Happy New Year. I hope you have enjoyed Christmas and time with your families and friends and I hope you have had time to wind down during the holiday.
Prime Ministers Space Prize winners announced
Just before Christmas, the inaugural winners of the Prime Minister’s Space Prizes 2024 were announced. These awards were established to recognise and encourage innovative expertise and rising talent in the Space industry and also to showcase the depth and breadth of talent in New Zealand’s dynamic space and advanced aviation sectors.
I am pleased to advise that Robin McNeill MNZM the founder and chief executive of SpaceOps New Zealand has been awarded the Prime Minister’s Space Prize for Professional Excellence.
Robin has designed and built ground stations in Antarctica, Tokelau and Southland.
He has played a critical role in deepening New Zealand’s space relationship with the European Space Agency. This relationship has also included scholarships and other benefits to Southland students and continued collaboration with Great South’s “Youth Futures” programme.
Robin supervises post-graduate students undertaking space research and SpaceOps New Zealand employs undergraduate engineering students in summer jobs. Robin has been responsible for growing a pipeline of engineers and employees who have the necessary skills and experience to deliver future impact.
The other Prime Minister’s space prize is for student endeavour. It has gone to two outstanding high school students. Mr Cairo Akehurst, from Christchurch’s Cashmere High School, and Ms Tianyi Mathur, from Wellington’s Scots College, have jointly won the Prime Minister’s Space Prize for Student Endeavour.
Cairo is 17 years old and has established a start-up company called Cattle Credit that uses satellite data to track cow methane emissions. The prize that includes cash of $25,000 will allow Cairo to ramp up his commercial product and launch it in 2026. This innovative product will then allow more farmers to access it to measure their success in producing low-emissions meat and dairy products and also compare their results with other farms and against the national average.
Cairo won the National Excellence Award for Innovation at the Young Enterprise Scheme Nationals in 2024, too.
Tianyi Mathur was in Year 13 at Wellington’s Scots College when she submitted her winning research project focused on how cells communicate with each other to create organised patterns.
Tianyi has developed a computer simulation to mimic the process of communication between cells.
The Space Prize judges recognised that this is a model for simulating coordinated, dynamic systems to optimise technology suited to the complex and often extreme conditions of space exploration.
Practical applications of this could include developing new materials that could organise or repair themselves automatically in spacecraft or in extraterrestrial environments!
Tianyi also received the cash prize and both students will tour the New Zealand and California Rocket Lab facilities in 2025 and they will also receive six months mentoring from Rocket Lab staff.
These two prize winners signal that there is an exciting future ahead for them and also for New Zealand’s space and advanced aviation sectors.
I reiterate my congratulations to all three inaugural winners of the Prime Minister’s Space Prize in 2024.
Genetic Modification and Engineering – Have your say
I announced the end of the three decades long ban on genetic modification and engineering in the middle of 2024 and the Gene Technology Bill was introduced to Parliament in December.
I am convinced that this is a major step in modernising our gene technology laws and it will enable New Zealand scientists to improve health outcomes, allow us to adapt to climate change and deliver massive economic gains and improve lives. Unlike Australia, England, Canada and many other countries we have not taken advantage of the gains which the use of GE and GM can allow.
I am pleased that there has been discussion of the Bill already and may I remind you that submissions and consultation both public and private can continue until 17 February 2025. The Select Committee process will continue until June 2025.
Dame Tariana Turia 1944 -2025
On behalf of us all, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has acknowledged Dame Tariana Turia following news of her death on 3 January 2025. With him, we offer and extend our condolences to her iwi, hapu and whānau.
Dame Tariana served as a Member of Parliament from 1996 to 2014, including as a Minister under Labour and National-led governments. She co-founded the Māori Party and was Co-Leader during its confidence and supply arrangement under the Fifth National Government.
GDP data highlights importance of growth
The end of year economic figures that Finance Minister Nicola Willis has released highlight the value of the steps the Government has taken which have restored respect for taxpayers’ money and are driving economic growth.
Although Stats NZ data showed Gross Domestic Product fell 1 per cent in the September quarter, Treasury and most economists were forecasting growth to pick up in the December 2024 quarter and to grow more strongly this new year which is good news for households and businesses.
To encourage and activate growth, the Government is acting to fast-track major projects, remove red tape, develop an infrastructure pipeline, refocus the education system on core skills, negotiate additional trade deals, and better align support for science so all come within New Zealand’s economic needs and commercial opportunities.
Wishing you a happy and prosperous 2025 with real positivity about what it will bring for you and your families, friends and colleagues. In Government, we will continue to focus on building productivity and ensuring that New Zealand is a great place to call home.
Best wishes
Judith
Hon Judith Collins KC
MP for Papakura
