Submarine cabling
The placement, removal or maintenance of a submarine cable on the seabed of the EEZ is a permitted activity.
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The placement, removal or maintenance of a submarine cable on the seabed of the EEZ is a permitted activity.
Under Regulation 8(1), the placement or removal of a submarine cable from the seabed of the EEZ is a permitted activity in accordance with Permitted Activity Regulations 2013, as long as you follw certain rules.
Under Regulation 8(3), the maintenance, repair, alteration, or extension of a submarine cable which was placed on the seabed in accordance with the Permitted Activity Regulations 2013, or prior to the introduction of those Regulations, is a permitted activity. You don't need our approval to carry out this work.
To rules for placing or removing a submarine cable from the seabed include pre- and post-activity requirements.
These are set out in Schedule 1 of the Regulations and include notifying us no later than 40 days before activity commences, and iwi no later than 25 days. We will provide you with a list of iwi to contact.
You must report back to us on your contact with iwi no later than five days before activity commences.
You must also provide us with notifications within 24 hours of commencement of the activity.
These are set out in Schedule 4 of the Regulations and include reporting on the activity to us within 60 days of completion. You must also provide us with notifications within 24 hours of completion of the activity.
To comply with the rules, you need to complete the correct form or report.
We prefer all forms to be submitted electronically. Along with the appropriate form, your email must include:
Notice of commencement form (docx 1MB)
Notice of completion form (docx 1MB)
Pre-activity - notice to the EPA (docx 137KB) (40 working days before activity commences)
Pre-actitivty - notice to relevant iwi (docx 1.06MB) (25 working days before activity commences)
Post-activity report (docx 1.06MB) (60 working days after activity completes)
You can email your forms to permitted.compliance@epa.govt.nz.
If you prefer to submit your forms by mail you can send a hard copy to the Environmental Protection Authority, Private Bag 63002, Wellington, 6140.
Get advice on what you need to do to carry out an activity in the EEZ.
Read more about the rules on the New Zealand Legislation website.