On the 26th of March, the Solar Tsunamis showcase was installed in the Banquet Hall at Parliament House in Wellington, hosted by Scott Willis MP. A number of MPs and stakeholders were invited to a reception event with speeches by Scott, Craig Rodger, Marijn Kouwenhoven from Tūhura Otago Museum, and Andrew Renton from Transpower. The guests were also able to watch a screening of Waihiko me te Parawhenua Kōmaru | Waihiko and the Solar Tsunami in the inflatable planetarium dome. The event was a great success, and helped to highlight the hazard posed by Space Weather across many different sectors of New Zealand communities.
Scott Willis commented after the event:
“It was my pleasure to host the @tuhuraotagomuseum‘s showcase ‘Solar Tsunamis – Parawhenua Kōmaru at parliament tonight. Extreme space weather events pose a real risk to critical infrastructure like our electricity network and communication systems. Solar Tsunamis researchers have been working with industry partners like Transpower to study space weather hazards and develop a space weather mitigation plan that protects our electricity grid. Great to catch up with Professor Craig Rodger, the Solar Tsunami Team, friends and colleagues. We need to support science to grow a robust science ecosystem and ensure a literate community, for people and planet and future generations.”
Below are some photos from the reception and showcase. Craig also spoke about Solar Tsunamis and the showcase with RNZ.
