Published on the 26/05/2026 | Written by Heather Wright
Big night, bigger signals on global growth…
A 57-year-old Christchurch-based communications company with $516 million in revenue, a Kiwi agritech exporting orchard and fruit quality tech to global markets, and the founder of a company helping retailers cash in globally were among the winners in this year’s NZ Hi-Tech Awards.
The annual awards, which celebrate the success of high-tech companies across a range of industries including software, electronics, telecommunications and agritech, saw Tait Communications, founded by Sir Angus Tait in 1969, take top honours as the PwC Hi-Tech Company of the Year.
“Tait is coming off a phenomenal year.”
The panel of international judges commented that while the company was founded 57 years ago the company continues to innovate on the global stage and move at speed.
“Tait is coming off a phenomenal year, passing the half billion-dollar revenue mark. It grew organically and by acquisition expanding into new countries and introduced technically advanced new products and it competes strongly on the world stage.”
The company, best known as a maker of radio communications equipment, has a customer list which includes the likes of the London Fire Brigade, Quebec’s Reseau de transport de Longuei urban transport organisation, Transport for London, Safework Australia, St John Ambulance, Silver Fern Farms, The São Paulo Military Police, and, for those rugby fans out there, The Crusaders.
The company started 2025 with the acquisition of Australia’s m-View, a video technology company specialising in safety and evidence offerings including body-worn cameras, in-car video tech and a digital evidence management platform and ended the year with its latest tech being rolled out in ambulances, fire appliances and police cars across New Zealand.
Other finalists for Company of the Year included Gallagher Group, Halter, Dawn Aerospace, Auror and Aroa Biosurgery.
Nearly 70 companies were vying for glory across 14 categories.
The gala dinner event, held at Auckland’s Spark Arena with a record 1300 attendees on hand, also saw agritech Hectre take two awards – claiming both the Most Innovative Agritech Solution and the Māori Company of the Year categories. It bet off BDX, Bovonic, TCS and Trackit to take the agritech category, while in the Māori Company category it claimed victory ahead of Alps2Ocean Foods, Bio Innovations and PAM. The company, which completed a $12m Series A raise earlier this year, was also a finalist in the Emerging Company category. (For a more detailed breakdown on all the finalists and what exactly they do, head to our earlier story here.)
Several categories saw both winners and highly commended, including the Deep Tech Solution, won by Masco Technology which provides sensory integration for hardware companies, with multi-finalist Starboard Maritime Intelligence – provider of an AI-powered maritime intelligence platform – highly commended.
Meanwhile, Vend founder Vaughan Fergusson was recognised as the 2026 Flying Kiwi and inducted into the NZ Hi-Tech Hall of Fame. The accolade was not only for his entrepreneurial endeavours, but also for the major contribution he has made to the industry through his philanthropic contribution via the Pam Fergusson Charitable Trust and his support and mentoring of Kiwi tech founders.
Behind the glory of the awards, the night showcased something more significant: Kiwi tech companies are scaling internationally, doubling down on innovation and continuing to build globally competitive businesses from New Zealand.
The TIN 200 – which records the top 200 New Zealand tech companies – noted revenue from those companies of $20 billion in total revenue last year, up 9.9 percent on 2024 figures.
Marian Johnson, Hi-tech Trust chair, says the industry is continuing ‘exceptional growth as well as innovation and matching it with the best in the world’.
The full list of winners is:
PwC Hi-Tech Company of the Year: Tait Communications
Xero Hi-Tech Young Achiever: Lucy Turner – CTO and co-founder of VXT
Christchurch Airport Hi-Tech Solution for the Public Good
Winner: HARK by 800 Trust
Highly Commended: EVolocity
Consult Recruitment Best Contribution to the NZ Tech Sector: Oxygen Advisors
Datacom Hi-Tech Inspiring Individual: Tim Young – Smart Access
Fujitsu Most Innovative Deep Tech Solution
Winner: MACSO Technologies
Highly Commended: Starboard Maritime Intelligence
GreenMount and Poutama Trust Hi-Tech Kamupene Māori o te Tau – Māori Company of the Year: Hectre
Tait Communications Flying Kiwi: Vaughan Fergusson
NZX Most Innovative Hi-Tech Creative Technology Solution: Kitten Space Agency by RocketWerkz
Duncan Cotterill Most Innovative Hi-Tech Software Solution: Partly
Braemac Most Innovative Hi-Tech Manufacturer: Architectural Glass Products
Kiwibank Most Innovative Hi-Tech Solution For a More Sustainable Future
Winner: TCS
Highly Commended: NZ AutoTraps
NZTE Most Innovative Hi-Tech Agritech Solution: Hectre
2040 Ventures Hi-Tech Startup Company of the Year: Kara Technologies
ASX Hi-Tech Emerging Company of the Year: Calocurb
