You must carry your vessel's high seas fishing permit or an exact copy of it on board when away. Your permit has details of activities you must notify MPI about – including some that are specific to your vessel.

Some of the general requirements under a high seas fishing permit include notifying us:

• 5 working days before your vessel leaves port for the high seas
• 24 hours before your vessel enters or leaves any restricted area or NZ fisheries waters – the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) 
• immediately as your vessel enters or exits New Zealand fisheries waters, or any restricted area
• immediately as your vessel enters or exits any foreign fishing management area
• 48 hours before arriving in any port (New Zealand or elsewhere).

Request an observer exemption for unloading

MPI may already have an observer on your fishing vessel to monitor your activities at sea. If so, you may not need an additional observer to monitor unloading of fish. Ask for an observer exemption 5 working days before you arrive in port.

These are the minimum reporting requirements for a foreign fishing vessel arriving from the high seas. If your vessel has approval from MPI to carry fish (a section 113 approval), follow the requirements of the approval.

24 hours before you plan to enter or exit New Zealand's EEZ

Provide your vessel's:

• name and international call sign
• intended action (entering or exiting the EEZ)
• planned entry or exit position (latitude and longitude)
• species, quantity and condition of catch, or state if you aren't carrying any fish products.

Message format
NAME / CALL SIGN / INTENDED ACTION /PLANNED LA 1111 / LO 11111 / CATCH

Immediately as you enter or exit New Zealand's EEZ

Provide:

• report type (ZENT for entry and ZEXT for exit)
• date and time (UTC)
• name and international call sign of vessel
• position of entry or exit – latitude (LA) and longitude (LO).

Message format
ZENT (or ZEXT) / ddmmyy / TIME / NAME / CALL SIGN / LA 1111 / LO 11111

72 hours before port entry

Provide:

• report type (PENT)
• date and time (UTC)
• name and international call sign of vessel 
• estimated time of entry into port (UTC) 
• port name 
• intended action in port.

Message format
PENT / ddmmyy / TIME / NAME / CALL SIGN / LA 1111 / LO 11111 / ETA / PORT NAME / INTENDED ACTION

Every day while in the New Zealand EEZ

Provide your noon position.

Vessels carrying fish

Apply for approval to possess fish in New Zealand fisheries waters (a section 113 approval) at least 10 working days before your vessel enters the New Zealand EEZ.

Application form for approval to possess fish (s113 form) [PDF, 189 KB]

Read the s113 rules – Fisheries Act 1996

Foreign fishing vessels arriving from the high seas must have approval from MPI before they arrive with fish in New Zealand fisheries waters (the New Zealand EEZ). This applies whether you plan to unload the fish, or keep the fish on board.

You can only unload fish at one of the following authorised ports:

• Auckland
• Bluff
• Dunedin
• Gisborne
• Lyttelton
• Napier
• Nelson
• New Plymouth
• Port Chalmers
• Tauranga
• Timaru
• Wellington
• Whangārei.