Keeping our maritime environment secure is a critical component of our national security and prosperity. Aotearoa is an island nation with an extensive maritime domain and historical connections to our ocean. We have more than 15,000 kilometres of coastline and one of the largest exclusive economic zones in the world. Our search and rescue region extends from Antarctica to the equator and halfway to South America. We are a trading nation with a significant, growing marine economy and a domestic market increasingly reliant on the connectivity the sea provides the global supply and value chains through shipping routes.