Whakatāne-based company NZ AutoTraps has been highly commended at the prestigious New Zealand Hi-Tech Awards, earning recognition for its innovative pest-control technology and contribution to environmental sustainability.

The company received the honour in the Kiwibank Most Innovative Hi-Tech Solution for a More Sustainable Future category at the awards ceremony held at Auckland’s Spark Arena on March 26.

The event attracted more than 1300 attendees and featured more than 300 entries from across New Zealand’s highly competitive technology sector.

NZ AutoTraps representative Bella Nolan said the recognition was a proud moment for the company’s team.

“We have a wonderful team of 25 full-time employees who are absolutely delighted with the recognition,” she said.

The company’s flagship AT220 self-resetting trap is already being used throughout New Zealand and overseas, including conservation projects in Hawaii and Guam.

In Hawaii, the technology is helping protect endangered native bird species threatened by invasive mongooses. In Guam, the traps are being used to control destructive brown tree snakes, introduced accidentally by the United States Navy during the 1960s.

The AT220 is designed to operate for up to six months without needing to be reset, making it ideal for farms, orchards and remote conservation areas.

The traps automatically re-bait and rearm themselves while also collecting valuable data through motion-detection technology. The system can identify different species, such as rats and possums, and store the information for later analysis.

Another model, the AT23, can detect pet microchips and automatically disarm itself to prevent harm to household animals.

Data collected by the traps is transmitted via Bluetooth to a mobile phone app, allowing users to monitor battery life, review trap activity and track performance remotely.

“The attraction of these devices is their set-and-forget capability,” Nolan said.

The technology is supporting conservation projects, including the Bay Bush Action Trust pest management programme in the Opua State Forest near Paihia, as well as projects on the Chatham Islands, in the Marlborough Sounds and at the Southern Lakes Sanctuary near Queenstown.

“One farmer using the AT220 eliminated 39 possums in just 48 hours,” Nolan said.

The company recently sold its 40,000th trap, with demand continuing to grow locally and internationally.

The AT220 has humane dispatch certification from the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee and remains under constant development.

NZ AutoTraps is also developing a smaller tunnel-style trap specifically designed for stoats and rats.

The company’s entry into the Hi-Tech Awards was nominated by the Predator Free New Zealand Trust.