Southland farmer’s edible bale net wins global attention

   Grant Lightfoot first came up with the for Kiwi Econet idea years ago while working as a commercial diver on offshore oil rigs, spending weeks at a time in a decompression chamber. Supplied.

A Southland deer farmer who once hand-knitted his first 50 metres of bale netting is now preparing to take his invention to agricultural events across Europe — and has caught the attention of Prince William along the way.

Orepuki farmer Grant Lightfoot, inventor of the edible jute bale net Kiwi Econet, has seen remarkable growth since winning the 2024 Southern Field Days Innovation Award at Waimumu.

What began as an experiment in his woolshed has since developed into a fully manufactured product, attracting interest from around the world.

Lightfoot first came up with the idea years ago while working as a commercial diver on offshore oil rigs, spending weeks at a time in a decompression chamber.

 Long hours and isolation prompted him to think about problems back home, particularly the environmental impacts and animal health risks associated with plastic bale netting.

“You can’t recycle it. Farmers burn it or bury it. And if a cow eats it, that’s a $2,500 animal gone,” he says.

  Prince William toured the Kiwi Econet stand at the Groundswell event in the U.K and expressed interest in using Kiwi Econet on the royal farm. Supplied.

From hand-knitted prototype to Field Days winner

Back on the farm in Orepuki, Lightfoot and his partner Colleen knitted the very first prototype by hand.

 Running it through the baler proved the concept worked, and a suggestion from a friend prompted him to enter the Southern Field Days Innovation Award.

“I didn’t think much of it, really,” he says. “But I won it — hands down.”

He donated his prize money to the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Trust, and within minutes of the award announcement, his phone was flooded with messages.

“It was instant. I couldn’t keep up.”

Since that moment, everything has moved quickly.

 Kiwi Econet is now made from jute, grown and manufactured in India.

 The netting can be safely eaten by livestock or left to break down naturally in the paddock, offering both environmental and practical advantages.

“It’s just a natural fibre. Any animal can eat it. And if they don’t, it just rots away,” Lightfoot says.

The benefits extend beyond animal safety.

 The product reduces labour and eliminates plastic waste, offering a solution for contractors and farmers dealing with thousands of tonnes of discarded plastic netting each year.

 New Zealand alone uses an estimated $5.3 million worth of plastic bale net annually; Japan spends around $8.3 million.

 “I’m the only one in the world doing this,” he says.

Following encouragement during his UK trip, Lightfoot entered the 2026 Earthshot Prize, the global environmental award established by Prince William, and has since been nominated across all five categories. Supplied.

Global momentum and a royal encounter

Lightfoot has recently travelled to Switzerland, Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom to promote the product.

Kiwi Econet will begin exporting containers to Europe this year.

A particularly memorable moment came at the Groundswell agricultural show in England, where organisers hinted that a “special guest” would be visiting the Innovation area.

That guest was Prince William, who toured the stand and expressed interest in using Kiwi Econet on the royal farm.

 “Pretty cool,” Lightfoot says. “He was just like us — very easy to talk to.”

He will return to the UK in June next year for a major agricultural showcase hosted at Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm, where Kiwi Econet will be featured.

Following encouragement during his UK trip, Lightfoot entered the 2026 Earthshot Prize, the global environmental award established by Prince William.

Kiwi Econet has been nominated across all five categories. “There’s a million pounds per category,” he says. “We won’t get all five — but one would be enough.”

A homegrown innovation backed by hard work

Despite the rapid global interest, Lightfoot says he has received no government support in New Zealand.

 “No one in New Zealand has helped me,” he says. “I even went to the Beehive. Nothing.”

To fund the business, he works six jobs, including deer farming, running a logging business, operating a log truck, shooting from a helicopter and grazing dairy cattle on a lease block.

“All of it goes back into the company. You’ve got to work hard. That’s just life.”

Lightfoot will return to the Southern Field Days at Waimumu in February 2026, where Kiwi Econet will again be exhibited in the Innovation area.

 He hopes local farmers will stop by, ask questions and consider the long-term benefits of moving away from plastic netting.

“It’s available now. It’s a time saver. It’s safer. And it’s better for the environment,” he says. “The next couple of years — watch this space.”