Kia ora! As we speak, I’m happy to share the final availability of the AWS Asia Pacific (New Zealand) Area with three Availability Zones and API identify ap-southeast-6. With the brand new Area, clients can now run workloads and securely retailer information in New Zealand whereas serving finish customers with even decrease latency.

The brand new AWS Asia Pacific (New Zealand) Area will assist organizations run their purposes and serve finish customers whereas sustaining information residency in New Zealand. The NZD $7.5 billion Amazon Net Providers (AWS) funding to ascertain an AWS Area in New Zealand is anticipated to contribute NZD $10.8 billion to New Zealand’s gross home product (GDP) which is estimated to create 1,000 new jobs yearly and can allow Kiwi organizations of all sizes to innovate and scale quicker utilizing probably the most safe and resilient infrastructure.
AWS in New Zealand
Since we opened our first workplace in New Zealand in 2013, we’ve been repeatedly increasing our infrastructure to higher serve Kiwi clients:
Connectivity to the worldwide AWS community – In 2016, AWS enhanced New Zealand’s connectivity to the AWS International Infrastructure by establishing various, high-capacity subsea cable connections, bettering community reliability and efficiency for purchasers.
Amazon CloudFront – In 2020, AWS expanded its infrastructure footprint in New Zealand by including two Amazon CloudFront edge places in Auckland.
AWS Native Zones – To additional improve its infrastructure choices in New Zealand, AWS launched an AWS Native Zone in Auckland in 2023 serving to clients ship purposes that require single-digit millisecond latency.
AWS Direct Join – In the identical yr, AWS additionally added a Direct Join location in Auckland to assist clients securely hyperlink their on-premises networks to AWS leading to decrease networking prices and improved software efficiency. With this Area launch, AWS is including one other Direct Join location in Auckland.
Let’s check out how AWS clients are leveraging AWS capabilities for various wants.
Safety and compliance
The New Zealand authorities has a cloud first coverage to encourage cloud adoption throughout the general public sector. AWS helps 143 safety requirements and compliance certifications, together with Fee Card Trade Information Safety Customary (PCI DSS), Well being Insurance coverage Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Well being Info Know-how for Financial and Scientific Well being (HITECH), Federal Threat and Authorization Administration Program (FedRAMP), Basic Information Safety Regulation (GDPR), Federal Info Processing Customary (FIPS) 140-3, and Nationwide Institute of Requirements and Know-how (NIST) 800-171, serving to clients fulfill compliance necessities across the globe and offering a safe cloud infrastructure.
MATTR, a New Zealand-based group offering infrastructure and digital belief companies to companies and governments, sees vital advantages from the brand new Area. To study extra about how MATTR and different organizations like Kiwibank and Deloitte plan to make use of the AWS New Zealand Area, go to this information article.
Accelerating AI innovation in New Zealand
AWS delivers probably the most complete set of capabilities for generative AI at each layer of the stack, together with a selection of cutting-edge massive language fashions (LLMs) for implementing generative AI with Amazon Bedrock, and probably the most succesful generative AI assistant to remodel how work will get completed with Amazon Q.
New Zealand clients are already benefiting from the generative AI capabilities supplied by AWS.
Thematic is a New Zealand-based international chief in buyer intelligence and suggestions evaluation. Thematic makes use of generative AI to show buyer suggestions information from a number of channels into curated, correct, and dependable buyer intelligence.
“Utilizing Amazon Bedrock is simply so extremely straightforward that it simply is sensible. Each time we design an answer, we do take a look at greater than 10 massive language fashions (LLMs). Constantly those supplied by AWS are successful these competitions,” mentioned Nathan Holmberg, CTO and Co-Founder, Thematic.
To study extra on different clients like One NZ utilized generative AI, go to this text.
Constructing cloud expertise collectively
Since signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the New Zealand authorities in 2022, Amazon has skilled greater than 50,000 Kiwis towards our objective of 100,000. Amazon is dedicated to persevering with to spend money on cloud schooling by way of packages together with AWS Academy, AWS Expertise Builder, AWS Educate, and AWS re/Begin. Organizations are utilizing AWS to scale globally whereas investing in native expertise growth, supporting New Zealand’s rising demand for cloud experience.
Xero, a world small enterprise platform helps clients supercharge their enterprise by bringing collectively crucial small enterprise instruments, together with accounting, payroll and funds — on one platform. Leveraging AWS since 2016, Xero has scaled its platform globally, enhancing its options and enabling continuous innovation.
“Amazon’s dedication to the New Zealand tech business by way of their NZD $7.5B funding is promising. It’s a major vote of confidence that may assist join New Zealand tech exporters with new international alternatives throughout the AWS ecosystem and the broader Amazon community,” says Bridget Snelling, Xero Nation Supervisor, Aotearoa New Zealand.
Sustainable digital transformation
By means of The Local weather Pledge, Amazon is dedicated to reaching net-zero carbon throughout its enterprise by 2040. AWS is dedicated to supporting New Zealand’s sustainability targets with environment friendly and accountable operations of its information facilities within the nation. The AWS Asia Pacific (New Zealand) Area is underpinned by renewable vitality from day one by way of its settlement with Mercury New Zealand.
Power firms are utilizing AWS to modernize operations whereas advancing sustainability targets. Sharesies, a wealth growth platform, is utilizing AWS to modernize operations whereas advancing sustainability targets.
“Sharesies could be very supportive of storing buyer information in-country and with the ability to use renewable vitality, “ says Sharesies Chief Technical Officer Richard Clark. “To do that in New Zealand on the AWS Cloud and have it absolutely powered by Mercury’s wind vitality is a big step ahead. And really thrilling!”
AWS companions in New Zealand
The AWS Companion Community (APN) in New Zealand features a rising ecosystem of consulting and expertise companions serving to clients of all sizes design, architect, construct, migrate, and handle their workloads on AWS. AWS Companions like Customized D, Grant Thornton Digital, MongoDB, and Parallo are actively supporting clients to ship modern options tailor-made to the distinctive wants of New Zealand organizations throughout numerous industries. With the brand new Area, these companions can now leverage the total capabilities of AWS cloud companies regionally.
AWS group in New Zealand
New Zealand can also be dwelling to at least one AWS Hero, 26 AWS Neighborhood Builders, 6 AWS Consumer Teams and virtually 9,000 group members throughout AWS Consumer Teams in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. Should you’re enthusiastic about becoming a member of AWS Consumer Teams New Zealand, go to their Meetup and social media pages.
Right here’s what our AWS Hero Arshad Zackeriya, says concerning the new Area:
“The launch of the AWS Area in New Zealand is a game-changer for our nation. It’s not nearly a brand new set of knowledge facilities; it’s about unlocking the potential of New Zealand’s companies and developer communities, permitting us to construct a greater, extra linked Aotearoa for all.”
Out there now
The AWS Asia Pacific (New Zealand) Area is the primary infrastructure Area in New Zealand and sixteenth Area in Asia Pacific. With this launch, AWS now spans 120 Availability Zones inside 38 geographic Areas world wide, with introduced plans for 10 extra Availability Zones and three extra AWS Areas within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chile, and the European Sovereign Cloud.
The brand new Asia Pacific (New Zealand) Area is able to assist your corporation, and you will discover an in depth record of the companies out there on this Area on the AWS Providers by Area web page. To study extra, go to the AWS International Infrastructure web page, and begin constructing on ap-southeast-6!
Joyful constructing!
— Donnie
