Statement of Intent
Within our Statement of Intent, we describe each part of Te Korowai o Kaitiakitanga, our organisational strategy:
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our direction (our vision and outcomes, and who we are)
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our regulatory approach (how we carry out our role)
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our external focus areas i.e. harm prevention programmes (how we target our effort)
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our organisational foundations and enablers (the culture and capabilities that support us to achieve as an organisation).
Read the Statement of Intent alongside our Statement of Performance Expectations.
They outline our work programme priorities for the upcoming year and how we monitor our performance. Our annual report provides an assessment of our performance over the year against both documents.
Below is a link to our latest Statement of Intent and the Foreword. Further below you will find the archives.
Statement of Intent 2024–2028
Foreword | Kupu whakataki
Kia ora, ngā mihi maioha ki a koutou katoa
Maritime NZ is the national maritime regulatory and response agency for the safety, security, and environmental protection of New Zealand’s marine environment. We work across government systems such as transport, border, health and safety at work, environment, conservation, and oceans.
We engage with stakeholders across:
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recreational boating and craft users
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domestic and international commercial operators
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port operations
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international bodies such as the International Maritime Organization.
As a Crown entity, we are required to publish a Statement of Intent. It outlines to the maritime sector, the Government, and our monitoring agency, the Ministry of Transport, what we aim to achieve over the next few years.
Our Statement of Intent identifies what we see as the longer‑term challenges facing the maritime sector. Given the sector’s role in New Zealand’s economy and society, risks and opportunities are emerging both internationally and domestically. These include:
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rapid changes in technology, such as electrification, alternative fuels, and novel craft and ship design
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factors that make major maritime incidents and supply chain disruptions more likely
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increasing complexity and threats in maritime security
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inadequate port and supply‑chain infrastructure
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significant pressure on the maritime workforce.
A likely reduction in levies revenue from forecast cruise and cargo visits to New Zealand will affect Maritime NZ’s financial sustainability over the next few years. To prepare for this, we need to be resilient, efficient, and effective.
Over the past two and a half years, we have made strong progress in resetting and improving who we are as a regulator through our organisational strategy, Te Korowai o Kaitiakitanga, the cloak of stewardship. Te Korowai o Kaitiakitanga has shaped our regulatory approach. As a risk‑based regulator, we prioritise our actions to prevent harm across the maritime domain. This includes harm to people working, playing in, or using the maritime domain, and to the environment, property, and the economy.
Over the next three years, we will continue to embed our regulatory and harm‑prevention approach. We will do this through specific programmes for:
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ports and harbours
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domestic commercial
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recreational boating and craft
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maritime incident readiness and response
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the Pacific.
We will strengthen our approach through several regulatory‑improvement initiatives, including:
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developing clear operational policies and practices and refining our enforcement approach
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delivering a new notifications and enquiries function and triaging model
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providing an efficient and effective certification and licensing service.
Following the approval of the maritime and oil pollution levies review, increased levy revenue will enable us to:
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increase capacity to identify and respond to substandard ships and improve oversight of third‑party providers delivering services on our behalf
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support provision of seafarer welfare services to meet our obligations under the Maritime Labour Convention
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maintain marine oil spill readiness and response capability
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improve management of maritime and marine protection rules.
Our principles describe how we deliver our outcomes and what others can expect from us as a regulator:
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Trusted | Whakapono
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Intentional | Takune
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Influential | Whakamana
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Adaptive | Urutau.
Our values describe the behaviours we expect of our people and drive our workplace culture:
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Care | Kia tika
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Connect | Kotahitanga
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Courage | Kia māia.
Together, these values and principles remind us what we are here to do, why we do it, and how we should act.
It is important to balance our longer‑term work programme with our short‑term priorities. Our complementary Statement of Performance Expectations 2024–2025 sets out our annual work programme.
As an organisation, we believe our improved regulatory approach, and the dedication and calibre of our people, position us well to deliver our outcomes and face challenges and uncertainties over the next few years.
Nā māua noa, nā
Dame Jo Brosnahan, DNZM, QSO, Board Chair, Maritime NZ and Kirstie Hewlett, Chief Executive and Director, Maritime NZ
By the numbers
Why the maritime domain matters to New Zealand.
Targeting our effort
Our external focus areas
Our harm‑prevention and stewardship programmes focus on areas where we can have the greatest impact:
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ports and harbours
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recreational boating and craft
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domestic commercial operations
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maritime incident readiness and response
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Pacific maritime safety and security.
Ports and harbours programme
This programme focuses on navigational and health and safety issues on large ships subject to international conventions such as SOLAS, the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea 1974. These ships include foreign and domestic cargo ships, oil tankers, cruise ships, and large passenger vessels in ports and harbours. The programme also covers health and safety on the land side of ports and management of security risks relating to ships and ports.
