Aotearoa New Zealand Aerospace Strategy
The Aotearoa New Zealand Aerospace Strategy provides strong foundations for fast-paced change in our aerospace sector, carving out our niche on the global stage and strengthening our connections to the global aerospace economy.
On this page
The Strategy
The global aerospace sector is growing fast, and an increasing number of commercial space and advanced aviation companies are launching, flying, manufacturing, and operating in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The Aotearoa New Zealand Aerospace Strategy will build on our national strengths to establish a distinct New Zealand approach to aerospace while managing national security risks.
The Strategy comprises 3 foundational pillars to underpin the success of the sector:
- Unlocking aerospace potential
- Future-facing Government
- Aerospace nation
The pillars will enable us to achieve 5 ambitious goals for the sector for 2030:
- Establish a sustainable air-passenger journey
- Safely integrate autonomous aerial vehicles
- Be at the forefront of sustainable space activities
- Actively support exploration in space
- Enhance decision-making using aerospace-enabled data
A staged action plan outlines the work required to deliver on this ambitious vision.
Web version of the Strategy:
Te Rautaki Ātea-ā-rangi o Aotearoa 2023-2030 | Aotearoa New Zealand Aerospace Strategy
Downloadable version of the Strategy:
Te Rautaki Ātea-ā-rangi o Aotearoa 2023-2030 | Aotearoa New Zealand Aerospace Strategy [PDF, 3.5 MB]
The government has a range of levers to assist sector development
By being an early adopter and investor in aerospace technologies and the supporting regulatory framework, we can align sector ambition with government objectives and drive towards the desired outcomes of this Strategy. Consideration of national security interests and New Zealand’s foreign policy will also be important as sector development plans are designed and implemented.
Policy and regulation
- Maintain fit-for-purpose policies and regulations that support the sector and build public confidence
- Ensure government has the people and expertise needed to enable the safe development of new technologies
- Work with other countries to develop policies and regulations, such as for the integration of drones.
- Aerospace technologies can support New Zealand’s work on decarbonisation of the transport system, environmental monitoring, agricultural productivity and safety, search and rescue, medical logistics and supply-chain resilience.
Research and development
- Support research and development that creates world-leading technology and New Zealand-specific solutions
- Partner with industry, researchers and international firms to support the development, testing and trialling of new aerospace technologies in New Zealand.
Security and resilience
- Oversee the intersection between civil aerospace, defence, national interests and the broader security environment (including cybersecurity)
- Use aerospace technologies to improve disaster resilience.
- Improve public safety and resource management compliance by managing disaster risk and improving maritime domain awareness.
Procurement and investment
- Procure aerospace activities that are important to government.
- Use aerospace technologies and data, with a strong focus on downstream applications.
- Encourage aerospace technologies to be used for a range of different applications to make the most of investments.
- Invest in critical infrastructure.
Business environment
- Provide support for start-ups and scale-ups
- Address barriers to aerospace market participation, both for domestic and international companies
- Protect emerging technologies and intellectual property
- Support trade diversification objectives.
Future workforce
- Build awareness of aerospace career paths
- Sponsor internships, challenges and other education initiatives
- Create networks and collaborations that fill gaps in New Zealand's capability needs
- Create the right conditions, including improving diversity, to grow the future workforce through education and vocational training pathways.
Partnerships and connections
- Connect industry and academia with international partners to foster collaboration and build capability in Aotearoa New Zealand
- Enable international opportunities through co-investment, government-industry partnerships, and international bilateral and multilateral partnerships.
Applications of aerospace technologies and downstream uses by government include:
- Maritime domain awareness
- Monitoring and mitigating climate change and meeting other environmental objectives (eg sustainability)
- Understanding pests and diseases
- Conservation of natural ecosystems
- Forestry
- Decarbonising the tourism industry
- Emissions trading
- Supporting global positioning systems (GPS)
- Topographic and hydrographic mapping
- Understanding and managing land and resource use
- Fisheries patrol
- Sea level monitoring
- Satellite communications
- Monitoring fisheries
- National security
- Precision farming
- Remote monitoring of energy grid
- Disaster resilience
- Monitoring and building resilience in the Pacific
- Monitoring economic indicators.
The following information outlines the government agencies with interests in the aerospace sector, which span these and other areas.
