Ships

Read about requirements for operators of large ships working in New Zealand waters.

Safety management systems

Read about safety management systems for operators.

Registration of ships and vessels

How to register your ship, types of registration and benefits.

Cargo and carriage of goods

Find resources to assist you in the safe carriage of cargo.

Masters of foreign ships

Navigation and pilotage information for Masters visiting NZ waters.

Certificate application processing and office closures

Maritime New Zealand/Nō Te Rere Moana Aotearoa experiences high volumes of applications approaching the end of the year. Please be aware of the following key dates for applications to help you plan in advance of the holiday season.

17 November 2023	SEAFARER LICENSING Applications that arrive complete and fully paid (where payment is applicable) before this date will be prioritised for processing prior to the Christmas shut down. Whilst we cannot guarantee complete processing during this time, these applications will be prioritised. For your application to be assessed, it needs to include all required information, be legible, and have all supporting documents attached. Applications missing any information will not be considered complete and are not guaranteed to be assessed during this period despite initial receipt date.
6 November 2023	OPERATOR LICENSING Applications will continue to be assessed in order of date of receipt. Due to current application volumes, complexity and timeframes we cannot guarantee that applications already in the queue will be processed prior to the Christmas shut down, and applications received from now (6th November 2023) are unlikely to have a final decision unless priority has been granted. Some new applications may be completed within this period on a case by case basis, dependent on application type or other factors. Ship registration and exemption requests may be processed faster.
15 December 2023	Certificates will not be sent following 15 December to ensure safe delivery over this period.
14 December 2023	Licensing and Certification services will not be available on this day
Noon 22 December 2023 – 8 January 2024	Maritime New Zealand/Nō Te Rere Moana Aotearoa offices will be closed for this period. Licensing and Certification services will not be available during this period.