This Act applies to the territorial sea, which is the area of sea close to New Zealand's coast. When you interpret a provision in this Act that applies to the territorial sea, you must do it in a way that allows vessels from other countries to pass through the area without any problems, as long as they are not doing anything wrong. This is in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982, which you can find out more about through the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is not relevant here but the concept is, so you should know that this convention sets out rules for ships passing through waters near countries.