Best Awards Finalist!

Peke Waihanga – Best Awards Finalists 2 Years Running

‘I can’t thank Alex and the team enough for what they have done for me. I wouldn’t be attempting the 2023 Coast to Coast without this device,’ says an emotional Shaz Dagg. ‘It’s so light and there’s no heavy drag—it’s a total gamer-changer for me and stumpy!’

Product Development Lead Alex Huffadine and her team are once again finalists in The Designers Institute of New Zealand’s Best Awards. The Best Awards is an annual showcase of excellence in graphic, spatial, product, digital and motion design. There are three special award categories, Value of Design, Public Good, and Toitanga. Receiving a Bronze Award last year in the Public Good category, this year Peke Waihanga is once again a finalist—this time in the Value of Design category. (Team members: Vincent McQueen, Olaf Diegel, Juan Schutte, Andre Van Schalkwyn; Clinicians: Conor Brown, Rebecca Grooby).

‘Being a finalist acknowledges the collaborative process between designers, clinical staff, cultures, clients, and our environment,’ says Alex. It’s a significant achievement in and of itself to make the finals, but to win would ‘prove we are on the right path of innovation and that we know how to make a product useful, understandable and one that is truly innovative.’

This year’s entry is The Kayak Prosthetic Wrist, designed for well-known ‘limb-it-less’ elite parathlete Shaz Dagg—the first female amputee ever to complete the Coast to Coast (2021).

The design challenge faced by Alex and her team was Shaz’s desire to once again complete the Coast to Coast Multipsport Race (bike, run, kayak), which involved a 70km kayak of grade 2-3 rapids. Shaz needed something lighter and smaller than what was available for kayak athelte amputees. Larger, heavier ‘off-the’shelf’ devices placed strain on Shaz’s arm preventing the range of motion and good technique she was looking achieve. This reduced strength on the amputated side, and impeded her ability to navigate through the rapids and maintain a straight line.

The team worked for around 6 months (among other projects) to provide Shaz with a solution. The wearable device they designed mimicks the action required to draw a stroke through the water.

‘The design is based on using a ball joint as the mechanism to replicate the biomechanics of the wrist motion. Integrated into the prosthetic is a quick-release mechanism, enabling the user to quickly release the paddle if they fall out or are required to release the paddle quickly, and threads onto a common M12 thread,’ explains Alex. (For more on the intricacies of the deisgn solution and its impact click here).

‘I shouldn’t be surprised that the team’s design has made the finals because what they have done for me is amazing. I now have the pleasure of putting on a socket that sits better, is lighter, and means that I’m not in so much pain. Before I was locked into one position with no fluidity of movement. Now I have this incredible rotating ball system! There’s less pain, and I don’t get so tired because my body is not having to constantly compensate,’ says a grateful Shaz.

Shaz wants to take her goals to the next level as she heads towards the 2023 Coast to Coast: ‘I want to do this race not just for me now, but also for Alex and the team. They’re always there to help and nothing is ever a problem for them. Without their support and input I just wouldn’t be attempting this next race—what they’ve achieved for me as an athlete means I can step up my goals and achieve so much more.’

We wish Alex and her team the very best of luck for the awards, and will keep you posted here with the outcome in October!