Editorial: Rocket Lab 'lift-off' for local region

Rocket lab CEO Peter beck

Congratulations to the Wairoa District Council for pushing to get US-based company Rocket Lab to choose the district to be the base of a manufacturing facility.

We reported in Saturday's paper that the council was aggressively pursuing a bid for the facility. Rocket Lab hopes to complete construction of New Zealand's first commercial rocket launch site on Mahia Peninsula this month, with a target to complete infrastructure and commissioning in late April.

The council has received some heavyweight political backing from Napier MP Stuart Nash, who met with Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck on Thursday to "put Wairoa's case forward".

Wairoa council chief executive Fergus Power told the paper that the plant would provide a number of jobs for the area. This can only be a good thing.

Despite some good initiatives by the council over the years, times are still challenging for Wairoa and the town and district desperately need an economic boost.

The creation of jobs would bring people and families into the region and give it a much-needed lift.

I spoke to Wairoa Mayor Craig Little about the bid last week and he said his council would be doing what it could to win the bid.

There is a good chance that Rocket Lab will invest further in Wairoa District because so far its dealings with the council have been good. The resource consent for the launch pad was granted in a mere seven days - pretty speedy by anyone's standards.

Let's hope that Rocket Lab chooses Wairoa ahead of Gisborne and gives our region the economic boost it needs.