Speech to 2024 Aerospace Summit

Space

Good morning, and thank you to Aerospace New Zealand and the committee for inviting me to attend the third annual Aerospace Summit.

Thank you also for all the work undertaken by the Aerospace New Zealand committee and your team in the delivery of so many outreach and educational activities around New Zealand.

I would also like to acknowledge the many international experts joining us at this Summit. I welcome your participation and thank you for your interest.

I am an enthusiastic supporter of our aerospace sector, and it is a pleasure to be talking to a room full of people who feel as positive about the future of aerospace as I do.

This enthusiasm is also shared by the Government, as evidenced by the fact that for the first time we have a Minister for Space.

It's a role I'm very proud of but which also brings a real responsibility for improving the public understanding of just what space involves. Most people relate it simply to rockets but as everyone here knows there's so much more to it - be it satellites, be it drones or be it the data these platforms generate. One aspect of this new position I do wish to make clear is that the scope of my portfolio covers not only space activity but also emerging aviation technologies.

Novel and groundbreaking aviation technologies are set to revolutionise aviation, as well as driving advancements that will impact our daily lives through technologies in communications, mapping and monitoring of land, disaster response and how we transport goods.

The Government is ambitious for the possibilities for advanced aviation in New Zealand and its potential to grow the economy and boost productivity.

To realise that ambition we need to have the right regulatory settings to help unlock the growth of this part of the economy.

It is the Government's goal that by the end of 2025, New Zealand will have a world-class regulatory environment that allows rapid iteration and testing of advanced aviation vehicles and technology, while maintaining high standards of safety.

I am pleased to announce that to achieve this, the Government has agreed to a set of actions to support and grow advanced aviation and remove unnecessary red tape.

This light touch regulatory approach, which will also cover experimental or developmental aircraft and systems, will significantly free up innovators to test their tech and ideas.

Once innovators get ready to export their technologies, they will transition into the current regulatory regime to allow them to demonstrate the integrity and credibility of their products, as international regulators will demand this.

We will also be engaging with the sector to establish permanent restricted airspace areas - or sandboxes - for exclusive use by advanced aviation companies.

We will be updating other Rules to enable more timely decision-making.

I look forward to having more to say on this in the coming months.

In the meantime, I am looking forward to visiting the Tāwhaki Aerospace Centre this afternoon, which is already playing an important role in ensuring companies have access to the right infrastructure to support them with testing and trialling innovative technology.

These reforms are just some of the steps the Government is taking to support the growth and development of our wider aerospace sector.

I am pleased to release today the New Zealand Space and Advanced Aviation Strategy, which sets out the Government's ambitions for the sector and actions to achieve this, supported by principles on our broader space interests.

It succinctly brings together previous policy and strategy documents into one cohesive Strategy.

It also highlights to a global audience the benefits of New Zealand as a location for aerospace activities.

The new Strategy is on the New Zealand Space Agency website, and I encourage you to take a look.

Thinking of that global audience, I have been fortunate enough to be able to travel internationally in my time as Minister for Space to promote our space and advanced aviation sectors and share how excited I am at the future we have ahead of us.

I have visited international space agency facilities across a number of countries and continents and attended events such as the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, and most recently the Australian Space Forum to announce a joint open call for Earth observation proposals with our neighbours across the Tasman.

Through this travel, I have strengthened New Zealand's international aerospace relationships with both government and sector partners.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and my ministerial colleagues have done the same. These international connections are important not only to drive progress in science, innovation and technology but also to build commercial connections and opportunities for our sector. We have much to offer and we are open for business.

In another step to support the Government's work to develop the sector, we will be conducting an economic survey.

This will provide an understanding of the size and productivity of the space and advanced aviation sectors to better support opportunities and overcome challenges to future growth.

We would like to get as clear of a picture as possible by ensuring everyone is included.

This survey will begin later in the year, and I encourage you to contribute when the time comes.

Fostering talent in aerospace-related fields is also important for the ongoing success of the aerospace economy.

Earlier this year, the Prime Minister announced the Prime Minister's Space Prizes to celebrate the innovative, talented people in our aerospace sector and inspire the next generation.

There are two prizes - one for Professional Excellence, which carries a $100,000 prize, and one for Student Endeavour, which carries a $50,000 award.

Applications close on September 30 - which is just six days away - and I encourage those of you who haven't yet applied to consider doing so.

Applications are also open for the 2025 New Zealand Space Scholarships. So, if you know a high-flying graduate student interested in working on NASA projects in the US next year, please encourage them to apply. These interns bring home invaluable skills and experience from their time away.

Another example of Government fostering talent in industry is the ĀrohiaTrailblazer Grant, a Callaghan Innovation fund which supports innovative New Zealanders with big ideas to take to market their world-leading innovations.

I am very pleased to announce that four of the seven recipients of the latest round of funding are from, or are involved with, the aerospace industry.

Congratulations to Astrix Astronautics, Emrod, Fabrum Solutions Limited, and Zenno Astronautics who, alongside other recipients Basis NZ, Toku Eyes and Zincovery Process Technologies, will each receive a share of around $17.5 million in co-funding.

We recognise the significant achievements and contributions you all make to the success of the sector, and these are just some of the ways we celebrate and further encourage these activities.

Thank you for your time and attention this morning. I encourage you to make the most of the rest of the Summit and I look forward to doing the same.