Destinations

New Zealand’s Rising Space Sector: A Launchpad for Conferences & Innovation

25th October 2024

New Zealand’s thriving space sector is a stellar example of how world-class innovation and natural beauty attract conferences to the country.

New Zealand’s starry open skies not only appeal to stargazers. Low air traffic and favourable atmospheric conditions are driving a knowledge economy that’s propelled New Zealand into the top four space-faring nations globally. It sits in third equal place with Russia, behind the US and China, for launches to orbit in 2024.

Tourism New Zealand Global Manager Business Events, Penelope Ryan says: “If you seek a destination offering out of this world thinking and experiences, it’s here to find.”

 A space network

New Zealand’s second largest city, Christchurch, has just been announced as one of four founding members of the global Space Cities Network, a collection of convention bureaux using business events as a catalyst to increase collaboration in the space sector.

Christchurch is home to a thriving network of space and adjacent businesses, including advanced aviation and a strong electronic manufacturing cluster. The Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre, a joint venture between Māori and the New Zealand Government, is a multi-use aerospace facility encompassing testing, flight and launch capability located just outside the city. Close ties to Antarctica as a gateway city support a focus on the application of aerospace technologies on the continent.

Beyond Christchurch, New Zealand’s space network stretches the length of the country. In the South that includes Xerra Earth Observation Institute and the University of Otago’s Aero+Space cluster, with a focus on health in space. Further north, Māhia Peninsula is the launch site for Rocket Lab, a global leader in dedicated launch to orbit for small satellites. The University of Auckland’s Te Pūnaha Ātea – Space Institute is a multi-faculty space science & engineering initiative.

New Zealand companies are also driving a commitment to sustainable space exploration. Dawn Aerospace designs ‘in-space propulsion’ to manoeuvre satellites in orbit to avoid costly collisions and space junk. Kea Aerospace has developed a solar-powered unmanned aircraft providing high-resolution aerial imaging. Advanced materials expertise is evident at Zenith Tecnica, which uses sustainable titanium 3D printing to manufacture satellite components.

Launching new conference content

New Zealand’s space technology is also advancing other leading areas of expertise – and conference content – in the country.

As Aerospace New Zealand Operations Manager Vickie Harman notes: “Everything is aerospace, from your cell phone to the map you use. It is used for connecting people, predicting weather, tracking climate change and much more. It’s just what the future will look like.”

New Zealand’s growing Earth observation and remote sensing capability is combining with the country’s strengths in geoscience and agriculture to find applications for societal benefit.

Following a successful Machine Intelligence for GeoAnalytics and Remote Sensing (MIGARS) conference in April in Wellington, New Zealand has secured the IEEE’s flagship International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS) for 2028 in Auckland.

NASA experts were among the delegates attending ForestSAT 2024 in Rotorua this September, the international conference on the application of remote sensing technologies for forest monitoring and modelling.

Amisfield, Queenstown

Christchurch hosted Extreme Solar Systems V in March 2024, focusing on the study of exoplanets outside of our solar system. International astronomers were drawn by the opportunity to see systems that can only be viewed from the Southern Hemisphere.

Meanwhile, the annual New Zealand Aerospace Summit, hosted in Christchurch as well, has more than doubled in size in three years. Its 2025 edition will be an official adjacent event to the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), taking place in Sydney next year.

A star-filled social programme

New Zealand’s clear night skies are not just great for rocket launches. New Zealand is aiming to become the world’s first ‘Dark Sky Nation’ and is currently home to eight internationally recognised ‘Dark Sky’ sanctuaries and parks across the country.

During off-peak months – typically conference season – New Zealand’s night skies are longer and clearer, making for beautiful stargazing conditions that add appeal to any conference agenda.

For New Zealand’s indigenous Māori people, the night sky serves as a tool for navigation, a guide to the seasons, and a connection to their ancestors.

Visitors can experience this rich cultural heritage through Tekapō’s Dark Sky Experience, which blends tātai aroraki (Māori astronomy) with science, or on Horizon Tours’ Southern Skies Stargazing tour in Ōtepoti, Dunedin, where celestial features are observed alongside Māori stories and waiata (songs).

Rotorua’s thermal spas, such as Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa, offer a unique ‘spa gazing’ experience, where guests can relax in a stargazing pool with a view of Mt Ngongotahā and the stars above.

For those who enjoy dining under the stars, the Billion Star Dining experience at Mt Cook Lakeside Retreat offers a 6-course meal at Moraine Lodge, followed by stargazing at the Pukaki Observatory, which also functions as a wine cellar. The Dark Sky Diner at Lake Tekapo’s Dark Sky Project Base provides spellbinding views along with delicious cuisine.

In Tāhuna, Queenstown, Amisfield’s glasshouse conservatory offers breathtaking celestial views while dining, and Mount Rosa Lodge invites guests to an evening of intellectual and gastronomic exploration, hosted by Brian, a local astrophysicist.

Interested in launching your next conference in New Zealand? Visit businessevents.newzealand.com

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