A Kiwi entrepreneur who went to space earlier this year will discuss Aotearoa's rapidly developing aerospace industry at the upcoming Tech Summit '25 in Christchurch.
The 22nd annual event, which brings together hundreds of people in the tech industry, will take place at Te Pae Convention Centre on Tuesday.
The full day conference event filled with guest speakers, networking opportunities and exhibitions is hosted by Canterbury Tech.
Among those guest speakers will be Kea Aerospace chief executive Mark Rocket, who became the first Kiwi to travel to space on a Blue Origin flight earlier this year.
Rocket will be speaking about Rocket Lab, the Aerospace NZ Network, a solar powered aircraft currently in the stratosphere, and his Blue Origin flight.
Rocket said he wants the tech sector to understand that aerospace is developing very fast in Aotearoa.
He described the Tech Summit as a vital networking event and chance to upskill in a broad range of areas.
He remembered the first gatherings in the 1990s around barbeques and said it was fantastic to see how it had evolved.
Tech Summit manager Alex Thorpe said the event was like a school reunion, with attendees valuing the networking opportunities.
The event welcomed anyone involved or interested in technology like business owners, software developers, and IT professionals.
Thorpe said there were around 600 people attending this year.
Unlike previous years, the exhibition gallery will include innovation and startup zones and new technology to interact with.
Thorpe said the new additions were also a reflection of the “new and fast changes in tech”, specifically representing Christchurch’s tech sector.
That sector was a hidden gem, Thorpe said.
As of Friday morning, tickets were still available for the event.
