Christchurch — On the eastern edge of Te Waipounamu (South Island), a powerful new era of Māori-led innovation is taking flight.
The Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre at Kaitōrete has become the world’s first Indigenous-led aerospace centre. Co-owned by the local rūnanga of Taumutu and Wairewa in partnership with the Crown, the centre embodies tino rangatiratanga and a shared vision for Māori leadership in advanced technologies.
“Tāwhaki has been an amazing journey for the last eight years, particularly for our two hapū of Ngāti Mako and Ngāi Te Ruahikihiki, in partnership with the New Zealand Government,” says Tāwhaki Board Member David Perenara-O’Connell.
“We’ve grown to develop this aerospace centre as the only Indigenous-led centre in the world, something that we’re particularly proud of,” says Perenara-O’Connell.
Tino Rangatiratanga: Exclusive airspace, an Aotearoa first
In a major milestone, Tāwhaki has secured permanent Special Use Airspace above Kaitōrete, the first time such an exclusive designation has been granted in Aotearoa New Zealand. The approval gives Tāwhaki the ability to activate six ‘Restricted Areas’ and six ‘Danger Areas’ for aerospace testing, significantly enhancing operational safety, flexibility, and coordination.
“So on the 7th of August, Tāwhaki was granted a special airspace designation... It enables us to operate and hold effectively the tino rangatiratanga over that designated area.”
“Giving us the ability to enable users to come into the airspace, operate within the airspace safely,” says Perenara-O’Connell.
Ancient ground, cutting-edge launchpad
Between Te Waihora and Te Moananui-a-Kiwa (the Pacific Ocean) lies Kaitōrete, a 25-kilometre stretch of flat, tapu whenua. Its isolation, open skies and natural features have earned it global recognition as one of the best places on Earth for aerospace testing and launch.
Just an hour’s drive from central Ōtautahi and Christchurch International Airport, Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre offers both proximity and capacity for growth.
Earlier this year, in March, Tāwhaki opened Whaitiri, a sustainable timber-framed hangar designed for end-to-end aerospace development. From assembly and test flights to rapid iteration, it’s become a vital piece of infrastructure for Aotearoa’s growing aerospace ecosystem.
“It’s been a game changer for us...Users can come out, get their vehicles assembled, fly them, make adjustments, and keep repeating that R&D process (Research and Development),” Perenara-O’Connell.
Industry leaders take flight
Global and local aerospace companies are already using Tāwhaki’s world-class facilities. Notably, Wisk NZ and Insitu Pacific recently completed a series of seven test flights in controlled Class C airspace, and firms like Dawn Aerospace, Aerosearch, and Kea Aerospace are also regular users of the site.
“We need more talented people to work in the sector. So I’m hoping that more Māori will choose aerospace as a career choice,” says Mark Rocket, President of Aerospace New Zealand and CEO of Kea Aerospace.
“Aotearoa’s aerospace industry has a strong focus on sustainability and aligning with our country’s values, so it’s excellent to see that Tāwhaki is helping to build that community,” says Rocket.
Rocket strongly emphasised the cultural connection between Tāwhaki and space. After becoming the first New Zealander in space. After earlier this year with Blue Origin, Rocket revealed with Te Ao Māori News that he carried a kōhatu (stone) gifted by Tāwhaki.
“It was fantastic to take this to space and let it float around in zero gravity...Hopefully, that will take the Tāwhaki team and people that work there up to the stars,” says Rocket.
Partnership-driven growth
Tāwhaki’s success is part of a broader national vision to grow Aotearoa’s space and aerospace economy, one that is being actively supported by the Government.
Speaking at this week’s New Zealand Aerospace Summit in Ōtautahi, Minister for Space Judith Collins described the sector as entering “a phase defined by scale, ambition and global relevance.”
“At this summit a year ago, I released the New Zealand Space and Advanced Aviation Strategy, which set out our ambition to double the value of the sectors by 2030,” she said.
New data shows that the space sector grew 53% in just five years, generating $2.68 billion in 2024, with the advanced aviation sector also contributing an estimated $530 million that year.
“Our space and advanced aviation sectors are more than just rockets, drones and satellites,” Collins told attendees. “They’re about advanced manufacturing, AI and autonomy, earth monitoring and next-generation mobility,” says Collins.
And it’s not just about technology, but building “a high-tech economy that delivers high-value jobs and solutions to global challenges.”
Tāwhaki was held up as a model of this future. Collins told Te Ao Māori News, “It’s a fabulous site… so well placed for building our aerospace and space sectors.”
“It’s a great way to grow the economy - and what that means for people is local jobs, good pay, and loads of opportunities,” says Collins.
She also noted the Government’s role in supporting innovation through regulation. A new “regulatory sandbox” will be in place by the end of the year, enabling safe and agile aerospace testing. New laws have also been passed to safeguard national interests around ground-based infrastructure.
Tāwhaki’s exclusive designation of Special Use Airspace, granted this year, is one example of how that supportive environment is taking shape, and according to Collins, the partnership between iwi and Crown is key.
“It’s never the same as when you own the whole thing,” she said. “But what it means is that we’re bringing people with us, and that’s really important. This is an enormous opportunity to show what we can do together,” says Collins.
Tāwhaki’s guiding stars
Part of Tāwhaki’s kaupapa is helping whānau and rangatahi understand what aerospace actually means and how they can be part of it.
“A lot of time is spent helping whānau understand: What is aerospace? What are drones? How do you get a rocket from this whenua into orbit? ...That’s created great excitement among our whānau,” says Perenara-O’Connell.
Tāwhaki regularly hosts events and workshops, from flying demonstrations to hands-on simulator days with partners like Dawn Aerospace, where tamariki and rangatahi can see the technology up close.
“We had a hangar hangout at Dawn Aerospace,” he explains. “There were simulators they could play on… it really builds a sense of excitement, but also a real sense of this could be a career,” says Perenara-O’Connell.
One moment stood out in particular.
“One of the highlights was one of our seven-year-old wahine kōtiro. She said she wants to be the first Māori wahine on the moon, and you can’t beat that. That sort of aspiration in our young people is just uplifting and amazing,” says Perenara-O’Connell.
