16 NOVEMBER 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Responding to Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck’s appearance on Morning Report today, New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says:

“We almost spat out our coffee this morning as Peter Beck claimed that his industry receives no taxpayer-funded subsidies.”

“We can all agree Rocket Lab’s achievements are impressive, but Mr Beck does the space industry no favours by denying the contribution of hard-working taxpayers.”

“The Government has multiple funding and subsidy programmes for the space industry. It beggars belief that Mr Beck would have forgotten this, considering his own company received $25 million from Callaghan Innovation in 2013.”

“It’s hard enough already for taxpayers to keep track of how our money is spent. The last thing we need is for the companies that take our money to start denying it.”

ENDS

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