Taking flight

The opening of Christchurch’s Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre at Kaitorete in early February is another step in Christchurch’s ambition to be the flourishing centre of New Zealand’s aerospace industry.

Having a local testing, flight and launch facility will massively accelerate this fast-growing sector in Ōtautahi and Aotearoa, especially for the several local companies who aspire to reach space using horizontal take-off. Its proximity to a world-class city is also globally unique for offshore business attraction,” says ChristchurchNZ Chief Executive Ali Adams.

“This is a huge milestone for the sector, and for Tāwhaki’s aspirations for weaving together mātauranga Māori with cutting-edge innovation in aerospace and environmental rejuvenation so our people and planet flourish for generations to come,” she says.

Aerospace is one of four high-growth, high-value industry sectors that ChristchurchNZ has identified with excellent potential to boost the region’s economy. The aerospace industry has a current global value of $360 billion, and with that estimated to increase to $2.7 trillion by 2050, the aerospace and future transport space is bright.

New technologies are significantly lowering barriers to entry, while digital transformation and IoT-fuelled demand for space and satellite services is rising. The local economic impact is already estimated to be between $100m and $1bn.