Connecting NZ research labs, manufacturers, hire fleets, auctioneers, and knowledge providers into a unified marketplace for industrial and scientific equipment — sharing, sale, and maintenance.
The Problem
Millions in high-end equipment sit idle. Startups struggle to access what they need. And an entire generation of expertise is walking out the door.
"I was in a kitchen with a small business owner who was in tears — incredibly frustrated because a processing kettle she had just spent her limited cash on wasn't working as she'd hoped. The toughest part was knowing that a larger, perfectly capable kettle was just sitting unused in storage at UoA."
Millions in high-end R&D equipment — mass spectrometers, bioreactors, flow cytometers — sit idle at CRIs and universities outside grant windows, earning nothing.
Food businesses and manufacturers navigate a labyrinth of dealers, auctioneers, and hire companies with no unified portal, no price transparency, and no trusted network.
A looming 25% workforce retirement will permanently erase decades of operational expertise on complex industrial machinery — unless we act now to capture it.
Scaling a food product from bench-top to commercial export volumes requires prohibitive capital investment that locks out New Zealand's most innovative SMEs.
The Platform
Eight interconnected modules — each solving a distinct layer of the industrial disconnect — that together form Aotearoa's circular equipment economy.
New, used, and refurbished machinery in one place. From CNC mills to centrifuges — transparent pricing, verified listings, and direct connections to NZ's leading equipment dealers and hire fleets.
A shared access portal connecting businesses to underutilised R&D and testing equipment at universities, CRIs, CoREs, and innovation parks. Book time on a mass spectrometer like a meeting room.
A lifecycle management and repair network connecting SMEs directly with certified local service technicians, calibration specialists, and heavy riggers for any piece of industrial equipment.
A compliance hub integrating custom SOPs, safety checklists, and operational documentation. Aligned with WorkSafe NZ guidelines and LEENZ lifting regulations — built into every equipment listing.
An education and industrial training hub capturing legacy knowledge from retiring operators and transferring it to apprentices. Video libraries, machine-specific guides, and expert operator networks.
A circular economy portal facilitating trade-ins, refurbishment pathways, parts salvaging, and carbon tracking. Turns decommissioned assets into productive resources instead of landfill.
Flexible financing options making capital-heavy equipment accessible to SMEs. Lease-to-own, fractional ownership models, and structured payment plans designed for NZ's industrial sector.
An integrated insurance and risk-management portal covering transit, mechanical breakdown, and liability for shared-access and high-value industrial assets. De-risks every transaction in the ecosystem so owners and operators can engage with confidence.
The Ecosystem
Every organisation in NZ's industrial and scientific ecosystem — mapped, catalogued, and ready to connect.
Current Traction
We're actively engaging with key national players to validate, build, and launch the equipA.kiwi ecosystem.
Starting the conversation on how to catalogue their massive, underutilised equipment inventory and tap into their ~40,000-strong network of students, researchers, and alumni.
Opening a dialogue with Technical Directors to leverage their network of ~18,600 engineers across Australia and New Zealand — and their deep expertise in industrial asset management.
Preparing a $135k feasibility study proposal aimed at MBIE and Trade Me to validate the national rollout, quantify the addressable market, and secure early institutional backing.
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No spam. Ever. Just updates when we're ready to launch. Kia kaha.