Selling fresh air in a can

Management students (L-R) Zack Pentecost, Rhandal Meyerink, Deanna Morse, Emily Svadlenak, Richard Liu and Mitch McNae, who took out the $1000 Gallagher 'Craziest idea that might just work' Award.

A group of six Waikato University students took out the 'Craziest idea that might just work' award at the Innes48 Business Startup competition with their plans to export clean New Zealand air to residents of smog-laden cities.

Team leader Deanna Morse said the group wanted to focus on a problem, so when team member Rhandal Meyerink suggested air pollution the idea began to take shape.

After reading that air pollution was one of the world's top 10 killers, the students came up with the idea of selling canisters of fresh air to consumers living in cities like Beijing.

"A decade ago, the world was shocked by the introduction of bottled water - a commodity that literally falls from the sky. The bottled water industry is now worth over $100 billion globally. Will this be the future of clean air?" Deanna said.

The group's first idea was for a ventilation system for hospitals or individual rooms, but after a quick visit to a diving specialist they realised this idea was not feasible.

"We went big - shocked by the fact that 40 per cent of the world's premature deaths are due to air pollution in China. We wanted to make a social, long-term difference, providing New Zealand air as a ventilation system for rooms, focusing on maternity wards and hospitals."

Deanna said the group had planned to meet next week, when they would consider using the money, $500 from the Management School and $1000 of their own money, to begin the project.

"We can make 30 bottles and see if it works," Deanna said. "That's our plan at this stage, we haven't made an official decision but we will do something exciting with the money."

Each canister would hold around 150 breaths of New Zealand air.

The concept had already been tested by a Canadian company called Vitality Air.

"It went off the hook. It was amazing, the market had been proven," Deanna said.

Deanna said the project was not purely a money-making exercise, and they would look to build corporate responsibility into their model.

She said friends were shocked at the concept but they didn't realise the poor air quality people suffered abroad.

"It's also creating awareness that there are countries so polluted they will pay for a canister of our air. It's devastating ... I could not even understand. We looked at photos to try and understand it and some of the mentors explained that you are coughing up black after a week. You have no option but to wear a mask when you're outside, it's that horrendous."

Innes48 is the largest business start-up competition in New Zealand, open to people of all ages, and was held at Wintec in Hamilton from April 8-10. Each team was given 48 hours to come up with an original business idea, conduct market research and write a business plan.

Fifteen teams were chosen to compete in the event, and just six teams made it through to the final pitching round.

The competition's supreme $10,000 award for 'most viable business' went to DoseDirect, a prescription door-to-door delivery service targeted at the elderly.

The $1000 award for 'best pitch' went to Step-by-Step, a New Zealand-based destination wedding service catering exclusively to Chinese couples.