Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Accident Compensation Act 2001

Preliminary provisions

16: New Zealand

You could also call this:

“New Zealand includes islands, waters, and offshore structures”

New Zealand includes many different parts of land and sea. You might think of New Zealand as just the main islands, but it’s much more than that.

New Zealand includes the North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and the Chatham Islands. It also includes many other small islands and pieces of land in a specific area of the ocean.

There’s also a group of islands called the Kermadec Group that are part of New Zealand. They’re located in the South Pacific Ocean.

New Zealand also includes some of the waters around these lands. This includes parts of the ‘internal waters’ and the ‘territorial sea’ of New Zealand. These are defined in other laws.

Interestingly, New Zealand also includes some man-made structures. These are installations or drilling rigs that are built on the ‘continental shelf’. The continental shelf is the underwater land that extends from a country’s coast. These structures are used to explore or use the resources found in or under the seabed.

When the law talks about installations and drilling rigs, it means both permanent and temporary ones. It also includes things like aircraft, floating platforms, or ships that are being used with these installations.

The law also says that you’re still considered to be in New Zealand when you’re travelling between places in New Zealand by air or sea, as long as you don’t go more than 300 nautical miles away from any point in New Zealand.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM100656.

Topics:
Government and voting > Local councils Environment and resources > Conservation Environment and resources > Farming and fishing
Previous

15: Earnings as a shareholder-employee, or

"How the law calculates money you make as an owner-worker in a company"

Next

17: Ordinarily resident in New Zealand, or

"What it means to live in New Zealand as your main home"

Part 1 Preliminary provisions

16New Zealand

  1. New Zealand means—

  2. the North Island, the South Island, Stewart Island, the Chatham Islands, and all other land territories, islands, and islets lying between the 162nd degree of east longitude and the 173rd degree of west longitude and between the 33rd and 53rd parallels of south latitude; and
    1. those islands situated in the South Pacific Ocean lying between the 177th and 180th degrees of west longitude and between the 29th and 32nd parallels of south latitude, commonly known as the Kermadec Group; and
      1. those parts of the internal waters of New Zealand (as defined by section 4 of the Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zone, and Exclusive Economic Zone Act 1977) adjacent to the land territories, islands, and islets referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b); and
        1. those parts of the territorial sea of New Zealand (as defined by section 3 of the Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zone, and Exclusive Economic Zone Act 1977) adjacent to the land territories, islands, and islets referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b); and
          1. any installation or drilling rig that—
            1. is constructed, erected, placed, or used in, on, or above those parts of the continental shelf adjacent to the land territories, islands, and islets referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b); and
              1. has the purpose of the exploration of the continental shelf or the exploitation of the mineral or other natural non-living resources of the continental shelf.

              2. In subsection (1)(e),—

              3. continental shelf has the meaning given to it in section 2(1) of the Continental Shelf Act 1964:
                1. installation and drilling rig include—
                  1. any installation or drilling rig, whether permanent or temporary:
                    1. any aircraft, floating platform, ship, or other device that is for the time being in, on, or above the continental shelf and is being used in connection with any installation or drilling rig.

                    2. A person remains in New Zealand when he or she—

                    3. embarks in New Zealand on an aircraft or ship or some other means of conveyance by air or sea—
                      1. to travel from one place in New Zealand to another place in New Zealand; or
                        1. to return to his or her place of embarkation without disembarking at any other place; and
                        2. does not go beyond a limit of 300 nautical miles from any point or points in New Zealand.