New Zealand’s space industry faces growing environmental concerns

Aotearoa New Zealand's aerospace industry is experiencing rapid growth, but a University of Auckland study cautions that it’s falling short on addressing urgent sustainability issues.

The study, Sustainability within Aotearoa New Zealand’s aerospace sector: current state and implications for the future, found that the burgeoning aerospace sector is currently prioritising economic growth over environmental sustainability and adherence to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Dr Priyanka Dhopade from the Faculty of Engineering, who led the study, says sustainability is not a priority in the sector primarily due to the perception that it will incur short-term costs and slow down growth.

“The industry’s focus on rapid growth often overshadows the essential need for sustainability, even though adopting sustainable practices could provide significant long-term economic benefits for the country.”

Dhopade says there is a clear need to weigh up the benefits of space technology used to monitor emissions on Earth against the environmental impact of increased aerospace activity, a dilemma referred to as the ‘space sustainability paradox’.

“New Zealand has a real opportunity to be a global leader in space sustainability. However, we’re currently using technology to solve issues like space debris and climate change, without fully considering the broader effects of our increased space activity on the environment,” says Dhopade.

“This is a cause for concern. For example, rocket launch emissions and re-entry contribute to the accumulation of alumina and soot particles in the atmosphere. These particles pose a threat to the ozone layer and could potentially undo decades of ozone recovery.”

The study, which involved surveys and interviews with a diverse range of stakeholders in the sector, also highlights that many industry players see environmental concerns as technical challenges to be tackled by individual companies instead of systemic issues requiring a collaborative effort.

Furthermore, the New Zealand government's multifaceted role as a customer, investor and regulator complicates the matter, creating a leadership vacuum with no definitive commitment to prioritising sustainability within the sector.

“This creates a cycle of inaction, with no established leadership or strategy to define what sustainability means for the industry or how to achieve it.”

Despite the challenges, Dhopade says the research points to the potential for Aotearoa New Zealand to model sustainable aerospace practices by adopting a holistic approach to the issues and using innovative governance models in partnership with tangata whenua, that not only mitigate environmental impact but also honour the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

This includes establishing standardised practices to account for aerospace emissions and implementing comprehensive reporting standards across the supply chain.

“The first step is to develop and integrate sustainability as a core skill. Other sectors, such as mining, plastics and energy, have long embraced practices like greenhouse gas emissions accounting, lifecycle assessments and supply chain monitoring, while incorporating environmental engineering expertise into their operations. Unfortunately, such integrated approaches are still lacking in the aerospace sector.”

The study also indicates that the push for rapid growth in the aerospace sector is largely driven by competition and the desire to keep pace with international advancements. According to co-author Catherine Qualtrough, this urgency has resulted in a fragmented industry.

“The sector is currently highly siloed due to the lack of clear direction and funding certainty from the government. Unlike the United States, where priorities and goals are more defined, New Zealand’s aerospace industry lacks a unified vision.

“This has led to companies and research institutions working in isolation rather than collaboratively. As a result, the sector remains disjointed, with many players scrambling to be part of it without a cohesive plan for sustainable growth.”

Qualtrough points to the Tāwhaki Aerospace National Centre near Christchurch as a model for how other companies can approach space sustainability more effectively.

“Instead of solely prioritising growth, which often conflicts with Te Tiriti and sustainable development principles, the Centre demonstrates how to adopt a slow, thoughtful and comprehensive approach, as opposed to the industry's usual lack of consideration for sustainability. It shows how integrating these factors from the beginning can lead to more effective outcomes.”