Edible Plastic Wrap Alternative Wins Youth Innovation Competition - Global Kaitiakitanga Project

An edible, biodegradable, allergen-free plastic wrap alternative developed by Taupō teenager Brooke Moore, has won the New Zealand at Expo 2020 and Young Enterprise Global Kaitiakitanga Project.

The Global Kaitiakitanga Project was created by New Zealand at Expo 2020 and Young Enterprise to support the next generation of New Zealand entrepreneurs ahead of the next World Expo – Expo 2020 Dubai.

“I am just so grateful for the experience. These past 14 months I’ve grown so much as a leader, a thinker, an innovator and as a person – I’ve become so much more articulate in expressing my ideas and I’ve learned how to really define my market and branding” says Brooke Moore, who started her company Wrapt, last year.

“I cannot thank YES, New Zealand at Expo 2020 and NZTE enough for the once-in-a-lifetime learnings and opportunities!” she says.

“New Zealand’s theme for Expo 2020 is Care for People and Place - it is about looking after our future generations. As part of our commitment to the theme, we wanted to nurture our young innovators and support the development of their sustainability-focussed companies,” says New Zealand’s Commissioner-General to Expo 2020, Clayton Kimpton.

Over 14-months, five teams of student companies participating in the Project received mentoring from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise business development specialists and learnt about taking products to the international market during a trip to Thailand, sponsored by the Southeast Asia Centre for Asia Pacific Excellence.

“The programme shows young people, who are today’s business leaders and change-makers, that they can combine business and enterprise with kaitiakitanga, and looking after our people and our planet,” says Young Enterprise Chief Executive Terry Shubkin.

Judge Sanchia Yonge, General Manager of Customer Solutions Group at New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, commended all of the teams for their commercially astute businesses that are “embracing solving some big challenges that we need to solve for the good of the world, using the innovation and smarts of New Zealand”

Brooke Moore has won a prize of $1,000 to go towards Wrapt, which she says she will invest into the R&D process.

Expo 2020 Dubai has been postponed and will be held from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022.

The five teams participating in the Global Kaitiakitanga Project were:

• Wrapt - an edible, biodegradable, allergen-free plastic wrap alternative. Brooke Moore, Tauhara College, Taupō.
• Top That! – a gourmet allergen-friendly meal topper, carefully crafted to enhance the healthy eating experience. Olivia Moore, Tauhara College, Taupō.
• Te Kete O Tangaroa –is working towards creating a polystyrene bin alternative, to combat the unsustainable use of polystyrene for exporting seafood. Sam Wixon, Havelock North High School, Havelock North.
• Te Tuitui Mautauranga – is concerned with maximising the return from the land using innovative technology. They have produced drought tolerant seeds. Louis Gaffney, Marcus Ambrose and Bradley Campbell, St John’s College, Hastings.
• And CloudMass with a vision is to become a market-leading expert in the care and daily happenings of Dementia patients. Sean Gibbs, Matthew Bilby and Adam Jonkers, Glendowie College, Auckland.

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