If you've got a problem you can't see your way around there is now an event where people will help you solve it.

Hack Taranaki, organised by Frank Lachmann, Marcel Schadt, Graham Nelson, Adarsh Lal, Simeon Thobald, Nick Field, and John Haylock last weekend, was the first problem solving event of its kind in Taranaki but has been around the country for the last eight years.

SUPPLIED Hack Taranaki works by companies, organisations, and individuals, who have a problem pitching it to teams who then work over the weekend to solve it.

"We have companies, organisations, and individuals, who have a problem, which could be something quite individual, or could be a problem for a whole industry," said Lachmann, who is the project manager of business transformation at New Plymouth District Council.

"These people pitch their problem on Friday night and the community here decides on which problem they want to work on and in teams, over the weekend, develop a solution for them.

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SUPPLIED The group hope to make it an annual event and continue to grow the innovation community in Taranaki.

"Some problems two groups will work on so it will be interesting to see the different solutions that come out of it."

The event, facilitated by Jane Trreadwell-Hoye of ZeroPoint Ventures, saw ran from 6pm on Friday night through to 9pm on Sunday with 25 people participating and some teams working through the night.

It was Schadt, Business Manager at Datacom, that pushed for the event to happen in Taranaki.

SUPPLIED The winning team, PinPoint, consisting of Katherine Blaney, Patrick Mills, Alex Wishart, Timberly Nitz and Morgan Stevens.

"Datacom runs Hack events across the country and last year we ran one in Nelson called Hack Nelson and I was very keen to bring something to Taranaki region that was along that same vibe.

"The innovation ecosystem that's going on in Taranaki is hard to see until you get into it. Trying to help bring that out more and get it spoken about more was one of my goals."

The group hope to make it an annual event and continue to grow the innovation community in Taranaki.

"Out of the events we've held, companies have formed and companies have employed so people are staying here rather than leaving," said Nelson, the owner and operator of Manifold Coworking Space where the event was held.

"It's just about creating a viable alternative to what's happening in the centres and retaining the talent."

"When you do it on your own, it's very scary," Schadt added.

"So if you want go out and become an entrepreneur and you've got a mortgage or you've got a family then to take that step on your own is frightening, but when there's a community around you that you can get support from, that experience is really valuable."

The winning team was called PinPoint which presented a solution that solved the issue of compliance for artisan food producers by tracking ingredients from origin to customer.

So in the event of a product recall, the food producer can trace the affected batches.