Statement of Performance Expectations
Maritime NZ's Statement of Performance Expectations is a key accountability document we produce annually. It is best read alongside our Statement of Intent which describes our longer-term strategic direction. Our annual report provides an assessment of our performance over the year against both documents.
In the latest Statement of Performance Expectations, we outline our work programme priorities for the upcoming year that deliver on our organisational strategy and regulatory approach.
We also describe our outputs of: Regulation, Regulatory Operations, Response, Maritime Safety Infrastructure, and Harm Prevention that reflect our role as the national maritime regulator.
These outputs include how we monitor our performance through a suite of measures and targets, as well as expected revenue and expenditure.
Statement of Performance Expectations 2025 - 2026
Read a summary of our Statement of Performance Expectations 2025/2026.
Foreword | Kupu whakataki
Kia ora, ngā mihi maioha ki a koutou katoa
Maritime NZ’s focus is to be a balanced and trusted regulator that partners for outcomes, as well as holding people to account. This supports delivery of our regulatory approach and strategy and helps achieve our vision of preventing harm, saving lives, and securing our future.
Our aim is to deliver with business‑like efficiency, including through digitising processes, to support a sustainable maritime sector where regulatory settings enable innovation and growth.
We are a risk‑based regulator focused on preventing harm across the maritime domain.
In the year ahead, we will continue to embed our regulatory approach, which defines who we are as a regulator. This includes working in partnership with the maritime sector through multi‑year harm‑prevention programmes to support people to:
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understand what they need to do to improve performance
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address issues identified by the sector
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enable innovation and growth.
It also involves ensuring we use a range of corrective and enforcement tools in response to incidents that are proportionate, transparent, and achieve the best result.
A major focus for the year is continuing to digitise key regulatory activities. For those who need to notify, certify, or engage with us, we want processes to be efficient and high quality and still deliver on our outcomes. We are working closely with users through workshops and user testing to understand pain points and to develop digital and operational policies and processes that are intuitive and easy to use.
A significant part of this is development of MyMNZ, our online digital front door, with a focus in 2025–2026 on digitising seafarer licensing processes.
We are also continuing to progress strategic priorities agreed with the sector through the last levy review, and to target growth and innovation across initiatives. We will maintain efficiencies achieved in recent reviews and continue to make additional savings to address a reduction in forecast levy revenue, largely due to fewer cruise visits.
It is important to balance longer‑term work programmes with short‑term priorities. Our complementary Statement of Intent 2024–2028 sets out our longer‑term strategic vision.,
Over 2025–2026, we look forward to fulfilling our aim of being a trusted, intentional, adaptive, and influential regulator.
Nā māua noa, nā
Dame Jo Brosnahan, DNZM, QSO, Board Chair, Maritime NZ and Kirstie Hewlett, Chief Executive and Director, Maritime NZ.
Our regulatory improvement initiatives
We are committed to improving our overall effectiveness and capability as a regulator, to support our regulatory approach, through a set of significant regulatory improvement initiatives. [H4] Implementing our regulatory approach
Over 2025–2026 we will:
- embed our regulatory approach by developing and implementing operational policies and practice material, and the capability and change‑management activities needed to support these shifts, including systematising and improving our harm‑prevention programmes
Regulatory licensing improvement programme
Over 2025–2026 we will:
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progress a prioritised work programme on operator licensing issues identified by the sector and internally, including rules, operational policies, and processes, to improve effectiveness while delivering outcomes
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digitise seafarer licensing forms and processes and make changes to seafarer operational policy and practice to improve the quality and timeliness of applications and internal efficiency
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provide automatic renewal advisories for Maritime Transport Operator Certificates at six and three months before expiry, and continue to implement a streamlined renewal process
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lead work to support changes to seafarer and operator certification rules to ensure they are fit for purpose and as user friendly as possible, delivering both short‑term gains and longer‑term reform
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use our regulatory licensing review panel to review specific decisions or applications where rules are complex or open to multiple interpretations and apply lessons from the panel in operational and policy changes.
Third‑party oversight implementation
Over 2025–2026 we will:
implement a third‑party oversight work programme to provide proactive oversight and support to third parties, such as ship surveyors, harbourmasters, and authorised persons approving vessel safety plans
Security improvement programme
Over 2025–2026 we will:
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embed our refreshed maritime security function through operational frameworks, risk assessments, port security guidance, and practice material that support a risk‑based approach with ports and other agencies
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enhance security settings for current and emerging risks not fully covered by the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, including cyber security, automation, and new technologies.
Our harm‑prevention programmes
We carry out a range of proactive regulatory functions, including audits and inspections, education and guidance, rule and code development, and influencing international settings. We also facilitate and lead cross‑sector collaboration. To focus our efforts, we take a risk‑based approach and partner through multi‑year harm‑prevention programmes and cross‑sector initiatives.
This programme focuses on:
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navigational safety in ports and harbours
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marine protection and maritime safety
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health and safety issues in ports and on large ships, such as cargo vessels, oil tankers, cruise ships, and passenger vessels
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security risks relating to ships and ports.
This programme focuses on making sure recreational users understand the risks of their activity and take the right actions to manage them, including on‑water attitudes, behaviour, and competence.
This programme focuses on safety issues in New Zealand waters for:
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fishing vessels
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aquaculture
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smaller passenger ferries
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charter vessels
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other domestic tourism operators.
Our cross-sector initiatives
Our cross-sector initiatives focus on issues across all, or most parts of the maritime sector. As issues change, we expect these initiatives to also change.
This initiative supports safe, secure, clean, and sustainable use of new technologies, especially those needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as:
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new fuels
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new propulsion systems
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autonomous or remote operations.
This initiative aims to ensure New Zealand has enough skilled and competent people across the maritime sector, considering:
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regulatory settings
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training
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sector attractiveness
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welfare services
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immigration settings.
This joint project with the Ministry of Transport targets changes to the Maritime Transport Act 1994 and Maritime Security Act 2004 to:
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keep the regulatory framework fit for purpose
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address gaps in response capability, compliance powers, and cost recovery
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support Safe, Secure, Clean, Sustainable outcomes.
This programme undertakes safety and security work in the Pacific to support New Zealand Government objectives.