Leadership
In 2025 I put my name forward to become President of UC Aerospace, and was fortunate enough to be elected into the position. Since then, I've been focused on making 2026 one of UC Aerospace's best years yet for industry connection and opportunities for our club members, who now number approximately 550. I currently oversee our programmes, including our two major Final Year Projects, Project Huia (a high-speed fixed-wing UAV) and our Hybrid Rocket Motor Development, alongside our Level 1 Programme, our introductory course in rocketry. We're also developing clubwide experience in competition rocketry through our Kōtare build, aiming for 10,000ft.
A key focus of mine has been driving the club to become more inclusive of other engineering disciplines. Aerospace is an inherently cooperative industry, where systems engineering is highly relevant and workplaces expect employees to have varied skills or at least a working knowledge of other disciplines. As a predominantly mechanical engineering club, I'm a strong advocate for UC Aerospace becoming more involved with electrical engineering, and I've pushed for greater support of our avionics tutorials and electronics development as part of that.
I've been fortunate enough to represent the club at various events, promoting who we are and what we do, and showcasing how UC Aerospace benefits the aerospace sector in Aotearoa and beyond, with our graduates now spanning roles across the globe.
I am immensely proud of what this club stands for, and I'm committed to further cementing its reputation for producing high-calibre engineering graduates who are well prepared for the aerospace industry.
Outreach
During my time with UC Aerospace in 2025, I became Outreach Lead for the club, organising and supporting multiple events where we introduced students from primary school through to high school leavers to the basics of building hot rockets, giving them a small but interactive insight into aerospace. As someone who missed out on opportunities like this as a child, and someone who loves to teach, I found this role highly rewarding and made every event as enjoyable and interactive as possible for the kids involved. We visited multiple schools throughout 2025, successfully launching over 30 small model rockets along the way.
I have since passed on the lead role to one of our executives but remain active in the outreach programme, gaining great satisfaction from informing the next generation about the growing aerospace industry here in Aotearoa. I'm proud that our HotRocket programme has become a staple of UC Aerospace's outreach work, helping students understand what we're capable of as a nation in this space, while also taking the time at these events to show them what the club can offer them as they progress through their education.
