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Why maritime matters to New Zealand

As a nation of islands at the end of the world's trade routes, the maritime domain connects our motu with the globe. 

The maritime domain is critical for New Zealand for many social, environmental, economic and cultural reasons. Almost all of New Zealand’s imports and exports by volume are  moved by sea. As a relatively small, geographically isolated economy, significantly distanced from major markets, New Zealand is exposed to disruptions to maritime supply chains. Even minor disruptions could result in major damage to New Zealand businesses and communities, causing price increases and difficulty accessing critical international markets. New Zealand ports are essential for the entry and exit of goods and generate flow-on benefits to non-maritime businesses worth billions of dollars every year. 

Beyond the international supply chains, New Zealand’s domestic maritime sector is highly diverse. It is important for supporting regions and local communities and employs around 40,000 people. Coastal shipping is becoming more important to resilient local supply chains, moving about a quarter of goods around New Zealand. This significance was highlighted when land transport routes failed following extreme weather events. 

Over a million people and nearly 5 million tonnes of freight each year cross the Cook Strait, an extension of the State Highway network.  People are increasingly using ferries to get to work and other destinations. 

Fishing, aquaculture and domestic maritime tourism operators play critical roles in the economy including tourism and exports. Cruise ship visits bring thousands of tourists to New Zealand and positive economic benefits for the regions. The marine environment is being looked at as an increasingly important and diverse resource, with offshore wind farms being a good example.  

New Zealanders love being on the water. Around 1.5 million people own a vessel. New Zealand’s search and rescue area spans over 30 million square kilometres and is one of the largest in the world.  Like all nations with a significant coastline, we have a long history of maritime incidents and accidents. Some of these have led to significant loss of life or environmental damage.