New Zealand Team Wins ActInSpace 2026 National Finals, Heads To International Space Competition In France

Auckland, New Zealand — 31 January 2026

A New Zealand team has been crowned the national winner of ActInSpace New Zealand 2026, following a final pitch and awards ceremony held this afternoon at GRIDAKL in Auckland.

Spectral Defence was selected from eight teams and 34 participants after an intensive 24 hours innovation challenge that saw participants develop business concepts using space data and technologies to address real-world problems. Team Members: Lee Violet Ong (team leader), Alexander Rowe-Meerdink, Ryan Aston, Navneet Kaur, Zeus Engineer. The team will now represent New Zealand at the international ActInSpace finals in Bordeaux, France, in April, competing against national winners from around the world.

ActInSpace is a global hackathon initiative led by the French space agency CNES and the European Space Agency (ESA), running simultaneously across more than 30 countries and 60 cities. The New Zealand edition was delivered by SpaceBase, in collaboration with industry, government, and innovation partners.

Throughout the challenge, teams tackled a range of space-related challenges, applying satellite data, Earth observation, and space-enabled technologies to problems spanning sustainability, infrastructure, resilience, and everyday life applications.

The final event featured a video address from Hon. Judith Collins, New Zealand Minister of Space, highlighting the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship in strengthening New Zealand’s growing space ecosystem. Participants also heard a video message from Robbie Schingler, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Planet, underscoring the role of space data in solving global challenges.

Teams were supported by nine expert mentors and a dedicated pitch coach, drawing on experience from New Zealand’s space, defence, research, engineering, and technology sectors. Final pitches were evaluated by a judging panel representing the New Zealand Space Agency, BECA, Outset Ventures, Aerospace New Zealand, Synaptec / NZ IoT Alliance, and Seascape Intelligence.

In addition to the opportunity to compete internationally, the winning team will receive ongoing post-event mentorship, helping them further develop their concept beyond the hackathon.

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