The Government has announced $5.85 million in funding for the Tāwhaki Joint Venture, giving a major boost to the national aerospace centre based at Canterbury’s Kaitorete Spit.

The funding will support the venture over the next three years to expand its work as a hub for advanced aviation and space innovation, with a focus on attracting commercial operators and delivering long-term economic value.

Banks Peninsula MP Vanessa Weenink welcomed the investment and said it was an important step in backing the country’s growing space sector.

“The Government is not just talking about how important space and advanced aviation is for our economy, they are backing it up with more than $35 million investment,” she said.

The New Zealand space sector has grown by 53 percent over the past five years and contributed $2.47 billion to the economy in the 2023-24 financial year.

A key element of the expansion includes the establishment of permanent Special Use Airspace over Kaitorete, which will allow companies to safely test next-generation technologies in a controlled flight zone.

Weenink said she had visited the site and met with companies including Kea Aerospace and Dawn Aerospace, which are already using the facility for test flights.

Tāwhaki was established in 2021 through a joint partnership between the Crown and the two Rūnanga, Te Taumutu and Wairewa. Since then, it has developed core infrastructure including a sealed runway and hangar, positioning the site as a central player in New Zealand’s aerospace industry.