| 3 “It’s a self-resetting mouse trap that’s electronic, so you charge it just like you would your smart phone...” T T Virginia Wright Technology the new pest-control tool Goodnature embraces technology - winning international awards for its innovative designs. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Goodnature Wellington-based company Goodnature describes itself as a manufacturer of the world’s smartest rat and mouse traps, and when you hear about them it’s easy to believe that to be true. CEO Dave Shoemack joined three and a half years ago, when he and his young family returned from Amsterdam where he had been living for a decade. Goodnature was the perfect fit for him: it’s now been around for 20 years, and like the tech company he had been working for, it combines software and hardware (physical things) to create something that “does some good in the world”, as Dave puts it. “From the start, the intention was to reinvent what’s quite an archaic industry for the better. There’s still a lot of poisons used, there’s a lot of products that haven’t really evolved in 100 years or more, and we see our role as being the disrupters of the industry.” Goodnature embraces technology to the point that winning international awards for its innovative designs is part and parcel of what they do, in an industry crying out for the sort of change that will help them turn the tide against the pests they are working to control. The first product designed by the founders, Victoria University design students Craig Bond and Robbie Van Dam, came about after a challenge (and eventually some seed funding) from DOC to come up with a stoat and weasel trap that could reset itself without needing a human, which would be a game changer in remote areas like Fiordland. “So our original A24 trap came about from this real New Zealand conservation challenge around making a trap that could work in the hardiest of environments, then reset itself and keep successfully trapping. It’s powered by CO2 canisters, it’s automatic, and it can last for up to six months, or 24 kills, hence the name,” says Dave. “Then they worked out that something similar could work for rats and mice that are a problem all over the world, and that if it works in Fiordland then it’ll definitely work in someone’s backyard.” The resulting self-resetting mouse trap, which they launched last year, has already won a global industry design award, and is in the running for an award for innovation, and for its impact globally, at the upcoming Wellington Gold Awards 2025. “It’s a self-resetting mouse trap that’s electronic, so you charge it just like you would your smart phone, and it sends notifications to your phone via Bluetooth, which allow you to keep track of exactly what’s happening.” The traps are toxin free, and set with lures also developed by Goodnature. The lure resembles a palm-sized peanut butter and jelly doughnut, using a unique blend of materials and flavours irresistible to your average mouse, which stays very fragrant for up to three months. Once the rat or mouse is lured into the trap, its progress is tracked by sensors and when it’s in the right place the trap sends down a bolt, which kills it “quickly and humanely”, another of Goodnatures’ core principles, then sends a notification to your phone. Another design feature allows people to get rid of the results without having to touch or even see a dead mouse before the trap resets ready to do it all over again. The mouse trap was only launched in September 2024, but is already embraced all over New Zealand and around the world. Not surprising then that last year alone the factory in Wellington made more than 100,000 traps and more than half a million lures, 85% of which went to satisfy a growing international market. Recognised as one of the world’s ‘Most Innovative Companies’, alongside the likes of Apple and Dyson, Goodnature’s future looks promising, as it does for the increasingly sustainable and future-looking pest control industry, both here and overseas. Software Developers for Web, Mobile, and Apps Trio Technology is a software and technology company offering our software development services in a wide range of platforms and languages. How Can We Help? +64 6 280 2069 | info@triotech.co.nz | triotech.co.nz NTD Ltd are very proud to have been working closely with the Goodnature team since 2009 on all aspects of design, toolmaking and injection moulding. Contact us to see how we can help with your next project. www.ntd.co.nz
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