Air-taxi world first sends signals to cutting-edge firms
Canterbury offers perfect tailwind conditions for companies with a bold vision, writes Nick Bryan.
OPINION: Our city made international headlines last week when it was revealed the world’s first self-piloted electric air taxi has been flying in Canterbury skies for nearly six months.
California-based company Kitty Hawk Corporation has set up Zephyr Airworks in New Zealand to test its prototype electric autonomous vehicle, Cora.
The company’s partnership with Canterbury bodes well for our city in attracting other international players wanting to develop cutting-edge products in a perfect working environment that meets their needs.
New Zealand has historically faced significant barriers to attracting international research and development – our small domestic market and distance from the rest of the world are regularly cited as examples.
But we also have strengths we need to leverage when developing future long-term business relationships that will bring the biggest economic and social impacts for our city and region.
Christchurch’s innovative community and supportive leaders make our city and the wider region a great place to test new technologies in a supportive and community-focused environment, along with a strong talent pool and safety culture, and a vision for clean technologies.
As a nation our integrity and ease of doing business are key strengths. We are consistently ranked the world’s least corrupt nation. The trusted environment this creates can be leveraged to attract companies such as Kitty Hawk that share our values.
Additionally, although there aren’t that many of us in a global context, we are a talented, creative and innovative bunch with a world-class education and research system providing the skills and capabilities to bring almost any dream to life.
We have a flexible regulatory environment that supports companies with product and service offerings that are, to quote a famous in New Zealand softdrink brand, ‘‘a bit different, eh’’.
While companies developing disruptive products and services can give overseas regulators a bit of a headache, our size and geographical location mean we are used to thinking outside the box.
As a city, we have also been through a massive disruption in recent years due to natural causes and have had to be nimble to adapt and continue operating successfully.
In the case of Zephyr Airworks, the sharing of values and a vision of a low-carbon future is a great fit.
The intention of regulators to work through the challenges of certifying a completely new class of aircraft so that it can be safely trialled, along with New Zealand’s respected international reputation for aviation and airspace management, makes Canterbury the perfect place for testing this pioneering technology.
The willingness of Christchurch’s leaders and communities to embrace new ideas also creates the perfect tailwind conditions to take Cora from prototype to the world stage.
This case shows that we can encourage the migration to Christchurch of exciting research and development-focused businesses that cities our size would not normally attract.
Zephyr Airworks describes its relationship with New Zealand as ‘‘a deeper partnership than we could have imagined’’.
In the company’s words: ‘‘We have discovered amazing communities, like the city of Christchurch, that are willing to engage in a future where the freedom of flight belongs to everyone. We found a community who shared our vision of a better world and were willing to ask the hard questions about how that could be made a reality.’’
This is something Christchurch should be incredibly proud of.
It provides a fantastic platform to attract other companies with bold vision to come here too.
I, for one, can’t wait to see Zephyr Airworks’ dreams realised in our skies and take my first ride.