.
I think there’s been a huge growth in interest, which is a real positive to hear
The conference was a who’s-who of the industry, so being able to speak about Adroit’s working installations around the country, including mussel farms in Clevedon, Salmon farms in Marlborough, and environmental water monitoring in catchments, rivers and harbours around the country, really struck a chord with delegates.
“We had some of the key influential people within the space talking about how farm operators have the opportunity for environmental monitoring on their farms, to give them a more granular understanding of what’s actually happening within the environment.
“So when it came time for us to talk, people had been hearing about the on-going challenges and were really open to hearing about some of our solutions,” Macpherson says.
The Adroit/Spark session was introduced by renowned aquaculture pioneer Ted Culley and they shared the session with the Cawthorn Institute.
“That was pretty prestigious for us. After that, we had an influx of different farm operators and influential people coming and wanting to chat about what we’re doing at Adroit and how they could potentially work with us,” he says.
Overall, Guy says the conference was incredible, with some very significant challenges highlighted, matched with inspiring insights on the potential of technology to support the sector.
“With average sea temperatures projected to increase by 1.4 degrees by 2060, and by almost 3 degrees by the end of the century, there are wide implications for marine life, including fisheries and aquaculture. This means that by mid-century we may be facing 260 days of marine heatwaves per year.
“We look forward to being at the Ahumoana o Aotearoa Conference next year!”
Adroit Environmental Monitoring Solutions
As an end to end solution provider, Adroit supplied the device hardware, IoT connectivity, nationwide installation, maintenance, and ongoing support.
Adroit has proven solutions, not just for construction, but for all environmental monitoring applications, including waterway and water catchment monitoring, agriculture and aquaculture water quality monitoring, workplace environmental monitoring, and solutions for urban and regional environmental monitoring.