The bill is designed to close gaps in New Zealand's domestic law which create uncertainty when enforcing our criminal law in international waters, which are the oceans and seas beyond the 12 nautical miles from our coast—an area which includes our exclusive economic zone. The bill provides a clear statutory basis for New Zealand and its agencies and authorities to exercise enforcement powers in international waters in order to enforce New Zealand's criminal law—essentially extending enforcement powers that New Zealand agencies already have on land and in New Zealand waters into international waters. Addressing these gaps is critical for New Zealand because there are increasing threats within our extensive maritime domain, including trafficking of humans, drugs, arms, and wildlife. Such threats have the ability to seriously harm New Zealand's people, economy, wildlife, and environment.