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New Zealand's marine area

New Zealand administers the sixth largest marine environment in the world, at more than 4.4 million square kilometres.

New Zealand contains an archipelago of more than 330 islands with 18,218 kilometres of coastline extending from subtropical to subantarctic waters over 30 degrees of latitude.

New Zealand’s vast marine area contains a diverse range of marine ecosystems, providing habitats for many species. Scientists have formally identified almost 16,000 marine species in New Zealand waters, although it is estimated that tens of thousands of species may still be undiscovered.

New Zealand’s marine area has three key jurisdictional zones, each of which has a different legal regime.

  • The territorial sea is a belt of coastal water extending from the shoreline to the 12-nautical mile (22-kilometre) limit.
  • The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a belt of water from the territorial sea’s 12-nautical mile limit to the 200-nautical mile (370-kilometre) limit.
  • In 2008, the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf confirmed New Zealand's rights over the 1.7 million square kilometres of seabed outside New Zealand’s EEZ. This area is known as the extended continental shelf.
Map of New Zealand's marine area
Data source: National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.


Text description of figures

The figures above and below show New Zealand’s defined marine areas. These are the:

  • territorial sea
  • Exclusive Economic Zone
  • extended continental shelf
  • New Zealand – Australian 2004 delimitation treaty boundary.


Diagram of New Zealand's marine area

Source: Land Information New Zealand.



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Last updated: December 2008