Key Takeaways
- New Zealand Customs is investing $70 million to enhance maritime border security, focusing on technology, training, and strategic capability.
- The investment includes remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) that enable faster, safer inspections of ship hulls and sea‑chests.
- ROVs complement existing assets such as uncrewed surface vessels, at‑sea boarding teams, and specialist detection tools.
- Customs aims to detect and disrupt trans‑national drug‑trafficking networks earlier by integrating intelligence, partnerships, technology, and frontline expertise.
- Early‑year seizures—14 tonnes of cocaine in the Pacific within six weeks—underscore the growing threat and the need for strengthened offshore capacity.
- Deployment of the ROVs will begin at the ports of Auckland, Tauranga, and Lyttelton over the coming months.
Overview of the New Investment
The New Zealand government has earmarked $70 million in the latest Budget to bolster Customs’ maritime border capabilities. This funding is directed toward acquiring advanced equipment, improving officer training, and strengthening both domestic and offshore operational frameworks. By allocating resources to technology and human capital, Customs aims to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated criminal enterprises that exploit the vastness and complexity of the ocean to move illicit goods, particularly drugs, into New Zealand and across the Pacific region.
Rationale Behind the Funding
Trans‑national criminal groups have identified the maritime environment as a lucrative conduit for smuggling narcotics, taking advantage of the sheer volume of vessel traffic and the difficulty of monitoring every ship. Paul Campbell, Customs group manager for maritime, noted that these groups are “increasingly exploiting the scale and complexity of the maritime environment to move illicit drugs into New Zealand and across the Pacific.” The $70 million investment is therefore framed as a necessary response to close gaps that criminals currently exploit, ensuring that Customs can detect, interdict, and disrupt such activities before they reach shore.
Technology‑Driven Enhancements
A central component of the new funding is the acquisition of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs)—small, tethered submersibles equipped with high‑resolution cameras and manipulators. As described by Costello, these ROVs function like “remote drones that go under the water,” allowing officers to inspect sea‑chests and hull exteriors without sending divers into potentially hazardous environments. The technology improves safety, increases the frequency and speed of inspections, and provides visual evidence that can be used in investigations and prosecutions.
Operational Advantages of ROVs
Robert Smith, Customs maritime manager, highlighted the practical benefits: “We require dive teams right now to go down, it takes a lot of resource, a lot of effort… We can drop one of these things overboard, do a vessel in about an hour and then move on to the next one.” By reducing the time and personnel needed for each inspection, Customs can allocate its specialist dive teams to higher‑risk tasks or training, while routine hull checks become far more efficient. The ROVs also give officers a clearer picture of what lies beneath the waterline, turning interdiction efforts into a more data‑driven “numbers game” against cartels that constantly attempt to flood the system with contraband.
Integration with Existing Maritime Capabilities
The ROVs do not replace but rather augment Customs’ current maritime toolkit. Over recent years, the agency has invested in uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) for persistent surveillance, at‑sea boarding teams capable of intercepting suspect ships, and specialist detection tools such as trace‑explosive scanners and radiation identifiers. The addition of underwater ROVs creates a layered defence system: surface assets monitor traffic, boarding teams intervene when needed, and ROVs provide detailed underwater inspections that were previously limited by diver availability and safety concerns. This integrated approach enables Customs to target, identify, and respond to border risks earlier in the supply chain.
Strategic Partnerships and Intelligence‑Led Operations
Campbell emphasized that Customs’ response “brings together intelligence, partnerships, technology and frontline expertise to target, identify and respond to border risks earlier – in collaboration with our partners in New Zealand and overseas as needed.” The $70 million investment also funds improved intelligence sharing with regional agencies, joint training exercises, and enhanced liaison with international partners such as Australia, the United States, and Pacific Island nations. By fostering these relationships, Customs can anticipate emerging threats, share best practices, and coordinate operations that transcend national boundaries—critical for tackling networks that operate across multiple jurisdictions.
Safety and Efficiency Gains
Costello underscored the safety improvements afforded by ROVs: “Effectively, it’s a remote drone that goes under the water, and the team can see into the sea chest around the hulls, they can do it much more safely, they can do much more of it.” Removing divers from confined, dark, and potentially contaminated spaces reduces the risk of injury or exposure to hazardous substances. Moreover, the ability to conduct more inspections per day increases the likelihood of detecting concealed compartments or contraband that might otherwise be missed during infrequent manual checks.
Anticipated Impact on Drug Seizures
The urgency of the investment is illustrated by recent seizure figures: “In the first six weeks of this year, a staggering 14 tonnes of cocaine were seized in the Pacific.” Such volume indicates that criminal organizations are actively using the region as a trans‑shipment hub. By accelerating inspection cycles and expanding offshore surveillance capacity, Customs aims to intercept a larger proportion of these shipments before they reach New Zealand shores, thereby diminishing the flow of illegal drugs that fuel domestic harm and organized‑crime violence.
Rollout Plan and Future Outlook
The remotely operated vehicles are slated for deployment at the ports of Auckland, Tauranga, and Lyttelton over the coming months. These locations were chosen due to their high cargo throughput and strategic importance to national trade. As the ROVs become operational, Customs will monitor performance metrics—such as inspection turnaround times, detection rates, and officer safety incidents—to refine tactics and potentially expand the fleet to additional ports or maritime zones. The $70 million investment marks a significant step toward a more resilient, technologically advanced maritime border system capable of confronting evolving threats in the Pacific.