Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Tech-savvy Scion in awards finals

Rotorua Daily Post
12 May, 2016 07:30 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Materials scientist Damien Even and business development manager Jeremy Warnes, members of Scion's wood fibre dice development team.

Materials scientist Damien Even and business development manager Jeremy Warnes, members of Scion's wood fibre dice development team.

Scion has been selected as a finalist for the fourth annual KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards, designed to celebrate commercialisation success within New Zealand's universities and Crown Research Institutes.

The 12 finalists' clever high-tech innovations pushing the frontiers of business include, silver nanoparticles to treat and prevent dental disease, wood fibre-reinforced plastic, a method for boosting plant growth and controlling disease, laser sensors for sperm sorting, new honey and propolis based supplements, high value functional vegetables, and healing gels from natural products.

The Kiwi Innovation Network (KiwiNet) is a consortium of 15 universities, Crown Research Institutes and a Crown Entity established to boost commercial outcomes from publicly-funded research.

The Scion and Sonae partnership, that has successfully established a commercial value chain for wood fibre-reinforced plastics, is one of three finalists for the Minter Ellison Rudd Watts Research & Business Partnership Award.

Plastics with wood fibre are stronger and stiffer than plastics alone, but, until recently, handling the bulky fibre has not been commercially feasible. Scion's patented process forms wood fibre into "dice" that can be made in existing MDF plants and easily added to a range of plastics. With most opportunities for composite plastic manufacture being outside New Zealand, Scion looked for an MDF manufacturer with a global reach who could be key party in a complex and unfamiliar value chain.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

European MDF manufacturer Sonae Industria was granted an exclusive licence for the technology in North America and Europe. Sonae owns and has developed the Woodforce brand. End products that meet demands for lighter weight, thermal stability and sustainability are being trialled and approved by major automotive manufacturers. The wide exposure to companies along the value chain has also led to relationships with other manufacturing industries to develop new products. "Every year the awards uncover more inspirational stories of cutting edge research powering business innovation and economic growth. The awards are a tribute to innovative researchers, working with entrepreneurial businesses and passionate Tech-Transfer professionals across New Zealand. Where others see scientific complexity, they see commercial opportunity," said general manager Dr Bram Smith.

Winners will be announced on June 30 in Auckland.

Discover more

Hundreds descend on Rotorua for Trenz (video)

10 May 05:10 AM

Trenz proves fruitful for Rotorua tourism (+video)

11 May 05:38 AM

Empowering young people (+video)

11 May 09:12 PM

Groups merge for new organisation

13 May 06:30 AM
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Business

Premium
Opinion

Balancing power: What the employment law changes mean for you

06 Jul 05:00 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

NZ Super Fund-backed Kaingaroa Timberlands expands with Waikato land purchase

01 Jul 05:43 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Data show more Kiwis struggling to pay bills, behind on mortgage payments

30 Jun 09:57 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Business

Premium
Balancing power: What the employment law changes mean for you

Balancing power: What the employment law changes mean for you

06 Jul 05:00 PM

Comment: Employees earning over $180,000 lose the right to claim unjustified dismissal.

NZ Super Fund-backed Kaingaroa Timberlands expands with Waikato land purchase

NZ Super Fund-backed Kaingaroa Timberlands expands with Waikato land purchase

01 Jul 05:43 AM
Data show more Kiwis struggling to pay bills, behind on mortgage payments

Data show more Kiwis struggling to pay bills, behind on mortgage payments

30 Jun 09:57 PM
Premium
What’s the market mood at the midpoint?

What’s the market mood at the midpoint?

29 Jun 04:17 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP