Maritime Union Urges Government to Reject Swiss Shipping Exemption

A dispute over coastal shipping exemptions has escalated into a broader debate about economic sovereignty, supply chain resilience and the future of New Zealand’s maritime workforce.

Maritime Union Opposes Exemption Application

The Maritime Union has today called for the Government to reject an application by Swiss-based shipping company Nova to be exempted from the legal requirement for New Zealand coastal vessels to be New Zealand flagged.

MV Buffalo And The Flag Of Convenience Dispute

The call comes as Nova’s fellow Swiss multinational company, Holcim, moves to scrap its New Zealand flagged vessel MV Buffalo and sack its New Zealand based crew in favour of using Nova’s “flag of convenience” Panamanian flagged service to transport its cement domestically.

This would bypass New Zealand legal protections for crew including those provided by employment and environmental law.

Government Loyalties Under Scrutiny

MUNZ National Secretary Carl Findlay says the application to be exempted is a test of the government’s loyalties.

“This Government needs to ask itself – does it back the 32 Kiwi seafarers on the Buffalo and New Zealand’s vital shipping industry, or does it give a free pass to two Swiss multinational companies looking to make a few more dollars at the expense of its crew’s safety and security, and yet another hit on New Zealand’s supply chain security and economic sovereignty?”

Supply Chain Security And Maritime Sovereignty

Mr Findlay says the Minister of Transport James Meager is refusing to meet with the seafarers and their representatives until after the “application process has concluded”.

“He seems to want to wait until New Zealand seafarers are sacked to get involved, rather than stepping up.”

Mr Findlay says New Zealand is an island nation facing significant risk to the maritime supply chains we rely on to transport 99% of our physical exports to market.

He says any further reduction of our skills and capacity in this sector increases that risk.

What Happens If The Exemption Is Approved?

“Granting this exemption would be an act of economic sabotage.”

“This isn’t a complicated situation. It’s a simple choice. The Government can grant this exemption from New Zealand law and harm these workers and our maritime industry, or they can do the right thing and make sure that this work is done on a New Zealand flagged ship with a workforce protected by New Zealand law.”

In an island nation dependent on maritime transport, decisions about flagging and exemptions are never just technical. They speak to the balance between global corporate efficiency and national workforce resilience — a debate that may only intensify heading into Election 2026.