Maritime Transport Act 1994

Powers and duties of Director of Maritime New Zealand in relation to maritime activity - Investigation of accidents, incidents, and mishaps

59: Additional powers of investigation

You could also call this:

"The Director has extra powers to help investigate accidents and keep evidence safe."

When you are investigating an accident or incident, the Director has some extra powers. The Director can stop people from going to the site of an accident if they think it is necessary to keep the evidence safe. They can do this if they believe someone might tamper with or destroy something important.

The Director can also take things that might help figure out what caused the accident, like a ship or a maritime product. They can seize, detain, or remove these things if they think it will help them find out what happened. This power is in addition to the powers given to the Director in section 58.

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This page was last updated on 25 May 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM335741.

58: Powers of investigation of Director, or

"The Director's job is to investigate accidents and can ask for information and evidence to figure out what happened."

60: Duty of Director to notify accidents and incidents to Transport Accident Investigation Commission, or

"The Director must tell the Transport Accident Investigation Commission about certain ship accidents or incidents."

Part 5Powers and duties of Director of Maritime New Zealand in relation to maritime activity
Investigation of accidents, incidents, and mishaps

59Additional powers of investigation

Without limiting the powers conferred by section 58, for the purpose of exercising any of the functions, duties, or powers of the Director under this Act, the Director and any person authorised in writing for the purpose by the Director shall, in addition to any other powers conferred by this Act, have power to do the following:
where the Director believes on reasonable grounds that it is necessary to preserve or record evidence, or to prevent the tampering with or alteration, mutilation, or destruction of any ship, place, maritime product, or any other thing involved in any manner in an accident, incident, or mishap, to prohibit or restrict access of persons or classes of persons to the site of any accident, incident, or mishap:
to seize, detain, remove, preserve, protect, or test any ship, maritime product, or any thing that the Director believes on reasonable grounds will assist in establishing the cause of an accident, incident, or mishap.