Shot Darts
From Katikati to the World Stage: Backing Shot Darts’ Innovation with R&D Funding
Client
Services
Sector
Year
Shot Darts
R&D Tax Incentive
Manufacturing
2026
Overview
When you’re watching the World Darts Championship over the Christmas–New Year break, you might be surprised to learn that some of the darts on screen were designed and manufactured in a small town in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.
From their HQ in Katikati, Shot Darts designs and manufactures high-performance darts used by players around the world. Despite their small-town origin, the company competes on the global stage — continuously pushing the boundaries of dart design, materials, and precision manufacturing.
Innovation sits at the heart of Shot Darts’ success. Their team regularly experiments with new aerodynamic flight designs, advanced materials, precision machining techniques, and performance testing systems to create equipment that delivers a competitive edge.
Yet like many innovative manufacturers, they had never pursued the R&D Tax Incentive (RDTI). The programme appeared complex and time-consuming — making it difficult to justify the internal effort required.
After being introduced to Swell through Advancing Manufacturing Aotearoa (AMA), Shot Darts decided to explore whether the RDTI could support their innovation efforts. With Swell guiding the process, their first claim resulted in approximately $100,000 in funding — turning initial scepticism into a valuable new source of support for their ongoing R&D.
About
Challenges
Limited internal bandwidth to pursue the RDTI
Despite significant innovation in product design and engineering, Shot Darts had never applied for the Research & Development Tax Incentive (RDTI). Like many growing manufacturers, the team was focused on running the business—designing products, managing production, and supporting global customers. The RDTI appeared complex and time-consuming, and there simply wasn’t the internal bandwidth to prepare a claim alongside day-to-day operations.
Uncertainty around what qualified as R&D
While innovation was embedded across Shot Darts’ product development — from aerodynamic flight designs to new materials and manufacturing techniques — it wasn’t always clear how these activities aligned with RDTI eligibility criteria. Without specialist guidance, determining which activities qualified and how to structure them within a claim created uncertainty.
Unclear return on investment
Even if Shot Darts invested the time to prepare an RDTI claim, it was difficult to know what the potential return might look like. Without previous claims or clear benchmarks, it was hard to judge whether the effort involved would justify the outcome — creating hesitation around pursuing the opportunity.
Why Swell
Shot Darts was introduced to Swell through Swell’s partnership with Advancing Manufacturing Aotearoa (AMA) — a network supporting New Zealand manufacturers to innovate and grow.
Early discussions quickly revealed that much of the engineering and product development already underway at Shot Darts aligned with RDTI eligibility.
However, as a first-time claimant, there was still some scepticism about the incentive—particularly around how complex the process might be and how much time it would require from the team.
Swell addressed this by clearly outlining the process and demonstrating how the claim could be managed with minimal disruption to the business.
Swell then led the claim process end-to-end. The Shot Darts team provided the technical context of their projects and the relevant financial data, which Swell translated into a structured and compliant RDTI claim.
With just a couple of focused meetings and some follow-up information, Swell handled the preparation of the application—allowing the Shot Darts team to stay focused on designing and manufacturing new products.
Impact & Value
$100K in R&D funding secured
Through their first RDTI claim with Swell, Shot Darts secured approximately $100,000 in tax credits — significantly more than initially expected. This funding can now be reinvested back into innovation, supporting the continued development of new dart designs, advanced materials, and precision manufacturing techniques. The claim captured a wide range of innovation activity across the business, from aerodynamic dart flight design and advanced materials testing to manufacturing process development and performance measurement systems.
A simple, low-burden process
Despite initial concerns about the complexity of the RDTI, the process proved straightforward. With Swell managing the claim end-to-end, the Shot Darts team only needed to provide project context and financial data. This streamlined approach meant the claim could be completed with minimal disruption to day-to-day operations.
Stronger systems for future claims
The process also helped Shot Darts introduce clearer internal systems for tracking R&D activity—including improved time recording for development engineers. With these systems now in place, the business is well positioned to capture and claim eligible R&D activity in future years.
Conclusion
Shot Darts’ journey with the RDTI highlights a story shared by many innovative New Zealand manufacturers. Significant R&D was already taking place — but the perceived complexity of the programme meant the opportunity had never been explored.
By partnering with Swell, Shot Darts was able to turn that uncertainty into a straightforward, structured process that unlocked meaningful funding.
With their first claim successfully completed, R&D funding is now helping support the next generation of innovation coming out of Shot Darts’ Katikati HQ — ensuring that a small-town New Zealand manufacturer can continue competing on the global stage.
On Swell's Expertise
“We had never applied for the RDTI before because the process always felt too complex. Working with Swell made it much more straightforward. Their team understood exactly how to structure the claim and what information was needed, which made the whole process very smooth from our side.” — Peter McCormick, Managing Director, Shot Darts
On The benefits