What Farmsense does

FarmSense Limited is a New Zealand-based farm monitoring technology company that designs and sells solar-powered, plug-and-play IoT sensor systems to livestock farmers managing large rural properties. The company was founded by Gerald Williams — a farmer with a prior career in telecommunications network design — after he built monitoring equipment to solve water-supply visibility problems on his own Hawke's Bay farm. The target customers are New Zealand sheep, beef, deer, and bull farmers who currently rely on manual checks and unreliable float gauges to manage water, weather, and soil inputs across properties where physical presence is impractical.

The core product is the Sensor Hub, a solar-powered central unit with plug-in connectors that auto-detect connected sensors. A single hub can monitor up to four sensors at one location (e.g., four water tank levels), and the Sensor Hub 4G variant can relay data from Sensor Hub XT units up to 3 km line-of-sight, enabling distributed coverage across an entire farm. The sensor line-up covers water tank levels (ultrasonic/pressure, stainless steel, leak detection via rapid level drop), water flow (Arad M-series 20–32mm), rainfall (digital gauge, 200mm inlet, 0.2mm resolution), weather (ultrasonic anemometer with no moving parts, 0–40 m/s), and soil moisture/temperature (Enviro Pro precision probes at multiple depths). Data is delivered via 4G (Spark NZ), Wi-Fi, or hybrid LoRa to the FarmSense Portal — a cloud platform with a mobile app, configurable threshold alerts, historical trend graphs, and SSO via Google and Facebook. A regulated Water Meter Telemetry add-on transmits data to the Hawke's Bay Regional Council for Resource Consent compliance.

FarmSense generates revenue from three streams: hardware sales of Sensor Hubs and sensor kits (sold via direct e-commerce on farmsense.nz), recurring connectivity and cloud-portal services, and professional installation of Water Meter Telemetry (currently Hawke's Bay only). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is product-led and direct-to-consumer: farmers self-purchase through the website and self-install the systems, with phone and email support, demo requests, and a Mailchimp newsletter supporting acquisition. Distribution is entirely domestic New Zealand; no resellers, distributors, or international channels are referenced. The company is founder-owned, privately held, and headquartered in Taradale, Hawke's Bay.

Name

Farmsense

Legal name

FarmSense Limited

Website

https://farmsense.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

FarmSense Limited builds solar-powered, plug-and-play IoT sensor systems that let New Zealand livestock farmers monitor water tank levels, rainfall, soil moisture, and wind in real time via a cloud portal and mobile app, with SMS and email alerts when configured thresholds are breached.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural IoT / Farm Monitoring Systems

NAICS

Totalizing Fluid Meter and Counting Device Manufacturing (334514), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Farm Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333111)

SIC

Totalizing Fluid Meters & Counting Devices (3824), Agricultural Services (700), Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523)

akta.pro primary industry

IoT Farm Sensors & Edge Devices (Soil, Weather, Crop, Water) (AFAAAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

In-Field Sensor Hardware (Soil Moisture/Nutrient, Weather, Canopy Sensors) (AFABAMAA), Precision Sensing & Monitoring (Soil/Weather Stations, In-Field Sensors, IoT) (AFAGALAB), Irrigation Monitoring & Sensors (Flow/Pressure Meters, Soil Moisture, Water Quality Sensors) (AFABAHAJ), Network Monitoring & Smart Water Sensors (Pressure/Flow/Noise Loggers, IoT) (EUANAKAB)

Keywords

• Farm monitoring systems
• Agricultural IoT sensors
• Water tank monitoring
• Weather monitoring sensors
• Soil moisture monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Napier

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sensor Systems: Sale of physical sensor products including Sensor Hubs (WiFi, 4G, Pro variants), Water Tank Level Sensors, Water Flow Sensors, Rain Gauge Sensors, Weather Stations, Soil Moisture Sensors, and associated mounting brackets and accessories. Hardware is sold as kits with bundled components (e.g., Weather Station Kit includes 4 Port Sensor Hub + Ultrasonic Weather Station). Pricing is quote-based, not publicly disclosed on website.
2. Cloud Connectivity Services: Ongoing connectivity and data services via the FarmSense Portal (portal.farmsense.nz). Sensors transmit data to cloud infrastructure for real-time monitoring, alerts, and historical data access via mobile app. Service likely requires ongoing subscription for data connectivity, though specific pricing not publicly disclosed.
3. Professional Installation Services: Professional installation service for Water Meter Telemetry, which requires certified installation to existing water meters for compliance with regional council consent requirements. Currently available in Hawke's Bay region.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

FarmSense designs, manufactures, and sells solar-powered, plug-and-play IoT sensor systems and bundles that continuously monitor water tank levels, water flow, rainfall, soil moisture, soil temperature, and weather conditions on farms. Sensor data is transmitted wirelessly over 4G, Wi-Fi, or LoRa to the FarmSense cloud portal and mobile app, which provides real-time visualization, historical trend tracking, and SMS/email alerts when readings exceed configurable thresholds. The company also offers water meter telemetry services compliant with Hawke's Bay Regional Council consent requirements.

