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Kaitorete Spit separating Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora from the Canterbury Bight. Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Phillip Capper
Two Canterbury runanga are teaming up with the government to build a rocket launch facility on Kaitorete Spit, near Banks Peninsula. The government is contributing $16 million to help Taumutu Runanga and Wairewa Runanga buy 1000 hectares on the spit, a long finger of land which is ideal for space launches and aerospace testing. It is also hoped the project will allow opportunities to tap into the multi-billion dollar aerospace economy.
Kaitorete Limited spokesperson David Perenara-O'Connell joins the show to discuss how an aerospace facility on Kaitorete Spit can generate a sustainable industry for hapu and the wider Christchurch community.