NZ lodges seabed boundary submission with UN

In a move to secure rights to resources on the continental shelf New Zealand has lodged its seabed boundary with the United Nations.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the seabed boundary was lodged with the 21-member UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.

"This is the result of a decade's worth of work and scientific research and fulfils New Zealand's obligation under the UN Law of the Sea convention," Mr Peters said.

The boundary encompassed about 1.7 million sq km of seabed outside New Zealand's existing 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone. The seabed in the area was known as the continental shelf.

"This area is more than six times the size of New Zealand itself. The submission will enable New Zealand to exercise its rights over the continental shelf with certainty, including its rights to valuable resources such as minerals and petroleum," Mr Peters said.

New Zealand was entitled to the undersea resources of the continental shelf but the waters above it were international and New Zealand had no special fisheries rights.

The submission was the result of a $44m government project carried out by officials and scientist. Surveys were undertaken to determine the boundary.

The New York-based commission would consider the submission and should it confirm the boundary it would be internationally binding.

A boundary is to be negotiated with Fiji and Tonga over the continental shelf north of New Zealand. A boundary was agreed with Australia in 2004.

- NZPA