Alan Gibbs/Gibbs Technology

 

HSA Technology
High Speed Amphibian(HSA)Technology is one of the most exciting and ground breaking developments in automotive marine engineering.It enables an amphibian to preform both fast on land and water.

Gibbs Technology
Gibbs Tech was established by New Zealand entrepreneur Alan Gibbs and Englishman Niel Jenkins.In 1995 Alan Gibbs built his first amphibian.Shortly after he discovered a concept for an improved method for lifting the wheels.

HSA Tech has proven its performance, technical ability and has amazed audiences around the world.

	The Society of Engineers awarded Neil Jenkins the Churchill Medal in 2004 for Outstanding Engineering Achievement.
	Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson broke the record for the fastest crossing of the English Channel by an amphibious vehicle in a Gibbs Aquada. Branson beat the previous record by more than four hours.

	The Aquada was placed in the top three items you can't live without in the ITV program, 100 Things you Can't Live Without

	The Aquada was rated 42 out of 100 top innovations by Stuff Magazine

World Record - The Aquada broke the world record for the fastest amphibian, by reaching a speed on water of 32.8 miles an hour, shattering the previous record of 9 miles per hour. The new record was set on 13th October 2003 at Lake Windermere as part of the Windermere Speed week.

 

Ernest Rutherford

New Zealand scientist and Nobel Prize winner Baron Ernest Rutherford was the first in the world to split the atom in 1919.

During his lifetime, Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937) was responsible for a series of discoveries in the fields of radioactivity and nuclear physics that helped shape modern science. Einstein described Rutherford as "the man who tunnelled into the very material of God".

David Akers, Andrew Akers, Dwayn Van Der Sluis

An attempt to walk on water inspired Kiwi brothers David and Andrew Akers, along with scientist Dwayne van der Sluis, to create the Zorb - a giant ball that spins down hills at up to 50kph.

Thrill seekers are strapped into the hollow plastic ball - surrounded by a thick air cushion - then sent off on a crazy downhill spin.

Zorb was invented in Rotorua, and adventure seekers can try it out on grassy slopes just outside the famous thermal town. International franchises are operating in Europe, Asia and South America.

William Atack

Today, the sound of a whistle in sport is ubiquitous. There's not a Saturday morning goes by on rugby and soccer fields and netball courts around New Zealand without the insistent ''peep'' punctuating the action.But it wasn't always like that _ 126 years ago, in 1884 in Christchurch, 27-year-old sports journalist William Atack did something that changed the face, or at least the sound, of sport forever.Previously, referees had used their voice to control games. Arthur Swan, official historian for the New Zealand Rugby Football Union, says:''When both sides were appealing, the voice had to be exercised loudly and Atack found it exhausting. Thinking it over one day while refereeing a rugby game, his fingers strayed into a waistcoat pocket where they encountered a dog whistle. The inspiration occurred to him that it would be a fine thing to use a whistle to stop the game. The next time he refereed, he called the teams together and they agreed to play to the whistle. It was a great success and was adopted all over the country

Dr Keith Alexander

New Zealand Engineering Innovator of the Year 2011, Associate Professor Dr Keith Alexander worked on the Gibbs Aquada and Hamilton Jet but it's his revolutionary spring-free trampoline - the world's safest trampoline - that's found in backyards all over New Zealand and around the world. His trampoline replaces the traditional steel coil rings with glass-reinforced rods.

The Canterbury University-designed Springfree Trampoline is said to reduce injury incidents on trampolines by up to 80%. It was voted consumer product of the year in the USA and Canada, and has also won an Australian design award.

Aurthur Lydiard

New Zealand athletic trainer Arthur Lydiard invented jogging - the method of building up physical fitness by gradually increasing stamina. This system is used by millions of people worldwide as part of their everyday health and fitness regime.

Lydiard’s training technique saw his protégés Peter Snell and Murray Halberg win gold medals on the same day at the 1960 Rome Olympics, and helped propel New Zealand to the top of world middle-distance running.

William Hamilton

As a small boy, William Hamilton had dreamed of a boat that would carry him up New Zealand’s swift flowing rivers. His dream became reality with the 1954 development of a revolutionary new style of boating - the world’s first propellerless boat. Since then, the Hamilton Jet has been the means to explore and access waterways all over the world.

Sir William Hamilton went on to invent the hay lift, an advanced air compressor, a machine to smooth ice on skating ponds, and the water sprinkler amongst other things.