Editing NeoTech

'''NeoTech''', also styled '''NeoTech ProGear''', was a New Zealand [[paintball]] equipment brand supplying neoprene ammunition harnesses and other accessories. Its contemporary catalogue included three-, four- and five-pod harnesses, protective accessories and equipment bags. The company also supported tournament awards and sponsored [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints]].[1][2][3]

== History ==
'''Neo-Tech Pro-Gear Limited''' was incorporated in New Zealand on 11 November 1999 under company number 985911. The Companies Register lists Graeme Kenneth Ireland as its director and records 500 shares divided equally between Ireland and Wayne Rolleston. The company is recorded as removed from the register.[4][5]

The contemporary ''Mercenaries Star'' supplier directory listed NeoTech and identified its neoprene harnesses.[1] NeoTech's archived website used the name NeoTech ProGear (NZ) Ltd and provided an Auckland postal contact address.[6]

The company's news page announced a new logo, barrel bags and gear bags on 1 June 2002, a new website on 7 June and a New Zealand price list on 12 June.[3]

== Products ==
NeoTech's archived catalogue listed the following products:[2]

* Three-, four- and five-pod ammunition harnesses.
* Equipment bags.
* Caps and shirts.
* Neck protectors.
* Bottle covers.
* Barrel bags.

The three-pod range included '''Classic''' harnesses with vertical or horizontal pod arrangements and full-pod covers, advertised for 100- and 140-round pods. The '''Sport''' three-pod harness used half-pod covers.[7]

Later player recollections describe custom harnesses and expandable modular or strapless designs. A 2021 paintball-community discussion recalled NeoTech harnesses in comparison with later products. These accounts do not establish a date of introduction or priority over other manufacturers.[8]

== Tournament support and team use ==
NeoTech's own news page explicitly identified Saints as a sponsored team in its 3 June 2002 announcement of the team's second place at the [[2002 Volcanic Rotorua Paintball Tournament]]. The same page recorded the award of the NeoTech Cup to Titans as an up-and-coming team.[3]

The contemporary tournament report independently recorded Titans receiving the NeoTech ProGear up-and-coming-team cup.[9]

NeoTech equipment also appeared among tournament prizes. At the [[2002 Northland Open]], Adam Pinfold of Goblins received NeoTech equipment with the Player of the Match award. Saints captain Rik Goldsworthy thanked NeoTech ProGear for his harness when accepting the Division One trophy.[10]

Retrospective accounts associate NeoTech custom harnesses with [[Copenhagen Ducks]] during [[Mat Lewis]]'s time with the team. Lewis's Copenhagen Ducks association is independently documented in a 2014 G.I. Sportz report, but that report does not establish a NeoTech sponsorship agreement.[11]

== See also ==
* [[Paintball equipment]]
* [[Paintball in New Zealand]]
* [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)]]
* [[Copenhagen Ducks]]

== References ==
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Links/NZPO.htm Mercenaries Star: Suppliers and Manufacturer Pages]. Contemporary New Zealand paintball directory identifying NeoTech's neoprene harnesses.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020721094542/http://www.neotech.co.nz/products.htm NeoTech ProGear product catalogue]. Archived manufacturer website.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20021004025808/http://www.neotech.co.nz/news.htm NeoTech ProGear news]. Manufacturer announcements dated January–June 2002; archived 4 October 2002.
# [https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/985911 Neo-Tech Pro-Gear Limited (985911): company summary]. New Zealand Companies Office, accessed 26 October 2026.
# [https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/985911/shareholdings Neo-Tech Pro-Gear Limited: shareholdings]. New Zealand Companies Office, accessed 26 October 2026.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020721094542/http://www.neotech.co.nz/contacts.htm NeoTech ProGear contact information]. Archived manufacturer website.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020721094542/http://www.neotech.co.nz/3pod.htm NeoTech ProGear: 3 Pod Harnesses]. Archived manufacturer product descriptions.
# [https://www.reddit.com/r/paintball/comments/qfhnf1/ Nothing Worse Than Running Out of Paint]. Reddit r/paintball, 25–26 October 2021. Retrospective community discussion.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020613131436/http://www.paintball.co.nz/volcanic2.htm The 2002 Rotorua Volcanic Paintball Tournament]. Rob Maddox, ''NZ Paintball Online'', 2002; archived 13 June 2002.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020806192035/http://www.paintball.co.nz/north2002.htm The 2002 Northland Paintball Open]. Rob Maddox, ''NZ Paintball Online'', 2002; archived 6 August 2002.
# [https://gisportz.com/fr/shenanigans-paintball-team-at-the-millennium-world-cup/ Shenanigans Paintball Team at the Millennium World Cup]. G.I. Sportz, 3 October 2014. Documents Mat Lewis's Copenhagen Ducks association.

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20020721094542/http://www.neotech.co.nz/ Archived NeoTech ProGear website]

[[Category:Paintball equipment]]
[[Category:Paintball in New Zealand]]