Students are being encouraged to think innovatively and creatively in a competition being run by Western Bay of Plenty economic development agency Priority One.

The Young Innovator Awards, which see students invent solutions for real businesses in the region, are underway with business people also becoming involved.

Last week, business people from Zespri, Woods Creative, Catalyst R&D and Locus Research spent time with students outside the classroom as part of the scheme.

They are competition judges and in the meeting, each of these gave an interactive presentation based on what they are looking for when assessing for a winner.

The awards are run by Priority One's INSTEP programme manager, Lyn Parlane, who believes the awards are a great way to promote creative and innovative thinking.

She says they also benefit the business community by encouraging young people to gain important skills needed by industry.

Supreme and category winners of the awards will be announced in June at an event to launch Western Bay@Work, which is a month-long programme of activities that showcase the depth and vibrancy of career opportunities in the Western Bay of Plenty. New Zealander of the Year, Professor Sir Paul Callaghan, will be speaking at the launch. He is a top international physicist, inventor and founding director of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology at Victoria University, Wellington.

For more information about The Young Innovator Awards, visit www.yia.co.nz