The contribution of Antarctic-related activities to the New Zealand Economy

Abstract

In 2007, the AERU at Lincoln University was commissioned by the Canterbury Development Corporation (funded by Antarctica New Zealand) to prepare a report on The Contribution of Antarctic-Related Activities to the Canterbury and New Zealand Economies (Saunders et al, 2007). That report concentrated on the local and national impacts of Antarctic-related activities based in Canterbury. Thus, it included Antarctic-related research at the Gateway Antarctica programme of the University of Canterbury, for example, but not research at the Antarctic Research Centre of Victoria University of Wellington. The 2007 study found that the direct impact on the Canterbury economy was at least $87.6 million per annum, which was estimated to be associated with 676 full-time equivalent jobs in the region. The direct impact on the New Zealand economy was estimated to be $133.2 million, supporting 965 full-time equivalent jobs. Taking into account multiplier impacts, the direct, indirect and induced impacts amounted to $155.1 million in Canterbury and $282.0 million in New Zealand. In 2013, Antarctica New Zealand commissioned the AERU to update and extend its 2007 study. In particular, the AERU was asked to consider significant Antarctic-related activities outside as well as inside the Canterbury region. The role of Christchurch as a ‘gateway city’ to the Antarctic means that his report retains a focus on the Canterbury region, but the authors have attempted a wider national scope in its analysis.