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Commercial Operators

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Surveyors and third parties

Reporting incidents

Whether you are looking to understand your reporting obligations, find answers to common questions, or review investigation outcomes, the resources below will help guide you through the maritime reporting process.

Notifying Maritime NZ

Under the Maritime Transport Act 1994 (MTA), masters of commercial and recreational ships must notify Maritime NZ of incidents, accidents, and other events.

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA), people conducting a business or undertaking who are maritime operators or working on ports must notify Maritime NZ of events, incidents, and injuries or illnesses of a particular seriousness or nature. These notification requirements are mandatory and you must meet them as soon as possible.

Maritime NZ encourages anyone who believes an event or incident has, or may, pose a threat to the safety of people or the environment on a New Zealand-registered ship, a foreign-registered ship in New Zealand waters, or in a New Zealand port, to submit a notification to Maritime NZ, or make sure a relevant party has done so.

Some regional councils also have notification requirements under navigation bylaws. Notifying a council does not affect or meet your statutory obligation to notify Maritime NZ.

We value all notifications, as they enable us to respond appropriately to harm that has occurred, or the risk of harm occurring. They also help to build knowledge of what harm is occurring, where, to whom, and why, which over time guides our harm prevention work.