Materially Kiwi
News, Media & Recognition
From a home-kitchen experiment to national television, international industry coverage and science-led collaboration, Materially Kiwi’s story continues to reach new audiences.
Explore recent features, interviews, programmes and milestones from our evolving biomaterials journey.
Featured Story
Seven Sharp visited Materially Kiwi to explore the founder story, material development and growing interest from brands in New Zealand and overseas.
The feature follows Shelley Houston’s journey from early experiments to a company working with researchers, manufacturers and brands to develop high-value materials from rejected kiwifruit.
This feature reflects the company’s technical and commercial position at the time of filming. Our platform and formulation direction have continued to evolve.
Recent Coverage
Current features track Materially Kiwi’s transition from a single material concept toward a wider science-led biomaterials platform.
A current look at the rebrand, evolving fractionation strategy, research collaboration and wider opportunity for New Zealand’s bioeconomy.
Read the feature →
Shelley speaks about the company’s origins, the market response and the opportunity to create more value from New Zealand kiwifruit side streams.
Read and listen →
Materially Kiwi appears in an update on the Next community, including the Seven Sharp feature and the company’s Earthshot Prize nomination.
Read the update →Media Archive
These stories document earlier stages of the company’s development. Some descriptions and technical claims reflect the information available at the publication date.
Scion
RNZ / The Detail
NZ Herald / The Country
Newstalk ZB
The Post
FreshPlaza
Materially Kiwi was previously known as KiwiLeather Innovations. Earlier coverage may use that name and may describe development targets or early material attributes that are now being re-evaluated through further research. For our current position, please visit the Material and Responsibility pages.
Recognition & Programmes
External programmes, nominations and industry platforms have helped strengthen the company, its network and its commercial direction.
Nomination · 2026
Accelerator · 2026
Innovation Platform · 2025 & 2026
Programme · 2025
Recognition
Research Support
Media Enquiries
For interviews, founder commentary, imagery or background on New Zealand biomaterials and horticultural side streams, please contact Shelley Houston.
shelley@materiallykiwi.comFollow Our Progress
Materially Kiwi is continuing its research, material refinement and commercial preparation. Follow the journey as the evidence, samples and partnerships grow.
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