Taking flight

by Metropol | February 21, 2024 8:30 am

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.

Source URL: https://metropol.co.nz/taking-flight/