Our recommendations

Improving strategic guidance for the National Maritime Co-ordination Centre

1. We recommend that the National Maritime Co-ordination Centre and all organisations involved or interested in maritime patrols review the governance of the National Maritime Co-ordination Centre's Reference Group to ensure that it is effective in meeting strategic leadership needs and that the benefits from this whole-of-government arrangement are maximised.
2. We recommend that the National Maritime Co-ordination Centre, the New Zealand Defence Force, and government agencies using maritime patrols re-assess civilian patrol requirements to establish better guidance on an appropriate level of patrolling. This information is necessary for monitoring and evaluating the use of new and upgraded maritime patrol ships and aircraft. Guidance on an appropriate level of patrolling should be a starting point and should be reconsidered periodically as information on patrol needs and use improves, and as needs change over time.

Clarifying the mandate for separate patrol co-ordination arrangements

3. We recommend that the National Maritime Co-ordination Centre and government agencies using maritime patrols review whether separate patrol co-ordination arrangements are still needed. Where separate co-ordination arrangements are still needed, the rationale and mandate for these should be recorded.
4. We recommend that the National Maritime Co-ordination Centre monitor any separate patrol co-ordination arrangements and report on their effectiveness to the Officials Committee for Domestic and External Security Co-ordination to help ensure that these arrangements do not lessen the effectiveness of patrol co-ordination.

Improving patrol planning and measuring effectiveness

5. We recommend that the National Maritime Co-ordination Centre, the New Zealand Defence Force, and government agencies work together to better understand the timing of the agencies' patrol needs. This information can then be used in more effectively scheduling and planning civilian and military use of maritime patrol aircraft and ships.
6. We recommend that the National Maritime Co-ordination Centre ensure that the information it collects on patrols enables it to robustly assess how effectively patrol aircraft and ships are used, so that any identified gaps or issues can be raised through the appropriate governance mechanism for consideration and action.