In the finance world, Rocket Lab is the company that has caught the eye of investors. The aerospace manufacturer and launch services company, which works with government and commercial organisations to send satellites and other spaced-based assets into orbit, has seen its stock value soar with no signs of slowing down. The Electron rocket’s successful track record and a growing Space Systems segment have been major drivers in the company’s rapid growth in value.
Now, the company is planning the launch of a new rocket, the Neutron, in the second half of this year. The vessel is a competitor of Elon Musk’s SpaceX and is generating much discussion. Below, we take a look at Rocket Lab’s New Zealand connections and future, New Zealand’s tech industry, and other successful companies with links to New Zealand.
New Zealand ties
New Zealand and Rocket Lab are no strangers to each other. The company has a subsidiary in the country and established the first private orbital launch range on the Māhia Peninsula, on the eastern coast of New Zealand. In May 2017, the company conducted its first test launch and completed its first commercial launch on 11th November 2018.
This isn’t the only launch activity that Rocket Lab has conducted in New Zealand. On 26th June 2025, from Pad A of the Māhia Peninsula’s Complex 1, the company launched an Electron that contained three radio frequency geolocation microsatellites and an experimental microsatellite called Kestrel-0A.
Then, just days later, the launch provider sent the first of two missions into space for a client who is being kept confidential just now. The company’s name for the mission is ‘Symphony in the Stars’.
The tech industry in New Zealand
Like in many countries, New Zealand’s tech sector is growing rapidly. This includes companies in the software, telecommunications, creative technology, biotechnology and electronics spaces. New Zealand itself is considered trustworthy for tech investors.
Of course, consumers in New Zealand have long loved tech. As attitudes have shifted in the country, gaming has become more mainstream and popular. According to consumer and market data company Statista, Assassin’s Creed Shadows was the top game of the final week of March 2025, followed by Split Fiction and then Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Improvements in broadband infrastructure have facilitated growth in the popularity of gaming, especially casino gaming online. As internet speeds have increased, Kiwis have found it easier to jump online and play ‘pokies’ (as they call slots there) such as Sweet Bonanza. This quirky candy-themed slot, launched by Pragmatic Play in 2019, pays out for clusters instead of paylines, and features a 6×5 grid layout and cascading reels.
The possible future for Rocket Lab
Despite competition in the space industry, thanks to the likes of SpaceX, Rocket Lab’s market stature is growing. The company is proving its innovative capabilities, and its entrepreneurial value has increased. Expansion of its capabilities to enhance space systems and reusability is paying off for the company.
Although Rocket Lab isn’t profitable just now, experts believe that 2027 could be its first profitable year. They assume that Neutron will be fully developed by that time and that the company will be spending less on research and development, creating a positive cash flow.
The future looks bright for Neutron as Rocket Lab engages with Bollinger Shipping, seeks to improve its ocean landing platform and, effectively, double its launch capacity. Rocket Lab’s acquisitions and its drive to enhance its infrastructure are setting it up to capture a huge market share, analysts project. The space industry could witness the company taking control of the narrative. Every move that Rocket Lab makes suggests strategic alignment and preparedness. The company looks robust and resilient.
Other thriving firms with New Zealand ties
Expansion into America is attractive to many companies. Kiwi ones don’t feel any different. Take sustainable beauty brand Ethique, which started in founder Brianne West’s Christchurch kitchen in 2012 and went global in 2016. The company has more than 6,000 stores, including in the UK, US and Australia.
Ethique isn’t the only Kiwi business to have hit the big time. Allbirds, which was co-founded by Tim Brown and which applies comfortable merino wool to its footwear, has its headquarters in San Francisco, but its roots are in New Zealand. The company has stores in South Korea, the US, China and Europe. Hollywood stars Ashton Kutcher, Courtney Cox and Sarah Jessica Parker are all fans of the certified B-Corp’s footwear.
Rocket Lab is one of the most talked-about companies right now in investment as its share value soars. The company is displaying a strong innovative capacity and mounting a real challenge to SpaceX and other companies in the industry. Its innovation and foresight could transform it into the narrative leader in the industry.