Core agencies and responsible Ministers
Space
- New Zealand Space Agency (NZSA) located in MBIE– Space Regulatory Systems, Space Policy and Sector Development
Advanced aviation
- Te Manatū Waka Ministry of Transport (MoT)
- Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
- Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE)—Tourism
Space and advanced aviation
- Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) – Innovative Partnerships
Ministers
- Minister of Research, Science and Innovation
- Minister for Economic Development
- Associate Minister of Transport
Aligned agencies
Environment and data
- Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ)
- Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI)
- Department of Conservation (DoC)
- Ministry for the Environment (MfE)
- Statistics New Zealand (Stats NZ)
Defence, intelligence and international
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT)
- Ministry of Defence (MoD)
- New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF)
- New Zealand Intelligence Community (NZIC):
- Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC)
- Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB)
- New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS)
Skills and capability
- Ministry of Education (MoE)
- Tertiary Education Commission (TEC)
- Ringa Hora Workforce Development Council
- Hanga-Aro-Rau (Manufacturing, Engineering and Logistics) Workforce Development Council
- Tertiary education providers
- Te Pūkenga—New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology
- Universities
Innovation and entrepreneurship
- Callaghan Innovation
- New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE)
- KiwiNet
- UniServices
Local agencies
- ChristchurchNZ
- Tātaki Auckland Unlimited
Other agencies
- The Treasury
- Department of Internal Affairs (DIA)
- Airways New Zealand
Māori agencies
- Te Puni Kōkiri (TPK)
- Te Arawhiti
Related strategies, papers, government policy and regulation
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- National Space Policy
- Outer Space and High-altitude Activities Act 2017 (OSHAA)(external link)— Legislation.govt.nz
- Digital Technologies Industry Transformation Plan
- Advanced Manufacturing Industry Transformation Plan
- Te Ara Paerangi Future Pathways White Paper (2022)
- Aotearoa New Zealand’s Employment Strategy
- New Zealand-Aotearoa Government Tourism Strategy
- Hei Kai Kei Aku Ringa: Strategy and action plan
- Agritech Industry Transformation Plan
Te Manatū Waka | Ministry of Transport
- Air Navigation System Review(external link)
- Drone Benefit Study, Market Economics Limited (2019)(external link)
- Taking Flight: An aviation system for the automated age (2019) [PDF 974 KB](external link)
- Enabling Drone Integration Discussion Document (2021) [PDF 1,592 KB](external link)
- Hīkina te Kohupara – Kia mauri ora ai te iwi | Transport Emissions: Pathways to Net Zero by 2050 (2021) [PDF 4.1 MB](external link)
- Maritime Security Strategy | Guardianship of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Maritime Waters | Te Kaitiakitanga o Tangaroa (2020) [PDF 843 KB](external link)
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
Ministry of Defence
- Strategic Defence Policy Statement 2018 [PDF 2.4 MB](external link)
- Defence Capability Plan 2019 [PDF 1,419 KB]
(external link)
New Zealand Defence Force
Manatū Mō Te Taiao | Ministry for the Environment
- Emissions Reduction Plan (2022) [PDF 6.9 MB](external link)
- New Zealand’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1990–2020 (2022) [9.3 MB](external link)
- Climate Change Response Act 2002(external link)
- Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act 2019(external link)
- Environment and Climate Research Strategy(external link)
- Statement of National Priorities for Biodiversity(external link)
Department of Conservation
- Conservation General Policy (2005, Revised 2019) [PDF 700 KB](external link)
- Long-term Insights Briefing (with Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand) – “How can we help biodiversity thrive through the innovative use of information and emerging technologies?” [PDF 3.1 MB](external link)
Toitū Te Whenua | Land Information New Zealand
- National Positioning Strategy [PDF 1,983 KB](external link)
- National Elevation Programme(external link)
- SouthPAN (Southern Positioning Augmentation Network)(external link)
- Long-term Insights Briefing (with Department of Conservation)– “How can we help biodiversity thrive through the innovative use of information and emerging technologies?”(external link)
Manatū Ahu Matua | Ministry for Primary Industries
- Fit for a Better World - Accelerating our economic potential (2020)(external link)
- Forestry and Wood Processing Industry Transformation Plan(external link)
Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga Ministry of Education
- Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE)(external link)
- National Statement of Education and Learning Priorities (NELP) [PDF 217 KB](external link)
Tertiary Education Commission (TEC)
- Tertiary Education Strategy (TES) [PDF 150 KB](external link)
- National Careers System Strategy (NCSS)(external link)
- Vocational Education(external link)
Ringa Hora | Workforce Development Council
Government and Industry partnership
- Draft Tourism Environment Action Plan - Summary [PDF, 197 KB]
- Consultation document: Draft Tourism Environment Action Plan [PDF, 4.6 MB]
- Sustainable Aviation Aotearoa Terms of Reference [339KB](external link)
Community engagement with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
- Tāwhaki(external link)
- Pūhoro STEM Academy(external link)
- Amanaki STEM Academy(external link) — Facebook
- Women in Tech(external link)
- NZ Women in STEM(external link)
- School to Skies programme—Royal New Zealand Airforce(external link)
- Association for Women in the Sciences (AWIS)(external link)
- She Sharp(external link)
- Youth Employability Aotearoa(external link)
- New Zealand Intelligence Community(external link)
- Women in STEM(external link) — University of Auckland
- University of Canterbury’s Women in Engineering(external link)
- The Wonder Project(external link)
- Te Kete Ipurangi (TKI)(external link)
Public consultation
In September 2022, we published a consultation document on the Aotearoa New Zealand Aerospace Strategy to seek feedback from the sector and wider public on the key components of the Aerospace Strategy.
Consultation on the Aerospace Strategy was open from 5 September to 31 October 2022.
We also published a summary of submissions which informed development of the Aerospace Strategy.
Have your say: Aotearoa New Zealand Aerospace Strategy (closed)
Aotearoa Aerospace Strategy summary of submissions
Available below is a summary of submissions received on the Aerospace Strategy. We have provided a visual overview which summarises the key themes in submissions and a report that provides more detail on these areas.
Visual overview of submissions: Developing the Aotearoa New Zealand Aerospace Strategy [PDF 436KB]
Read the Aotearoa Aerospace Strategy individual submissions
Individual submissions are available to view on the MBIE website:
Case studies
This section includes a range of case studies that showcase New Zealand’s capabilities and contributions to the aerospace sector.