Product overview

Farmsense offers a modular farm automation and monitoring platform built around a central Sensor Hub that connects to a range of specialized sensors. The core Sensor Hub (available in standard, Pro, 4G, and Pro 4G variants) supports multi-sensor connectivity at a single location, while Sensor Hub 4G models can relay data from remote XT units up to 3 km away, enabling scalable distributed monitoring across entire farms. The product portfolio comprises three monitoring categories: Water Monitoring (including Water Tank Level Sensor, Water Flow Sensor, and Water Meter Telemetry), Weather Monitoring (Weather Station and Rain Sensor), and Soil Monitoring (Soil Moisture Sensor). These are sold as individual sensors or in bundled kits that pair appropriate sensors with the Sensor Hub. All data is delivered wirelessly to the FarmSense Portal mobile app, with real-time alerts for threshold violations. The systems are solar-powered, plug-and-play, and designed for New Zealand farming conditions with connectivity options including 4G, Wi-Fi, and hybrid LoRa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sensor Hub Central hub device that connects to and manages multiple FarmSense sensors at a single location (up to four sensors), featuring solar power with lithium polymer battery backup, plug-and-play push-in connectors with automatic sensor detection, and wireless connectivity to the FarmSense cloud portal.
• Sensor Hub 4G 4G-enabled variant of the Sensor Hub (using the Spark NZ cellular network) that can also relay data from remote Sensor Hub XT units up to 3 km line of sight, enabling distributed sensor networks across large farms.
• Water Tank Level Monitor Kit Complete bundle for monitoring water tank levels on farms, including the Water Tank Level Sensor and a Sensor Hub. Eliminates manual tank checks, provides leak detection via rapid level drop alerts, and displays tank history on the FarmSense mobile app.
• Water Flow Sensor Arad Model M water flow sensor (available in 20mm to 32mm sizes with BSP coupling threads) fitted in pipelines to monitor water usage and detect leaks, with highly reinforced composite construction rated to 10 bar pressure.
• Water Meter Telemetry Telemetry solution for existing certified water meters, compliant with Hawke's Bay Regional Council Resource Consent Telemetry Requirements, with data transmitted to the council for compliance. Professional installation service is available in Hawke's Bay.
• Weather Station Kit Bundle including a 4-port Sensor Hub and a pole-mount ultrasonic Weather Station that measures temperature, humidity, pressure, wind speed (0-40 m/s), wind direction (360°), dew point, and apparent temperature, with no moving parts for maintenance-free operation.
• Rain Kit Bundle for rainfall monitoring with a digital rain gauge featuring a large 200mm inlet for increased accuracy, measuring rainfall intensity up to 8 mm/min and providing daily, weekly, monthly, and year-to-date rainfall data to the mobile device.
• Soil Moisture Kit Complete bundle for soil monitoring including an Enviro Pro precision soil probe that measures soil moisture (0.01% resolution, ±2% accuracy) and temperature (±1°C accuracy) at multiple depths, displaying Available Water and Soil Moisture Deficit (SMD) to enable efficient irrigation management and water conservation.
• FarmSense Portal Web-based portal and mobile application for viewing sensor data, configuring alert thresholds, managing devices, and monitoring farm inputs in real time from anywhere, with text message and email notifications when readings exceed configured thresholds.

Quantifiable outcome

• Early leak detection preventing costly water system damage - George Williams states 'The cost of a water problem can run into tens of thousands of dollars before you know it'
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature11 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SPARK (New Zealand)coreTechnology or IntegrationSensor Hub Pro 4G model includes built-in 4G connectivity via Spark network (New Zealand telecommunications provider). Spark provides the cellular connectivity for 4G sensor hub units enabling data transmission in areas with cellular coverage.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCi3gVgjdimwETyYCYBsASfg
• Facebookfacebook.com/FarmSenseLtd
• Instagraminstagram.com/farmsense.nz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Farmsense