Welcome to the New Zealand Astrobiology Network

Kia ora

When we started this journey in 2013, astrobiology wasn’t yet a discipline in Aotearoa. All we had was a small list of names—New Zealanders who might be interested in the subject. With the support of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand, we formally established the New Zealand Astrobiology Initiative as a new group within RASNZ. The goal was to connect people passionate about life in the Universe and, one day, establish an astrobiology institute inspired by NASA’s Astrobiology Institute model.

I’m proud to say that today, astrobiology is part of New Zealand’s educational landscape. We teach it in universities and schools, inspire it in communities, and look after it through research and outreach.

Milestones in our journey

New Zealand Astrobiology Network is a charitable trust established in 2016. The trust is dedicated to encouraging, assisting, and promoting astrobiology in New Zealand. We also help provide access to programmes in astrobiology education and outreach around the world.

2023
Supporting SPCE101
Astrobiology at Vic Uni

Victoria University incorporates astrobiology as part of their SPCE 101 Introduction to Space Sciences Course and we got invited to deliver the astrobiology lecture.  

2022-2023
Pop-up Space Science Centre
Wairarapa Space Science Centre

NZAN ran the very successful Wairarapa Space Science Centre in Carterton for over 45 days, welcoming over 3500 visitors. 

2022
Dark Sky Exhibition
Look After Our Night Sky

We created Look After Our Night Sky, an educational project about light pollution and dark skies. Our exhibition is available for schools, along with our online resources. 

2021
AHIS JAXA
Seeds in Space

In partnership with JAXA’s Kibo ABC, NZAN provided basil seeds to over 100 New Zealand schools to grow them in tandem with the ISS. Students looked at how space affects life firsthand.

2020, November
See you on Mars
NZ's first Mars exhibition

Opened at Stonehenge Aotearoa in Wairarapa, with the support from the US Embassy and the Phoenix Astronomical Society, the exhibition featured a keynote by Mitch Schulte (NASA) and inspired many visitors. 

2020
Astro200
First New Zealand Academic Astrobiology Course is launched

At Auckland University, a team led by Professor Kathy Campbell launches ASTRO 200G Astrobiology, New Zealand's first academic astrobiology course. 

2019
International Recognition

NZAN visits the United Nations in Vienna at the invitation of World Space Week and becomes NZ’s World Space Week Country Coordinator.

We also became an education and outreach partner for JAXA’s Kibo-ABC programme.

2018
First NZ Astrobiology Science Conference
Australasian Astrobiology Meeting AAM2018

With over 80 scientists attending, we organised and co-hosted this event alongside our Australian colleagues and NZ university partners.

The conference included the first New Zealand Astrobiology Workshop for Teachers. 

2017, September
A school-wide Mission to Mars
Synergies in Space

NZAN gets awarded a Curious Minds grant, to run Synergies in Space, a hands-on Mars mission pilot project for teaching space exploration in schools. 

In collaboration with NASA and Oxford School (Canterbury), this week-long immersive programme reached almost every junior student in the school. It included NASA scientist Mitch Schulte as the keynote guest, BMSIS and NASA scientist Jen Blank and astrobiologist Angelica Angles. 

2016
Astrobiology for curious minds
Spaceward Bound for Youth

A dedicated student edition, supported by a grant from Curious Minds and the University of Auckland, gave school students direct access to cutting-edge science and astrobiology mentoring.

2016
NZAN
The New Zealand Astrobiology Network gets incorporated as a charitable trust

The New Zealand Astrobiology Network Trust is incorporated as a Charity. 

2016, January
Kaikoura informal meeting
Kaikoura Astrobiology Meeting

A group of small but dedicated group of astrobiology supporters organise the first Astrobiology Meeting with participation from astrobiology enthusiasts from around Aotearoa.

2015, January
We started small
First NASA Spaceward Bound NZ Expedition

Our inaugural field expedition brought together 50 participants and included teachers, students, scientists, and a NASA-led delegation. It marked the birth of astrobiology fieldwork in New Zealand.

2014, August
Outreach at NASA Ames
Why New Zealand is an excellent astrobiology fieldsite.

NZAI gets the word out at NASA Ames. Following various meetings with NASA's Institute of Astrobiology, scientists and educators at NASA Ames, and a seminar on why New Zealand is a top astrobiology field location, Hari joins the Blue Marble Institute of Science (BMSIS). Subsequently, NZAI gets support from BMSIS. 

Special thanks to Jen Blank for all the introductions, support and inspiration, the team at BMSIS led by Sanjoy Som, and to Alphonso Davila for contributing his astrobiology course materials. Last but not least, to Seth Shostak for all the wisdom.

2014, June
NZAI is officially formed
New Zealand Astrobiology Initiative

In June 2014, at the suggestion of Hari Mogoșanu, the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand (RASNZ), votes to add the New Zealand Astrobiology Initiative (NZAI) to their initiative groups, thus becoming the first organisation within New Zealand to formally recognise astrobiology as a discipline.

Special thanks to Grant Christie for his continuous encouragements and support. 

New Zealand is considered to be an excellent field site for astrobiological research. For example, there are unique extremophiles in the hot springs in Rotorua and Lake Taupo, and we can easily access the KT Boundary or the Dry Valleys in Antarctica. We continually expand our network of scientists throughout New Zealand with excellent credentials in interdisciplinary research that contribute to astrobiology. Skills in microbiology, ecology, biosecurity, physics, astronomy, radio astronomy, and geology, to name a few, represent an accessible yet rich knowledge base with local expertise.

Astrobiology is about life, but more than that, it’s about the connection between disciplines, people, and places. Whether you’re an educator, a student, a scientist, or simply curious, there’s a place for you in our community.

We invite you to be part of this incredible journey.

Haritina Mogoșanu

Executive Director

New Zealand Astrobiology Network

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