Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today officially opened the new Wellington headquarters of Starboard Maritime Intelligence, recognising the company’s growing contribution to Aotearoa New Zealand’s national security, sovereign technology capability, and global ocean resilience.
The event brought together senior leaders from government, defence, and industry, including Associate Minister of Defence Chris Penk, Minister for Customs Casey Costello, Associate Minister of Transport James Meager, Mayor Andrew Little, and representatives from New Zealand’s maritime security agencies and international partners.
“Starboard is a great example of what New Zealand does best—turning an idea into a world-class capability that contributes directly to our national security and to global stability,” said Prime Minister Luxon. “For a maritime nation with one of the largest exclusive economic zones on Earth, technologies like this are essential to protect our oceans, our infrastructure, and our way of life.”
Founded in 2019, Starboard Maritime Intelligence delivers AI-powered maritime intelligence that enables governments and critical infrastructure operators, to detect risks, prevent threats, and safeguard the systems that connect nations and economies. Its cloud-based technology fuses satellite, sensor, and contextual data to provide real-time visibility of activity at sea.
The company’s new Wellington facility will serve as a hub for operations and collaboration with government agencies to address pressing maritime challenges, from illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing to transnational crime and subsea cable protection.
“Today is a milestone in Starboard’s evolution from a small research initiative into a trusted national and regional partner actively protecting the world’s oceans,” said Starboard Chief Executive Officer Trent Fulcher. “We began with the vision of enabling governments to make faster, better-informed decisions at sea. Now our technology is used globally to counter illegal fishing, transnational crime, and threats to critical subsea infrastructure.”
Fulcher noted the company’s continued growth is fuelled by joint efforts across government, research, and the private sector, including early investment from the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment’s Regional Research Institute fund and a recent NZ$23 million Series A led by Altered Capital, OIF Ventures, and King River Capital. “As we continue to grow, we’re proud to strengthen Aotearoa’s sovereign capability while exporting New Zealand innovation and values of transparency, trust, and partnership to our allies and partners around the world,” Fulcher said.
Starboard’s technology supports defence and intelligence agencies, critical maritime infrastructure protection, trade compliance, and fisheries management globally. The company now operates in more than 30 countries and employs staff across New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Starboard delivers secure, sovereign-friendly maritime intelligence for governments, insurers, and critical infrastructure operators worldwide. Founded in New Zealand and active across more than 30 countries, Starboard protects over 840,000 km of subsea cables and vital national interests at sea. Its cloud-based platform fuses satellite, sensor, and contextual data with proprietary AI to create a unified, secure operational picture of global maritime activity. From countering illegal fishing and dark fleet movements to preventing cable sabotage, Starboard enables governments and industry to monitor threats in real time, act decisively, and safeguard the systems that connect nations, economies, and communities in an increasingly contested maritime domain.
Starboard Maritime Intelligence
Amy Minty
Senior Product Marketing Manager
amy.minty@starboardintelligence.com
+64 27 331 9962
Learn more about how Starboard is the common operating picture for the maritime world.
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