The Echo of September
Why the Connections We Made in 2025 Will Define 2026
As the year winds down and we look toward 2026, it’s impossible not to cast our minds back to September. The air was different then, charged with a specific kind of electricity that only happens when you put hundreds of problem-solvers in the same room.
Looking back at the footage from the Hunter Innovation Festival 2025, one thing becomes abundantly clear: we didn't just gather to swap business cards. We gathered to survive and to thrive.
More Than Just a Festival
In the midst of the festival buzz, Zara Crichton (CEO, Hunter iF) captured the core purpose of the event. It wasn’t about patting ourselves on the back for easy wins. It was about creating a safe space for "pushing boundaries, trying new stuff, and failing."
As Zara noted, that willingness to evolve is the only way to move the region forward. In 2025, we celebrated the courage it takes to fail, knowing that in 2026, those lessons will convert into resilience.
The Engine of Transition
One of the most poignant takeaways from the festival came from attendees who recognised the macro-economic stakes. As one participant noted, events like this are critical as the Hunter’s economy "transitions over the next few decades."
We are no longer just a region of extraction; we are becoming a region of creation. The festival served as the melting pot where the "old" industrial might of manufacturing met the "new" agility of tech and startups. Those collisions, which happened over coffee and in expo halls in September, are the partnerships that will likely headline the business news in 2026.
Amplifying the New Wave
Perhaps the most vital function of the festival, however, was giving a voice to the up-and-comers.
We heard from founders like Hugh Perrottet of Newave, a sustainable cosmetics startup. For self-funded innovators without massive marketing budgets or influencers on payroll, the festival offered something money can't buy: a footprint.
For Hugh, it was about getting face-to-face feedback on a novel product. For the region, it was a reminder that the next big industrial employer might currently be a small team looking for advice at a festival booth.
The Possibilities of 2026
So, what does this mean for 2026?
It means the "light-minded people" who connected in September have had three months to incubate ideas. It means the "what ifs" asked in 2025 are ready to become "what’s next."
If September taught us anything, it is that the Hunter is not waiting for the future to happen to it. We are building it, one conversation, one failure, and one connection at a time.
Bring on 2026.
