Spyfish Aotearoa in action
Wildlife.ai is proud to be named as New Zealand Hi-Tech Award Finalists for 2026, in the category of Best Hi-Tech Solution for the Public Good.
The project we have been nominated for is Spyfish Aotearoa – an end-to-end AI-powered solution which is transforming how we monitor and protect our marine environment. What once took months of manual analysis can now be done in hours,
Spyfish Aotearoa is transforming how marine ecosystems are monitored. Where underwater footage once took months to analyse manually, the platform now processes and classifies data in hours using AI – turning underwater footage into real-time insights for scientists, communities and decision-makers.
It is being developed and used in partnership with the Department of Conservation to monitor marine protected areas, and with the University of Auckland to measure the biodiversity benefits of mussel farms – supporting both conservation and sustainable industry.
Dr Victor Anton, General Manager of Wildlife.ai, says the recognition reflects both technological progress and a shift in how conservation is delivered.
“For decades, we’ve had incredible amounts of ecological data sitting unused because it simply took too long to process. Spyfish Aotearoa changes that – turning months of analysis into hours, and getting insights into the hands of the people who need them.”
“What’s happening here in Taranaki shows what’s possible when you combine science, technology, and community. We’re building tools locally that are protecting marine ecosystems across Aotearoa, with global potential.”
Part of what makes Spyfish Aotearoa so special, is that we work with citizen scientists, who help us to train the machine-learning model and in turn grow their understanding an passion for our marine ecosystems.
Wildlife.ai is proud to be nominated as a NZ Hi-Tech Awards Finalist in the Best Hi-Tech Solution for the Public Good category alongside Taranaki-based 800 Trust, showing that Taranaki is a hub for conservation technology and innovation, working together with our community to protect our environment and support it to flourish.
