Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

Electroclear – Leading the world in anti-fouling and biosecurity

Electroclear is using electric fields to disrupt small organisms’ ability to live on selected underwater surfaces. It is a permanent, non-toxic solution that can be applied to a wide range of geometries.“As an island nation with such strong ties to our ocean, we have a real chance here to lead the world in anti-fouling and biosecurity,” says co-founder Christopher Walker.

Electroclear won funding and mentor support through the University’s Entrepreneurship programme, Velocity, and is talking with research institutions and commercial partners to develop applications for both marine infrastructure and aqua farms. Read more

Delta Waterways: the venture using satellites for efficient water quality monitoring 

Fresh water is an indispensable resource, and we cannot survive without it. Population and industry growth have put pressure on our precious waterways and local and central governments now have the weight of managing these systems on their shoulders. Essential to managing waterways is monitoring water health.  

Delta Waterways, a student start-up from the University of Auckland and Auckland University of Technology, has developed an innovative solution that uses high-tech satellite data to monitor waterways remotely. Measurements can be taken anywhere at a much higher frequency and generate hundreds of thousands more datapoints than the current hand sample method. Implementation of Delta Waterways’ cutting-edge solution has the potential to save councils time and money, while returning better than ever before data about the health of waterways via a monitoring software tool. Read more 

RisosEnterprises Ltd. – Deep tech designed to instantly identify E. Coli in drinking water 

RisosEnterprises Ltd. is embarking on a mission to revolutionise water safety with a novel, trademarked, handheld water pathogen detector, called the Waicorder. The start-up team have received support from the Business School’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) and received a $1 million MBIE Smart Ideas Grant to enable the development of a proof of concept.   

Their tricorder-like device will scan water and provide results in seconds, rather than days. It has the potential to prevent illnesses and save water providers millions of dollars, time, and resources.  The Waicorder technology uses novel photonics to quantify and qualify water-borne micro pathogens and dissolved components in real-time. Read more 

Hydroxsys: New Zealand CleanTech on a global mission 

Hydroxsys is a New Zealand CleanTech company tackling a huge global problem. Predictions estimate that global demand for freshwater will outstrip supply by 40% before the end of this decade, and primary industries such as agriculture and horticulture are identified as the main culprits in the water crisis. Hydroxsys is embracing the challenge to provide a more sustainable solution with aspirations to recover and reuse one billion cubic metres of water within 20 years with their innovative membrane technology. Kariappa Maletira Karumbaiah, General Manager of Operations at Hydroxsys, believes that sustainable practices are both a corporate responsibility and a pathway to lasting success and by embracing innovation and taking calculated risks, New Zealand can create a greener and more resilient future. Read more