We partner with, and our director chairs, the Port Health and Safety Leadership Group, which includes representatives from port and stevedoring companies, unions and the Port Industry Association The group works in a tripartite partnership to drive health and safety improvements in New Zealand ports. and has developed the Port Sector Insights Picture and Action Plan to address harm.
We . work through the Port and Harbour Marine Safety Code to support port operators and councils to manage navigational safety. The code provides a voluntary standard to support national and local legislation and is on our work programme for review.
Our dedicated Maritime Inspections team is addressing substandard ships, in partnership with Tokyo MoU partners and through the IMO. We are also engaging with stakeholders to build the capability and presence of our security function on ports, within the national security system, and in the Pacific.
Recreational boating and craft programme
This programme aims to improve recreational craft users’ on‑water competencies and promote preventative safety behaviours. Priority audiences include those over‑represented in harm statistics, such as males aged 45–60 and Māori and Pacific communities. Over time, the programme aims to make recreational craft users aware of their responsibilities, manage risk, and reduce fatalities.
We chair the New Zealand Safer Boating Forum and work with its leadership group to implement the Recreational Craft Strategy 2023–2025, which has a vision of enabling people on recreational craft to connect to and enjoy the water safely. The Forum brings together agencies including ACC, Drowning Prevention Auckland, Coastguard New Zealand, and harbourmasters.
We also manage the Community Grants programme to support forum members’ harm‑prevention work and community‑based programmes for at‑risk communities and priority audiences.
Domestic commercial programme
This programme aims to prevent and reduce harm to people, the environment, and property in the domestic commercial sector, including fishing vessels, aquaculture, smaller passenger ferries, charter vessels, and other domestic tourism operators.
We will work with the sector to better understand what harm is occurring, to who and why, and use these insights to design interventions. Early priorities include working with the fishing sector on harm events and learning from tragedies in the domestic charter sector. We will engage with groups such as the New Zealand Fishing Health and Safety Forum and Marine Transport Association.
This will support a positive shift in culture and practice, enabling safer, more secure, and cleaner outcomes and system sustainability. Over time, we expect to see reductions in fatalities, serious harm injuries, pollution, and waste from ships.
The reform of the design and construction rules, provides an opportunity to address many issues and drivers of harm identified in TAIC reports and sector feedback.
Maritime incident readiness and response
This programme aims to strengthen our and the sector’s ability, to respond to harm events.
We are developing a flexible and scalable response capability that can adapt to emerging threats and challenges, such as new technologies, alternative fuels, cyber threats, and climate change. This supports an all‑hazards approach across:
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national mass rescue operations
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coordination of aviation assets for search and rescue during civil defence emergencies
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emergency towage and offshore response for stricken vessels
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provision of critical maritime safety and distress communications infrastructure
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a resilient rescue coordination centre able to deliver 24/7 services even during national emergencies.
Pacific maritime programme
We undertake safety and security work in the Pacific through the Pacific Maritime Safety Programme, funded by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s international Development Cooperation Programme, and our broader international engagement. The objective is safe, reliable, environmentally friendly maritime transport in the Pacific.
We work with seven Pacific Island countries to build a maritime safety culture through:
community education and awareness
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regulatory capacity building
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supporting maritime training
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domestic vessel safety and infrastructure
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search and rescue and oil spill preparedness and response.
We also work on common regional interests through international forums such as the IMO and the Asia‑Pacific Heads of Maritime Safety Agencies.
Cross‑sector harm‑prevention initiatives
New and low‑carbon technologies
This initiative supports safe, secure, clean, and sustainable adoption of new technologies, particularly those needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over time. It focuses on new fuels, new propulsion systems, and autonomous or remote operations.
Maritime workforce
This initiative focuses on ensuring New Zealand has enough skilled and competent people across the maritime sector in the short and long term, looking at:
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regulatory requirements, processes, and systems
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the suitability of training
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sector attractiveness
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seafarer welfare
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immigration settings.
Maritime legislation review
This joint project with the Ministry of Transport focuses on targeted changes to:
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the Maritime Transport Act 1994
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the Maritime Security Act 2004,
to keep the legislative framework fit for purpose and support our Safe, Secure, Clean, Sustainable outcomes. It looks at areas such as:
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the scope and content of maritime security
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incident response powers
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local government navigation safety powers
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non‑oil fuels response and liability
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enabling innovation and efficiency.
Pacific maritime programme – next steps
Over 2025–2026 we will:
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support delivery of education programmes for traditional fishers, communities, and schools in Niue, Samoa, and Tonga
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support development and implementation of maritime legislation and regulations in Pacific partner countries
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enable access to training for maritime personnel, including investigations and ISM training
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help improve domestic fleet standards and MARPOL readiness and response
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work with MFAT to secure continued funding for the Pacific Maritime Safety Programme beyond 2025–2026.