Do UFOs Exist - WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?

Spotted a bird, a plane or a UFO (unidentified flying object) lately?  It is over forty years since the Kaikoura lights were observed in Dec 1978. An online survey (2011) revealed that one in three Kiwis believe that Earth has been visited by UFOs (see article in the NZ Herald). Since 2001, World UFO Day is observed each year on 2 July, to raise awareness of the possibility we are not alone in the universe.  View this Youtube video (11 Feb 2023)  "Top 4 UFO sightings around the world" (16:56 min) and decide for yourself!

UFO SPOTTED OVER Kaikoura in Dec 1978 

On 30 December 1978, a television news crew boarded a plane to investigate earlier reports of unexplained lights seen off the Kaikoura coast. In the early hours of the following morning, they captured the UFOs on film. 

VIEWpoint OF NZ Defence Force

A spate of sightings followed the initial Kaikoura report and an Air Force Skyhawk was put on stand-by to investigate any positive sightings. The NZ Ministry of Defence attributed the sightings to lights from squid boats reflected off clouds, unburnt meteors, or lights from the planet Venus or trains and cars. 

VIEWpoint OF ASTRONOMERS

VIEWpoint OF UFOLOGISTS iN NZ

Early files comprising mainly newspaper reports and articles were compiled by NZ's first UFO group, the Civilian Saucer Investigation of New Zealand, which was formed in 1952 by Harold Fulton. Later ufology groups include the Adamski Correspondence Group in Auckland and Timaru; the MUFON - Mutual UFO Network  - Australia/New Zealand; and the UFO Focus New Zealand Research Network (Ufocus NZ).

UFO EXPLANATIONS HAVE INCLUDED:

Spike in sightings

There have been hundreds of sightings of UFOs in New Zealand.  A list of sightings since 1940s has been compiled by the UFO Focus New Zealand Research Network. 

sightings in waikato & BAY OF PLENTY

Various sightings have taken place in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty. A Stuff.co.nz newspaper article (2010) reports there was a 1955 sighting of an unexplained light between Ohura and Raglan, "showing apparent movement, changes in colour and fluctuation in light and intensity". National Airways Corporation pilot Captain Rainbow, who reported the event, was requested to make a report. He commented in a subsequent letter that "personally, after all the newspaper reports, phone calls, RNZAF statements plus personal embarrassment I would have to have the little men waving to me before I made any further reports of this nature".  The Director of Intelligence at the Carter Observatory concluded the planet Venus, rising in the night sky, was responsible.

Source: Stuff.co.nz ( 23 Dec 2010): Only one NZ UFO sighting investigated, URL: http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/4487888/Only-one-NZ-UFO-sighting-investigated

From January to March 1995, multiple sightings of the same object were reported across the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions (see article by UFocus NZ). One sighting occurred on 9 March, when fishermen off the coast of Tauranga and Air Traffic Control Tower staff at Rotorua and Hamilton observed an object which was not picked up on radar. Senior ATC Graeme Opie commented, “It was definitely not a fireball or meteor. The extremely bright silver spherical object glistened similar to sunlight reflecting off a mirror. It was travelling virtually horizontally, trailing a short tail with edges sparkling like fireworks.” That same day, farmers near Te Awamutu and Cambridge school children saw what looked like a comet flying across the sky, which then rose in altitude across the Kaimai Ranges. 

OTHER SIGHTINGS IN NZ

For a list of recent sightings from 2011 onwards, see Ufocus NZ website.

NZ UFO FILES MADE PUBLIC in 2010

The NZ Defence Force released files held by Archives New Zealand totalling about 2000 pages relating to UFO sightings, dubbed "New Zealand's X-Files". These files were collected between 1952 and 2009 from three sources: press reports, the Citizen Saucer Investigation organisation (CSI), and various government agencies.  

Source: Stuff.co.nz (23 Dec 2010):  Stacey Wood et al,  "New Zealand's X-files are out", URL: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4487851/New-Zealands-X-files-are-out  

Pentagon declassifieS UFO documents, 2021

Alien Life in Universe?

What would aliens say?

When observing our Planet:

When encountering visitors from Earth:

When arriving on Earth:

ALIENS & UFOS Reflected in POPULAR CULTURE

Books, comics, poetry:

TV series & adverts:

Film:

Toys and Games:

Arts & Household objects:

Expos:

AND LIBRARY DISPLAYS:

What to do if you see a UFO

This DigitalNZ Story was updated April 2023