Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has formally opened the Wellington headquarters of Starboard Maritime Intelligence, marking the company's continued growth and New Zealand's expanding capability in maritime monitoring and security.
The opening drew a broad cross-section of government and industry figures, with Associate Minister of Defence Chris Penk, Minister for Customs Casey Costello, Associate Minister of Transport James Meager, and Wellington Mayor Andrew Little all in attendance. Speaking at the event, Luxon pointed to New Zealand's exclusive economic zone, one of the largest in the world, as a central reason why capable maritime awareness systems matter. Protecting fisheries, trade routes, and offshore infrastructure, he noted, depends increasingly on being able to monitor activity across remote and expansive stretches of ocean.
Founded in 2019, Starboard Maritime Intelligence develops cloud-based tools that give governments and infrastructure operators real-time visibility over vessel movements and offshore operations. The platform draws on satellite data, sensor inputs, and contextual information to deliver maritime domain awareness, particularly in areas where physical surveillance is limited or impractical.
The new Wellington site will serve as both an operational base and a collaboration hub with government agencies. Work conducted from the headquarters includes tracking illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, countering transnational maritime crime, and supporting the protection of critical subsea infrastructure such as communication cables.
Chief executive Trent Fulcher described the opening as a marker of the company's transition from an early-stage research initiative into an operational provider working with government agencies internationally.
Fulcher said the company's focus remains on improving access to timely information for decision-making in maritime environments where direct observation is limited.
Starboard now operates across more than 30 countries, with staff based in New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Its systems are used by defence, intelligence, fisheries, and infrastructure agencies to monitor vessel movements and offshore activity. Growth has been backed by a combination of public and private funding, including early support from the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment and a NZ$23 million Series A investment round completed in 2025.
While Starboard's primary customers are government bodies and commercial operators, the monitoring systems it develops contribute to broader oversight of maritime areas that recreational and commercial vessels also use. The Wellington headquarters places a New Zealand-founded technology company at the centre of efforts to address maritime monitoring challenges at both a national and international level.
