Foreign ships – pre arrival requirements

For New Zealand Emergency Services

For emergencies requiring Police, Fire, or Ambulance, call 111. You should also inform the local harbourmaster’s office.

Biosecurity

New Zealand has strict biosecurity requirements for arriving vessels, including the management of ballast water, overseen by:

the Ministry of Primary Industries for ballast water biosecurity requirements under the Biosecurity Act 1993
Maritime NZ for the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments

Procedures must be followed to minimise the risk of bringing unwanted pests and diseases into New Zealand.

Learn about the biosecurity requirements for vessels entering New Zealand

Ballast water management

Customs, Immigration and Advance Notice requirements

All arriving vessels must report to the New Zealand Customs Service. Vessels must report at least 48 hours before arriving in New Zealand.

If your vessel will carry out coastal trade or charter between New Zealand ports, you must inform both New Zealand Customs and the Ministry of Transport. You can do this through the Ministry of Transport or your shipping agent.

If your ship carries small craft on board (for example jet skis, tenders, submarines) that are not listed as ship’s equipment and are intended for use in New Zealand waters, you must declare them to Customs and notify Maritime NZ.

New Zealand Customs – commercial vessels

Ministry of Transport

Health and pratique

Ships coming to New Zealand must complete:

an Advance Notice of Arrival
a No Change of Health Status declaration
a Maritime Declaration of Health when required.

Masters must tell Health New Zealand before entering each port if there are any notifiable infectious diseases on board.

Requirements for ships to receive pratique – Health NZ

Maritime border control – Health NZ

Safeguarding ports from quarantinable diseases

Maritime NZ, together with Health New Zealand and Customs, developed the Vessel Management Framework to provide guidance for port and vessel operators, unions, agents, government officials, and the National Public Health Service whenever crew or passengers (international and domestic) at a New Zealand port are suspected of having, or test positive for, a quarantinable disease.

This guidance is based on good practice and aims to enable regular vessel and cargo operations to continue wherever possible.

Vessel Management Framework

Download

Reporting to Maritime NZ

Masters of vessels visiting New Zealand must report, to Maritime NZ, any equipment failures or potential issues that may affect the performance of the vessel before entering New Zealand waters.

Any non-compliance with any relevant convention must be reported to Maritime NZ without delay.
Any person who experiences serious harm in New Zealand's waters must report the incident to the relevant authority as soon as possible.

Notify Maritime NZ

Oil spills

You must report any sighting of an oil spill, or any involvement in an oil spill, to:

Maritime NZ
the relevant harbourmaster.

Notify Maritime NZ

Navigating the New Zealand coast

When navigating around the New Zealand coast and approaching pilot stations, Maritime NZ recommends Masters utilise the The New Zealand Nautical Almanac (NZ 204), which is published annually by Toitū Te Whenua. It provides official information to aid safe navigation in New Zealand waters. It is produced by the New Zealand Hydrographic Authority as required by New Zealand's obligations under the IMO and International Hydrographic Organisation.

New Zealand Nautical Almanac

To reduce the risk of a maritime incident and resulting marine pollution, some safety zones and a precautionary area have been established around New Zealand. Safety zones include exclusion zones, areas to be avoided and Submarine Cable Protection Areas.

Learn about the legal basis for safety zones, how they are created, what precautionary areas are, and how ships are routed to reduce pollution risk.

Ship routeing

Ports and pilotage

Pilotage

Masters must report any equipment failures or potential issues such as defective propulsion, manoeuvring or communications equipment issues that may affect the performance of the vessel, to the Pilot or the Harbourmasters office before undertaking pilotage.

Many ports in New Zealand offer standard pilotage plans, which Masters may incorporate into their voyage plans. In offering links to these pilotage plans Maritime NZ does not endorse them but reminds Masters of their overarching responsibility for the safe navigation of their vessels which may necessitate adjusting specific plans. Maritime NZ emphasises the importance of an effective Master / Pilot exchange of information (MPX), and that the Master and Pilot MUST discuss any deviation or interpretation to the standard pilotage plans.

New Zealand’s official ports of first arrival are:

Port and shipping information