Every day about 48.5 tons of space style rages towards the earth. Meteorites that fall into the ocean are never found. But those who crash on land can call on discussions about legal ownership.
Worldwide, the hunt for meteorites has become a lucrative activity, in which chunks of alien rocks are traded online and sent between countries.
Meteorites are the key to the mysteries of the universe, but more and more important scientific finds are lost for private collectors.
Last year New Zealand formally registered the weighing of a meteorite the size of an apple 810G . It fell on land from the Department of Conservation on the Central South Island, near Takapō. Found by Jack Weterings, member of Fire balls Aotearoa (A civilian group that follows meteorites), the meteorite has again fueled the discussion about the regulation of such finds.
Over the years, various meteorites have been registered in New Zealand. The most striking is the 1.3 kg Ellerslie-Meteorite Made an emergency landing on 12 June 2004 through the roof of the house of the Archer family in Auckland.
Bouncing the bank And in the end the meteorite settled in the middle of the floor of the living room and caused international stir, in which various individuals all over the world offered to buy it.
The Archers, a retired couple, refused this offers and chose to sell it instead to the War Museum of Auckland For public display.
The Takapō meteorite was studied a large part of 2024 by geologists from the University of Otago. But the issue of lawful property remains open because it was found on public territory.
How New Zealand deals with meteorites
Despite their interstellar origin, the ownership of Meteorites is determined by the law of the country where they are found. The approach differs from country to country. Some allow private ownership of meteorites, while others require state own property without any form of compensation.
New Zealand has-together with Canada, France, the US and Great Britain-chosen an approach that depends on where the meteorite crashes. If it lands on private property, the landowner is the rightful owner of the space test.
With meteorites who are found on public territory, as was the case with the Takapō meteorite, the ‘Finders Keepers’ approach dominates and Fireballs Aotearoa is, thanks to Jack Weterings, the legal owner.
While the organization confess Because he “has no commercial interest in meteorites” and promises to donate everything to museums, not all meteorite hunters are so willing to donate the loot of their discoveries.
The commercial hunt for meteorites seems to be on the rise internationally, especially in China, where it is a lucrative source of income. Some meteorites can do that Pick up millions online . With collectors reportedly included Elon Musk, Steven Spielberg, Nicholas Cage and Uri Geller the hobby is now seen as glamorous. It is expected that the fascination of the world for the ultimate antiques will increase.
Trade in meteorites
Several states have intervened to regulate the hunt for meteorites within their limits. In New Zealand, the export of movable protected objects, including Taonga Tūturu (objects with Māori links), is strongly limited.
Under the Protected objects 1975 In which both the 1970 UNESCO Convention About the prevention of illegal transfer of cultural goods, and the 1995 Unidroit-Convention For stolen cultural goods, permission must be obtained from the director of the Ministry of Culture and Heritage before protected objects can be exported.
Meteorites are mentioned as protected objects under the legislation and as a result the general director must consult two expert examiners when assessing any export permit applications.
The penalties for illegal exporting or trying to export meteorites without a permit are substantial. These include automatic seizure of the item at the Kroon, a prison sentence of a maximum of five years and a fine of a maximum of NZ $ 100,000 for an individual and $ 200,000 for a legal person.
If the application for an export permit is rejected for whatever reason, there is a right to appeal directly to the Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage. As the minister Decision to maintain the decision Or if the applicant decides not to appeal, the object is automatically stated in the Register of National important objects .
While New Zealand has taken legislative measures to regulate the export of meteorites, the relationship between finders and scientists could become increasingly stressed. Perhaps the collection of meteorites should be strongly discouraged, unless it is strict for scientific purposes? Time will learn whether an easy compromise can be found.
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