18 June 2001

Economic Development Minister Jim Anderton today announced the sixth round of Industry New Zealand Enterprise Awards and welcomed the news that a previous recipient is benefiting from the grant they were awarded last year.

The sixth round of Industry New Zealand Enterprise Awards has 34 recipients taking the number of grants awarded to 174 since September 2000 when the awards started.

"These awards are clearly making a difference," said Jim Anderton.

Crazy Catch, which received an Industry New Zealand Enterprise Award in November 2000 has impressed the Warriors rugby league team so much that they are getting a larger version of the Crazy Catch ball skills trainer on Thursday 21 June.

"I played with Crazy Catch in Auckland last year and it was an excellent sports and leisure device. When you throw a ball, it comes back at random angles, making it a great training device," said Jim Anderton.

"Andrew and Louise Sinclair of Auckland, in the true spirit of kiwi inventors, constructed the Crazy Catch in their backyard to stop their sons breaking their windows. It was so successful they were able to get an Enterprise Award for it and now are selling the device to a range people in different sporting codes.

"This is the sort of innovation we need to see more of and I encourage other inventors to contact Industry New Zealand to develop their ideas further," said Jim Anderton.

The latest round includes an interactive maze and caves for Old MacDonald's Farmyard in Auckland, a new internet search engine, development of frozen fruit desserts and market research for a company producing building componentry made from polystyrene.

Entrepreneurs or small business owners can receive a maximum of $20,000 from an Industry New Zealand Enterprise Award, which can be used to fund up to 50 percent of the cost of a project.