AWS Launches New Zealand Data Centre & Infrastructure Region
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has officially launched the AWS Asia Pacific (New Zealand) Region, a major investment that will see more than NZ$7.5bn (US$4.4bn) committed to building and operating new data centres across the country.
The development gives New Zealand customers access to advanced cloud infrastructure hosted locally, while enabling lower latency and meeting data residency requirements.
“The new AWS Region in New Zealand will help serve the growing demand for cloud services across the country and empower organisations of all sizes to accelerate their digital transformation,” says Prasad Kalyanaraman, Vice President of Infrastructure Services at AWS.
“With this launch, businesses can now leverage advanced AWS technologies, from core cloud capabilities to artificial intelligence and machine learning, all while meeting local data residency requirements.
“By investing in New Zealand's digital infrastructure, we're proud to support the country's economic growth, foster innovation and help position it as a technology hub in the Asia Pacific region.”
A multi-billion-dollar investment
Amazon estimates the new AWS Region will add around NZ$10.8bn (US$6.3bn) to New Zealand’s GDP over time and support more than 1,000 full-time equivalent jobs annually, across areas including engineering, telecommunications and data centre operations.
The project underlines New Zealand’s growing importance as a digital hub in the Asia Pacific region.
At launch, the AWS Asia Pacific (New Zealand) Region consists of three Availability Zones, each designed with independent power, cooling and physical security and linked via low-latency networks to support high-availability workloads. These additions give AWS 120 Availability Zones across 38 AWS Regions globally.
“This is a major milestone, not just in terms of size, but I think in what it represents,” says Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand.
“It's a vote of confidence in New Zealand as a place to do business, to innovate and to build for the long term. And this investment will supercharge growth and it is key to creating more jobs, lifting incomes and putting more money into the pockets of Kiwis.”
“The launch of the AWS Region in New Zealand is an exciting moment,” adds Graeme Muller, CEO of NZTech.
“This investment in digital infrastructure and Amazon’s commitment to digital skills can accelerate New Zealand technology businesses and help New Zealanders to move into highly skilled, secure and well-paid technology jobs – which exist right across the economy, from tech companies to various sectors including agriculture, finance, retail, professional services, government and many more.”
Energy efficiency and sustainability
The new AWS Region will run on renewable energy from day one, supported by Amazon’s long-term agreement with Mercury NZ for the Turitea South wind farm. This initiative aligns with Amazon’s global commitment to reach net-zero carbon across its operations by 2040 under The Climate Pledge.
AWS says its infrastructure is designed to be significantly more energy efficient than traditional on-premises IT.
A report by Accenture estimates that AWS is up to 4.1 times more efficient than enterprise data centres, with optimised workloads reducing associated carbon emissions by up to 99%.
AWS continues to invest in technologies to increase energy efficiency, including purpose-built chips and advanced cooling systems. These innovations are expected to help customers reduce costs and environmental impact while scaling AI-driven workloads and other compute-intensive applications.
Supporting cloud adoption and skills
Alongside the infrastructure investment, AWS is expanding its skills programmes in New Zealand.
Through AWS Academy, AWS Educate and AWS Skill Builder, the company has already trained more than 50,000 people in cloud skills.
Under a Memorandum of Understanding with the New Zealand government, AWS has committed to training 100,000 individuals in total.
The company will also recruit local staff to operate and maintain the new data centre campuses, adding to its existing presence in the country.
A growing customer and partner ecosystem
New Zealand organisations already using AWS to run workloads include AMP New Zealand, Kiwibank, New Zealand Post, One New Zealand, TVNZ, University of Auckland and Wellington City Council. Startups such as Sharesies and established players like TradeMe and Xero also rely on AWS infrastructure.
AWS partners in New Zealand include Accenture, Datacom, Deloitte, The Instillery and CyberCX, supporting enterprise and government customers with migration, integration and digital transformation projects.
Building on a strong foundation for the region's digital future
The new AWS Region adds to a series of infrastructure milestones in New Zealand. These include Amazon CloudFront edge locations launched in Auckland in 2020, an AWS Direct Connect site also in Auckland in 2023 and an AWS Local Zone providing low-latency services for local enterprises.
By combining large-scale infrastructure with renewable energy commitments and a growing ecosystem of partners, AWS is positioning New Zealand as a strategic hub for digital growth in the Asia Pacific.
