New Zealand defence technology
Persistent maritime presence for New Zealand and the Indo-Pacific.
New Zealand's maritime approaches span millions of square kilometres. Monitoring them requires persistent, affordable presence. Wakataua Technology builds autonomous uncrewed surface vessels to meet that challenge.
Technology
A system designed for the long watch
Our uncrewed surface vessels combine autonomous navigation, long-range communications, and a modular payload bay - a platform designed to keep watch across coastal approaches where crewed assets cannot be everywhere at once.
Autonomous navigation
Waypoint-following and autonomous transit for repeatable, hands-off patrol patterns across long maritime distances.
Persistent coastal surveillance
Continuous on-station presence in coastal waters, extending awareness well beyond the reach of intermittent crewed patrols.
Satellite command and control
Remote tasking and telemetry over satellite link, keeping vessels controllable and connected far from shore.
Modular payload architecture
A payload bay designed to host evolving sensor and mission packages without redesigning the vessel.
Built for our waters
Engineered around the sea states, weather, and operating distances of the New Zealand maritime environment.
Fail-safe by design
Geofenced operating areas, link-loss return-to-base, and autonomous safety behaviours built into the vessel from the ground up.
Defence Focus
Coastal protection and maritime deterrence
Wakataua's USVs are designed to extend the operational reach of New Zealand's maritime forces - providing persistent awareness across coastal approaches and EEZ boundaries, without placing personnel in harms way. The platform is built on open, interoperable architecture aligned with Five Eyes autonomous systems standards.
Sovereign industrial base
New Zealand-developed and New Zealand-maintained capability - a domestic supply chain for autonomous maritime systems, not an imported one.
Force multiplication
Uncrewed vessels extend naval reach across coastal approaches and the wider EEZ without adding personnel to the watch.
Allied interoperability
An open autonomy stack built on MAVLink-compatible standards, aligned with the architectures used across allied autonomous maritime programmes.
Low-cost deterrence at scale
A coastal prototype today; a fleet-capable platform on the development path tomorrow. Asymmetric value against the cost of crewed patrol.
Mission
“Sovereign maritime capability for the Indo-Pacific, starting at home.”
Wakataua Technology was founded to build autonomous maritime systems in New Zealand, for New Zealand. National defence industry strategy identifies uncrewed surface vessels as a strategic industrial base priority - we are answering that call.
Company
A New Zealand defence technology company
Wakataua Technology is an early-stage Auckland-based company developing autonomous uncrewed surface vessels. We are founder-led, engineering-driven, and focused on sovereign maritime capability - built here, supported here, and designed to extend across the Indo-Pacific.
Founded by engineers
Founder background in mechatronics engineering, embedded and IoT systems, and prior funded research in autonomous maritime platforms.
Based in Auckland
Designed, prototyped, and tested on New Zealand waters - built for the conditions our platforms will actually operate in.
Aligned with the NZ defence ecosystem
Engaged with the New Zealand defence industry community and aligned with national pathways for emerging defence technology.
Contact
Talk to us about sovereign maritime autonomy
We work with government, defence, and research partners aligned with New Zealand's autonomous maritime priorities. Briefings are available on request.