Four years ago inventor Brett Cottle followed his girlfriend from Auckland to Westport.  Since then, working out of the Epic technology hub  set up by the well known Dellaca​ family in a former Postie Plus warehouse in Westport, he has  designed an affordable home handyman's desktop-sized computer numerical control machine, a device that cuts wood, plastics and aluminium.

He and business partner Brook Matheson,  co-founded Vertigo Technologies, under which they are marketing their GEM_XYZ a desktop sized CNC machine.