Ngaio Merrick has been on the commercialisation initiative's board since 2016, having previously worked with a municipal development agency.

Kiwi Innovation Network (KiwiNet), a New Zealand government-backed commercialisation initiative affiliated with several universities and research centres, has named Ngaio Merrick (pictured) as chairwoman.

Merrick, currently an independent KiwiNet board member, will succeed the outgoing board chairman, Ruth Richardson, who is retiring after seven years that started with KiwiNet’s formation in 2011.

KiwiNet facilitates access to funding, training and networks for researchers and tech transfer offices. It is primarily supported by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and to date has assisted 950 projects that have spawned 39 spinouts and 383 commercial deals.

The agency administers investments on behalf of MBIE’s PreSeed Accelerator Fund, having invested a total of $38m from the program to date together with its forerunner Unicom, formed in 2008.

Serving on KiwiNet’s board since 2016, Merrick has also been the portfolio and investment manager since 2012 for Lewis Holdings, the entity responsible for retail entrepreneur Sir David Levene’s assets.

Merrick spent more than five years with municipal development agency Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development, as an operations and relationship manager from 2007 until 2010 and as manager for business growth in north Auckland between 2010 and 2012.

Merrick’s selection complements the appointment of two new KiwiNet board members.

Will Barker, founder of metal recovery technology developer Mint Innovation, will serve as an independent director, with Anne Barnett, CEO at Victoria University of Wellington’s commercialisation arm, Viclink, selected as KiwiNet’s board university representative.

KiwiNet’s partners include Viclink, Lincoln University, University of Canterbury and Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, as well as WaikatoLink, Otago Innovation and AUT Enterprises, respective tech transfer offices for the universities of Waikato, Otago and Auckland University of Technology.

Publicly-owned innovation agency Callaghan Innovation and independent research organisation Cawthron Institute are also affiliated to the program, as are research institutes GNS Science, Scion, ESR, Niwa, Landcare Research, AgResearch and Plant & Food Research.