Education & Research

Space Law & Policy

There are two distinct policy and legal areas which KiwiSpace wishes to ensure are considered:

International Space Policy: Global leaders are developing legislation, treaties and best-practices policies which will set the standard for how we as the human race will operate in space. Questions like 'Should weapons be allowed in space?' or 'Who is liable if a rocket crash lands on New Zealand or two satellites collide?' are being decided now internationally. Should New Zealand be pushing for a nuclear free outer space?

New Zealand Law & Policies: What laws and policies should New Zealand have in-place to protect the interests of the NZ public, and what policies should exist that will help support the development of a local space industry? And how do we get the balance right?

KiwiSpace seeks to:

• Document all applicable laws and policy
• Develop plain-english guides to allow startup businesses to clearly understand laws and their obligations
• Seek clarification of unclear or ambiguous policies
• Develop codes-of-practice which should be followed, in the absence of formal policy
• Work with policy-makers ensure laws are effective and clear going forward

Industry

New Zealand has a strong technology industry, many of which have applications in aerospace, communications or scientific fields. The committee aims to create an 'industry forum' where New Zealand enterprises or international organisations with NZ-based offices or teams can participate and work through common issues.

KiwiSpace aims to increase the profile and success of the NZ space industry through:

• Unification of diverse space-related industries
• Identification of the current economic profile of NZ space, and its projected growth
• Improve the awareness and credibility of the space industry, to support investment
• Investigate appropriate self-regulation - to ensure safety and consumers are protected, and avoid damaging industry reputation
• Highlight internship and job opportunities within the industry for STEM subject graduates

Government

To succeed in the long-term, New Zealand needs commitment from the government to provide investment, strategic direction and policy development. This committee is tasked with helping produce principles and a framework that the NZ Government can adopt or extend.

KiwiSpace hopes to improve the long term competitiveness, safety and accessibility of New Zealand aerospace by:

• Developing relationships with the government for communication, resource requests, policy advisement and clarification
• Advocating the case for NZ space industry, research, governance & leadership
• Encouraging the NZ government, industry and organisational representation internationally - through collaboration and participation in conferences and policy forums
• Promoting and engaging in international agency collaboration