Continental Shelf Project Successful

23 September 2008

New Zealand's submission to the United Nations on extending our continental shelf has been accepted. 

For further details of the decision, read the Prime Minister's media release.

LINZ was the lead agency for the technical aspects of the New Zealand Contintental Shelf Project and had responsibility for surveying the seabed to determine the furthermost extent of the continental shelf. The marine data obtained during the seven-year, $44 million project underpinned New Zealand's submission.

"When we started there were a lot of unknowns about the seabed around New Zealand. Our expertise and experience, especially in managing survey projects and contracts, ensured that we could collect, process and analyse the huge amount of data required," says Russell Turner, the LINZ project manager for the continental shelf.

Find out more about LINZ's role in the New Zealand Continental Shelf Project, including a map of the continental shelf area confirmed by the United Nations.