Space Place at Carter Observatory

What Space Place at Carter Observatory does

Space Place at Carter Observatory is a non-profit science and astronomy centre located at 40 Salamanca Road, Kelburn, Wellington, at the terminus of the Wellington Cable Car. Operated as part of Wellington Museums Trust Inc. (trading as Experience Wellington / Wheako Pōneke), a registered charity (#CC22571) and Council Controlled Organisation established by Wellington City Council, Space Place occupies the historic Carter Observatory building (originally established in the 1960s and rebranded in its modern form in 2012) and is one of four museums under the Experience Wellington umbrella. The centre is staffed by eight employees and serves families, school groups, tourists, astronomy enthusiasts, and corporate event clients.

The core experience combines a digital full-dome planetarium with live presentations of the southern skies over Aotearoa New Zealand, interactive galleries featuring hands-on exhibits (DIY Black Hole, Apollo missions, Tūhura Space Module), solar and night telescope viewings using the historic Thomas Cooke telescope, and the Matariki Theatre celebrating Māori navigation and astronomy. Supporting products include curriculum-aligned education programmes (Years 1-13), venue hire across four spaces (Planetarium, Galleries, Exploration Room, Library) for corporate and private functions, children's birthday party packages, the recurring Sci-Fi Sundays film series, and an on-site gift shop.

Space Place monetises through unit-priced admissions (Adult NZ$16, Child NZ$10, Family NZ$49), subscription memberships via Friends of Wellington (NZ$50-$120/year), one-off venue hire (NZ$850-$5,000+), birthday parties (NZ$320), and bundled combo tickets with the Wellington Cable Car. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the Museums Wellington website and PatronBase booking system, supplemented by tourism partnerships, an email newsletter programme, organic social media, and school outreach. Revenue is supplemented by Wellington City Council funding, donations, and retail sales.

Name

Space Place at Carter Observatory

Legal name

Wellington Museums Trust Inc.

Website

https://museumswellington.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Space Place at Carter Observatory is a Wellington, New Zealand non-profit science and astronomy centre operated by Experience Wellington, serving families, school groups, tourists, and corporate clients with a digital full-dome planetarium, interactive galleries, telescope viewings, and venue hire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Science Museum and Planetarium

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (71211), Historical Sites (712120)

akta.pro primary industry

Archaeological Sites & Heritage Interpretation Centers (THAJADAG)

Keywords

• Science museum
• Planetarium shows
• Astronomy education
• Venue hire
• Family attractions

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Admission Fees: Space Place charges admission fees for general entry, planetarium shows, and combined experiences. Entry includes gallery access, planetarium shows, and telescope viewings.
2. Venue Hire: Corporate functions, private celebrations, and educational outings hosted at the planetarium, library, galleries, and exploration room spaces. Venues accommodate 12-180 people with catering options.
3. Friends of Wellington Membership: Annual memberships providing free admission to Space Place and Nairn Street Cottage, early access to events, 10% retail discounts, free planetarium passes, and other benefits.
4. Birthday Party Packages: Star Party and Aliens and Astronauts themed birthday parties for children aged 4-12, including planetarium shows and gallery entry.
5. Combo Tickets: Take a Red Rocket to Space combo tickets combining Cable Car return trips with Space Place general admission at discounted rates.
6. Gift Shop Sales: On-site retail store selling science gifts, toys, books and tools for young and old.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Space Place at Carter Observatory operates a science and astronomy visitor experience featuring a digital full-dome planetarium, interactive galleries, and telescope viewings of New Zealand's southern skies using the historic Thomas Cooke telescope. The centre offers themed experiences including the Matariki Theatre showcasing Māori navigation and astronomy, complemented by education programmes for schools, birthday party packages, venue hire for corporate and private events, and an annual membership programme.

