Massey alumnus Manawatu's top innovator

Massey University alumnus Peter Vullings was named the winner of this year’s Innovate Manawatu competition at an event last night.

Mr Vullings’ winning entry was the v-electric scooter. The judges were impressed by his design sense and vision for his company. The top prize is worth $10,000.

Watch a video of the prototype here: http://youtu.be/H1EzatzsHIg

Mr Vullings completed a Bachelor of Technology majoring in information engineering with honours at Massey’s Manawatu campus in 2000.

Massey communications student Charles Allen won the youth award for Kiwified, an innovative idea for a business that combines tourist discounts with a t-shirt that allows customers to tell the story of their travel. He won $1000.

Simon Barnett of sports gear manufacturer Obo – also a Massey graduate – convened the judging panel. "This year's finalists were of a very, very high standard,” he says. “All the finalists showed real commitment to their business ideas, and to the demanding process that ‘Innovate’ required them to complete.”

Innovate Manawatu was created last year by the BCC, a Palmerston North-based business that specialises in taking high technology ideas to market. The competition had 350 entries.