Northland Inc chief executive David Wilson said Rocket Lab had visited the North Cape site, 30km east of Cape Reinga, carrying out tests to ensure the safety of the trajectory.
"When we saw last year that they were looking for a site to launch rockets, we found out the criteria and put together a pitch," Mr Wilson said.
The company began a series of visits to Northland before Christmas. The team whittled down a choice of three locations to the one Ngati Kuri block.
Mr Beck said they had not ruled Northland out for its future projects as the company was evaluating additional New Zealand sites.
"Northland continues to be a viable site for us. It offers great eastern trajectories. However, there are other sites that are a little better to develop at this point."
Mr Wilson said Northland Inc was pleased to join Far North iwi Ngati Kuri and its chairman, Harry Burkhardt, in exploring the opportunity. Ngati Kuri had been constructive and proactive, he said, in ensuring that Te Hiku and Te Tai Tokerau has put its best foot forward.
Mr Burkhardt said it had been a privilege to host Rocket Lab. There were some sensitivities with the adjacent DoC reserve but technical requirements and a lack of logistics support was an issue - North Cape is an isolated area.
"We were not too surprised to hear this project will go to Canterbury but we are disappointed," Mr Wilson told the Advocate.
"This would be a great tourism attraction, and we have the engineering skills to support it.
"We're not completely out of the race, though."
Rocket Lab was looking to launch rockets once a month for now, but as it grew to launch once a week, North Cape was still one of the better sites available, he said.
New Zealand's minimal air and sea traffic enabled a significantly frequent launch rate, to give the company a competitive edge.
The company needed a clear flight path, or trajectory, north and east, which North Cape provided without the risk of flight over a populated area.
