Frontline challenge turns into $10k micro innovation win [NZ]Friday 14 Aug 2026
“I started working with pruning crews in May last year,” she says. “We had a really warm autumn and we were in quite a tough blackberry block. I was watching the guys push their way through. They either chose to have no arm protection to manage the heat, or they wore two hoodies and overheated.” Neither option sat well with her. Bare arms meant scratches and thorns. And in forestry, blackberry scratches aren’t minor inconveniences – they can become infected, layered on top of old cuts, day after day. Hoodies reduced the scratches but created a different risk. “If they’re not keeping up hydration, that exposes them to heat exhaustion,” Tessa explains. “Sometimes you can push through it, but it hits you later. Or the next day.” For Tessa, it was clearly a health and safety issue, but also a wellbeing issue. “It’s mentally challenging too. It’s an environment where you just have to push through.” Her brain, as she puts it, is “always ticking over” when she’s out in the forest. “When you’re out there, you’re doing your job, and your mind is free to think.” One simple question emerged: If we’ve got leg chaps, why don’t we have arm chaps? The idea wasn’t confined to the forest. At home, Tessa and her mum were battling blackberry on their lifestyle block. “Mum was getting really ripped up too. I thought, this isn’t just a forestry problem.” Before the challenge even opened, Tessa had begun experimenting. In true upcycling style, she salvaged old car seat covers destined for the bin to use as canvas. When the Youth Micro Innovation Challenge was announced, it felt like the right pathway to take her idea further. Unlike traditional funding rounds, the process was deliberately simple. No lengthy business case – just a clear explanation of how the innovation would improve forestry. With up to $10,000 available and a fast-track timeframe, it was designed to move ideas quickly into proof-of-concept. Tessa’s concept, Forestry Arm Chaps, was selected as one of two winners. The funding allowed her to purchase an industrial sewing machine and materials to build a robust prototype. But as with most forestry projects, the timeline had to flex around operational realities. Planting season was intense, and Tessa negotiated an extension so she could give the design the attention it deserved. She completed her first field test in early December with a volunteer from a crew working in Murupara. “I was a bit nervous,” she admits. “At first they looked at me like… what is this? But once I showed them, they were really encouraging. They said it’s something they would use and wanted to be part of the trial.” That response mattered. “If you design PPE that’s more of a hindrance than a help, it just won’t be adopted.” More >> Source & image credit: Kaingaroa Tipu  | ||
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