Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre opens near Christchurch

The Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre and a new sealed runway have opened at Kaitorete south of Christchurch.

The new infrastructure coupled with technical support will super charge New Zealand’s fast-growing aerospace sector and help meet international demand, the aerospace centre says.

It says domestic and international companies are already testing and trialling leading-edge technologies at Kaitorete, a 50-minute drive from downtown Christchurch.

US-based Wisk Aero recently held its world-first airspace integration test flights for an uncrewed electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft from Kaitorete.

Dawn Aerospace and Kea Aerospace can now do horizontal space launches and stratospheric flights from the site.

The new one kilometre runway and planned hangar facilities were funded by a $5.4 million grant from the New Zealand Government’s Regional Strategic Partnership Fund, administered by Kānoa (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Kanoa Regional Economic Development and Investment Unit), forecast to enable aerospace and tech sector growth delivering more than 1300 high wage jobs and up to $2.4 billion in economic benefits during the next 10 years.

“To fully enable the sector, supply chains and realise the economic benefits for all New Zealanders, takes a collaborative approach,” says Tāwhaki board member David Perenara-O’Connell.

“We’re grateful for the support of our government, local authorities, regulators, aerospace partners, research and science communities, and suppliers who share our vision of a world-leading hub for innovation and exploration.”

Kaitorete is a 25km flat strip of land between Lake Ellesmere and the Pacific Ocean near Christchurch’s world-class universities, international air and seaports and advanced manufacturing capabilities.

Tāwhaki chief executive Linda Falwasser says the joint venture is taking a staged approach to its developments, with the potential to support vertical space launch in future, and including exploring solar power and green hydrogen production and storage.

“Having this key infrastructure so accessible is hugely enabling for the whole sector,” says Dawn Aerospace co-founder James Powell.

Kea Aerospace chief executive Mark Rocket says Tāwhaki is enabling an exciting future for the region and the country, adding it offers Kea Aerospace opportunities for flight testing and operations of its solar-powered stratospheric aircraft.