Two small, remotely operated craft have been conducting anti-smuggling patrols along the upper North Island coastline in recent months as part of a joint operation between the Royal New Zealand Navy and New Zealand Customs. Covering both the east and west coasts, the 7.4-metre vessels patrolled waters including the Bay of Islands, Whangaroa Harbour, and stretches extending north toward Ninety Mile Beach.
The timing was deliberate. Patrols were scheduled to coincide with the peak period for international yacht and small craft traffic, when vessels moving between New Zealand and the South Pacific are most active in the region.
What set these operations apart was straightforward: neither craft had a single person onboard.
Remote operators at Devonport Naval Base maintained full control throughout, relying on onboard radar, infrared cameras, and optical systems to monitor vessel movements around the clock. Built for extended endurance, the craft draw on solar, wind, and wave energy to keep their systems running while remaining at sea for prolonged periods.
Patrols focused on isolated stretches of coastline that crewed patrol vessels cannot cover consistently. Authorities were watching for offshore vessel-to-vessel transfers, unexplained activity in remote anchorages, and beach landings carried out after dark.
Lieutenant Commander Sam Kinghorn, who led the Navy's involvement in the operation, said the vessels provided continuous surveillance coverage in locations where maintaining crewed patrols is genuinely difficult.
“These patrols provided sustained intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in areas that are difficult to cover continuously using crewed vessels,” he said.
Live imagery and tracking data were streamed directly to Customs, allowing officers to assess situations as they developed. For recreational boaties in the region, the patrols would almost certainly have gone unnoticed. Named Tahi and Rua, the craft measure just 7.4 metres, placing them closer in appearance to a workboat or large RIB than any conventional naval patrol vessel.
Tahi and Rua entered service last year following a joint acquisition by the RNZN and Customs. Autonomous vessels of this type remain relatively uncommon in New Zealand waters, though comparable systems are being adopted more broadly overseas for border security, fisheries patrols, and offshore monitoring roles.
Customs Maritime Manager Robert Smith said the vessels add useful flexibility to maritime operations.
“It allows Customs to access sustained maritime monitoring without relying solely on crewed assets, improving coverage in hard to reach areas and increasing the efficiency of our operations,” he said.
The patrols also reflect a wider shift in how maritime surveillance is carried out. Smaller autonomous craft are increasingly deployed alongside conventional ships and aircraft, particularly for long-endurance monitoring tasks that would otherwise place significant demands on crewed resources. Commander Maritime Component Commodore Shane Arndell said the Navy is already making regular use of the vessels. "Their use is an important part of the New Zealand Defence Force's move towards smarter, more sustainable surveillance methods," he said.
For Northland's boating community, autonomous naval craft operating quietly offshore may still feel unfamiliar. Even so, the technology is unlikely to disappear.
The more time vessels like Tahi and Rua can spend watching remote sections of coastline, the greater their value to the agencies responsible for monitoring New Zealand's vast maritime borders.
