# Students' invention targets $1.2m tractor fire problem

An episode of [Morning Report](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/208011837), 29 Oct 2026, 5:47.

Audio: https://flex.acast.com/podcast.radionz.co.nz/mnr/mnr-20261030-0609-students_invention_targets_1_point_2m_tractor_fire_problem-128.mp3

Birds nesting in tractor engines cause an estimated $1.2 million in tractor fire claims each year, according to rural insurer FMG. A group of Year 13 students at St Hilda's College in Dunedin are working to tackle the problem, developing a green strobe-light device designed to sit under a tractor bonnet and deter nesting birds. The invention is already receiving positive feedback from farmers, and 18-year-old student Alia Ryan spoke to John Campbell about the project.

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