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About

Sandhiya Gounder’s research sits at the intersection of agricultural robotics, labour studies, and equitable technology design, with a focus on Aotearoa New Zealand’s horticulture and viticulture sectors. Her most cited work, “Modelling wine grapevines for autonomous robotic cane pruning” (2023, 31 citations), tackles a critical industry bottleneck: the shortage of skilled workers for seasonal pruning. By developing computational models that enable robots to make quality cane-pruning decisions, Gounder directly addresses the labour crisis facing New Zealand’s growing winegrape industry. Her second major paper, “Will Migrant Pacific Workers Be a Part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Farming Futures?” (2024), critiques the government’s Agritech Industry Transformation Plan for overlooking the essential role of seasonal Pacific workers. Gounder calls for a reciprocal framework that integrates migrant labour perspectives into future agritech planning, challenging techno-centric narratives. Together, her work demonstrates a rare ability to bridge engineering and social justice—showing that truly sustainable agricultural innovation must account for both automation and the people who sustain the industry. Her contributions are already shaping conversations around inclusive, human-centred agritech transformation in New Zealand.