Product overview

Space Place at Carter Observatory is a science and astronomy centre offering a portfolio of experiences centred on New Zealand's southern skies. The core offerings include a digital full-dome planetarium, interactive galleries with hands-on exhibits, telescope viewings using the historic Thomas Cooke telescope, and Maori astronomy experiences through the Matariki Theatre. Additional offerings include education programmes for schools, event venue hire across multiple spaces (Planetarium, Library, Galleries, and Exploration Room), and birthday party packages (Star Party, Aliens and Astronauts). The venue can host up to 180 people and offers special combination tickets with the Wellington Cable Car. Products are primarily physical visitor experiences rather than software or digital products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digital Full-Dome Planetarium Digital full-dome planetarium showcasing a range of shows for all ages, with live presentations of the night sky over Aotearoa New Zealand. Showcases over 10 planetarium movies sourced nationally and internationally.
• Interactive Galleries Hands-on exhibits including a do-it-yourself Black Hole, asteroids display, marama rock, Apollo missions exhibit, rocket blast-off experience, and Tūhura Space Module simulating being inside a spaceship.
• Telescope Viewings Solar telescope viewings during the day to see sunspots and solar prominances, and night telescope viewings of the spectacular southern skies using the historic Thomas Cooke telescope.
• Matariki Theatre and Māori Astronomy Theatre experience explaining how Māori navigated the vast Pacific Ocean using stars and the importance of Matariki, the astronomical event marking the Māori New Year.
• Education Programmes School programmes including planetarium shows, interactive gallery learning experiences, and educator-led workshops covering space science, the solar system, Earth systems, climate action, stellar evolution, and mātauranga Māori. Aligned with NZ Pūtaiao Science curriculum.
• Venue Hire Corporate functions, private celebrations, and educational functions hosted at the planetarium (from $5,000), library, galleries (from $3,500), and exploration room (from $850). Venues accommodate 12-180 people with catering options.
• Birthday Party Packages Star Party ($320 for 10 children and 2 adults, 2.5 hours) and Aliens and Astronauts themed birthday parties for children aged 4-12, including planetarium shows and gallery entry.
• Friends of Wellington Membership Annual memberships ($50-$120) providing free admission to Space Place and Nairn Street Cottage, early access to events, 10% retail discounts, free planetarium passes, and other benefits.
• Red Rocket Combo Ticket Combo tickets combining Wellington Cable Car return trips with Space Place general admission at 20% off. Adult $23.20, Child $13.20.
• Sci-Fi Sundays Film Series Sunday film screening event featuring 12 genre-defining sci-fi films in the planetarium, with live star talk and popcorn included at $25 per person.
• Gift Shop On-site retail store selling science gifts, toys, books and tools for visitors of all ages.

Quantifiable outcome

• 165,000+ annual visitors across all Museums Wellington attractions

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wellington Cable CarcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint 'Take a Red Rocket to Space' combo ticket offering 20% discount on combined Cable Car return trips and Space Place general admission. Space Place is promoted through Cable Car marketing channels and vice versa.
• Cable Top EateryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRestaurant at Kelburn terminal offers 2-for-1 kids' pizzas during school holidays for Red Rocket combo ticket holders, creating added value for Space Place family visitors.
• Blue Carrot CateringminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRecommended caterer for venue hire events at Museums Wellington venues including Space Place. One of Wellington's favourite catering companies.
• In House CateringminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRecommended caterer providing fresh and inspiring dishes for events at Museums Wellington venues since 1987.
• NoshminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRecommended caterer offering Pacific Rim flavours with fun presentation, available for venue hire events.
• Simply FoodminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRecommended caterer supporting Wellington's food and hospitality suppliers, located centrally to Museums Wellington spaces.
• The Food LabminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRecommended caterer behind Charley Noble Eatery and Bar, offering carefully crafted food from quality suppliers for events.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Royal Observatory Greenwich: Royal Observatory Greenwich is a historic observatory and planetarium complex in the UK offering comparable heritage astronomy interpretation, planetarium shows, and education programmes. Comparable in its combination of historic telescope and modern planetarium within a heritage setting.
• Melbourne Planetarium (Scienceworks): Melbourne Planetarium operates within Scienceworks museum offering planetarium shows and educational programmes. Comparable in format (digital planetarium + science museum education) but serves the Australian market rather than competing directly in Wellington.
• Sydney Observatory: Sydney Observatory is a historic Australian observatory offering telescope viewings, education programmes, and heritage interpretation. Comparable as a heritage observatory with educational mandate in the broader Asia-Pacific tourism market.
• Griffith Observatory: Griffith Observatory is an iconic public observatory and planetarium in Los Angeles offering similar mixes of public telescope viewing, planetarium shows, and educational programming. Comparable in operating model as a public-facing astronomy centre with heritage status.

Direct peers

• Stardome Observatory & Planetarium: Stardome is Auckland's dedicated astronomy and planetarium centre, the closest direct competitor to Space Place in New Zealand. It offers digital planetarium shows, telescope viewings, and education programmes with comparable visitor segments (families, schools, tourists).

Broad incumbents

• Canterbury Museum: Canterbury Museum is a large regional museum in Christchurch with science, natural history, and heritage interpretation overlap. It competes for educational tourism and school group market share across New Zealand.
• Otago Museum: Otago Museum in Dunedin operates a planetarium and science centre offering comparable educational programming and visitor experiences. While based in a different city, it competes for school group bookings and tourist attention across New Zealand's South Island.
• Te Papa Tongarewa: Te Papa is New Zealand's national museum located in Wellington, significantly larger than Space Place with overlapping visitor segments (tourists, families, school groups). It offers broader cultural and natural history exhibitions that compete for entertainment and education spend in the same city.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/spaceplacenz
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/museumswellington/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/spaceplacenz
• Instagraminstagram.com/spaceplacenz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carter-observatory

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Space Place at Carter Observatory