News | National
7 Feb 2025 21:09
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > National

    Earth is bombarded with rocks from space – but who gets to keep these ultimate antiques?

    Meteorites offer vital clues to the mysteries of the universe. But many are being lost to private collectors, potentially creating tension between finders and scientists.

    Anna Marie Brennan, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Waikato
    The Conversation


    Every day, about 48.5 tonnes of space rock hurtle towards Earth. Meteorites that fall into the ocean are never recovered. But the ones that crash on land can spark debates about legal ownership.

    Globally, meteorite hunting has become a lucrative business, with chunks of alien rock traded online and shipped between countries.

    Meteorites hold the key to the mysteries of the universe, but increasingly, significant scientific finds are being lost to private collectors.

    Last year, New Zealand formally recorded an apple-sized meteorite weighing 810g. It fell on Department of Conservation land in the central South Island, near Takapo. Recovered by Jack Weterings, a member of Fireballs Aotearoa (a citizen science group tracking meteorites), the meteorite has reignited discussion about the regulation of such finds.

    The Ellerslie meterorite
    The Ellerslie meterorite crashed through the roof of a Auckland family home in 2004. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-NC-SA

    Over the years, several meteorites have been recorded in New Zealand. Most notably, the 1.3kg Ellerslie meteorite crash-landed through the roof of the Archer family home in Auckland on June 12, 2004.

    Bouncing off the sofa and eventually settling in the middle of the living room floor, the meteorite caused an international stir, with several individuals worldwide offering to purchase it.

    The Archers, a retired couple, refused these offers, opting instead to sell it to the Auckland War Memorial Museum for public display.

    The Takapo meteorite spent much of 2024 being pored over by geologists at the University of Otago. But the question of rightful ownership remains open because it was found on public land.

    How New Zealand law deals with meteorites

    Despite their interstellar origins, ownership of meteorites is determined by the law of the country where they are found. Approaches vary from country to country. Some allow private meteorite ownership while others require mandatory state ownership with no compensation of any kind.

    New Zealand – along with Canada, France, the US and the UK – has adopted an approach that depends on where the meteorite crashes. If it lands on private property, the land owner is the rightful legal owner of the space rock.

    With meteorites found on public property, as was the case with the Takapo meteorite, the “finders keepers” approach prevails and Fireballs Aotearoa, thanks to Jack Weterings, is the legal owner.

    While the organisation professes to “have no commercial interest in meteorites” and pledges to donate all to museums, not all meteorite hunters are so willing to donate the spoils of their discoveries.

    Commercial meteorite hunting appears to be on the rise internationally, especially in China, where it is a lucrative source of income. Some meteorites can fetch millions online. With collectors reportedly including Elon Musk, Steven Spielberg, Nicholas Cage and Uri Geller, the hobby is now seen as glamorous. The world’s fascination with the ultimate antique is expected to grow.

    Trading meteorites

    Several states have stepped in to regulate meteorite hunting within their borders. In New Zealand, the export of movable protected objects, including taonga tuturu (objects with Maori links), is heavily restricted.

    Under the Protected Objects Act 1975, which incorporates both the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the prevention of illicit transfer of ownership of cultural property, and the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on stolen cultural objects, permission must be obtained from the chief executive of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage before protected objects can be exported.

    Meteorites are listed as protected objects under the legislation and as a result, the chief executive must consult two expert examiners in determining any export licence application.

    Penalties for illegally exporting or attempting to export meteorites without a licence are hefty. They include automatic confiscation of the item to the Crown, a term of imprisonment of up to five years and a fine of up to NZ$100,000 for an individual and $200,000 for a body corporate.

    If the export licence application is declined, for whatever reason, there is a right to appeal the decision directly to the minister for arts, culture and heritage. If the minister opts to uphold the decision, or if the applicant decides not to lodge an appeal, the object is automatically listed in the nationally significant objects register.

    While New Zealand has adopted legislative measures to regulate meteorite exports, the relationship between finders and scientists could become increasingly tense. Perhaps meteorite collection should be strongly dissuaded unless it is strictly for scientific purposes? Time will tell whether an easy compromise can be found.

    The Conversation

    Dr Anna Marie Brennan is currently the Borrin Foundation's Women Leader in Law Fellow.

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
    © 2025 TheConversation, NZCity

     Other National News
     07 Feb: Three drivers who fatally hit a man walking on Auckland's South-Western Motorway - are being urged to come forward
     07 Feb: A Maori-Pacific consortium has publicly launched its bid to join the Aussie rugby league competition as the NRL's 20th team from 2032
     07 Feb: One of the backers behind the newly announced Auckland NRL franchise bid believes the city's big enough for two teams in the Aussie league competition
     07 Feb: State highways both sides of the North Island have closures, because of crashes
     07 Feb: A Nelson man who held two victims at gunpoint - one for 15 hours - has pleaded guilty to charges of kidnapping and bomb threats
     07 Feb: Three drivers who didn't stop -- after fatally striking a pedestrian on Auckland's South-Western Motorway -- are being asked to come forward
     07 Feb: Beyoncé is right – music genres can force artists into conformity. But ditching them isn’t an option
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    One of the backers behind the newly announced Auckland NRL franchise bid believes the city's big enough for two teams in the Aussie league competition More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Food Safety New Zealand has given Chelsea Sugar a stark warning - for making and selling almost one-thousand tonnes of lead-contaminated sugar products More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Kate Cassidy left Liam Payne in Argentina in order to take care of their dog 21:04

    Entertainment:
    Blake Lively is being sued for defamation by a PR firm 20:34

    Entertainment:
    Gracie Abrams "couldn't be more different" from Taylor Swift 20:04

    Entertainment:
    Lana Condor "lost 28 pounds" in preparation for 'Ballerina Overdrive' 19:34

    Entertainment:
    Kristin Davis has found discussing her personal life to be a "scary" experience 19:04

    Law and Order:
    Three drivers who fatally hit a man walking on Auckland's South-Western Motorway - are being urged to come forward 18:57

    Rugby League:
    After a four-year hiatus, a Coast to Coast legend is back as he pushes for a fifth Longest Day crown 18:37

    Entertainment:
    Adrien Brody thinks he's not "typically handsome" 18:34

    International:
    Israel PM gifts Trump gold pager, in apparent reference to attacks on Hezbollah 18:17

    Rugby League:
    A Maori-Pacific consortium has publicly launched its bid to join the Aussie rugby league competition as the NRL's 20th team from 2032 18:07


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd