| Decision | Consent Granted Sections 13(1)(b) and 13(1)(c), Overseas Investment Act 2005 |
|---|---|
| Decision Maker | Overseas Investment Office |
| Decision Date | 25 March 2022 |
| Pathway(s) | Significant business assets only |
| Investment | Establishment of a business, being a cluster of data centres (Region) in Auckland Acquisition of property in New Zealand used in carrying on business in New Zealand |
| Consideration | Withheld under s9(2)(b)(ii) of the Official Information Act 1982 |
| Applicant | Amazon Data Services New Zealand Limited (ADS NZ) Various (100%) |
| Vendor | Various data centre service providers and property owners with assets and land in New Zealand |
| Background | The Applicant is a New Zealand company ultimately owned by Amazon.com, Inc., a publicly traded company in the United States of America. ADS NZ owns and operates the IT infrastructure that currently underpins the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Edge location in New Zealand. The Applicant proposes to establish a cluster of data centres in Auckland (called a 'Region'). This would allow customers purchasing AWS cloud services to select one or multiple data centres in New Zealand, rather than overseas, to store or process their data and run AWS applications and services. The Region places AWS’s portfolio of services including compute, storage, database, and other services closer to end-users, ensuring ultra-low latency access to applications running locally. Additionally, the Region will enable AWS customers with data residency preferences to securely store data in New Zealand. The data centres are expected to be operational in 2024. To launch and operate the Region, the Applicant will, among other activities, enter into service agreements with third party operators of facilities in New Zealand; and purchase from offshore suppliers IT equipment for installation in the facilities. The Applicant has satisfied the investor test and national interest test criteria. |
| More information | James Hawes Simpson Grierson (Auckland) Private Bag 92518 Auckland 1141 |