Aerospace New Zealand - Meet-Up #37: Horizons Te Whanganui-a-Tara

Aerospace New Zealand Meet-Up #37 – Horizons Te Whanganui-a-Tara took place earlier this year as our first Wellington event of 2025. We heard from aerospace professionals across the Wellington region as they shared their latest projects, technologies, and insights. The evening proved to be a valuable opportunity for networking, knowledge sharing, and inspiration.

Presentations included:

Head of the New Zealand Space Agency – Update on current activities.

Adam Houston – Senior Advisor, Emerging Technologies Programme, Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand – Recent changes at CAA and how these are shaping the way CAA does business going forward.

Josh Ellingham – Junior Mechatronics Engineer, OpenStar – An introduction to OpenStar’s world-leading work in fusion energy using the levitated dipole concept, outlining the why’s and how’s of the technology and what’s next for the team.

Ben Mallet – Senior Scientist, Paihau Robinson Research Institute – Updates on spacecraft propulsion and shielding research, sharing the latest results and stories from preparing the Heki-mission for its trip to the International Space Station.

Peter Johnson – Director Aerospace, Nova Systems NZ – “Simplifying complexity – why I want more Lasagna and less Spaghetti Bolognese.”

Angela Manchester – Earth Observation Lab & Professor Alejandro Frery Orgambide – Professor, Victoria University of Wellington – An exploration of active microwave remote sensing (SAR and PolSAR), its capabilities, challenges, and importance in Earth observation workflows.

We wrapped up with great discussion, connection, and inspiration for the year ahead.

A special thank you to our event sponsors, Earth Observation Lab and Nova Systems, and to BNZ for the fantastic venue.