Kia ora! As we speak, I’m happy to share the overall availability of the AWS Asia Pacific (New Zealand) Area with three Availability Zones and API title ap-southeast-6. With the brand new Area, prospects 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 functions and serve finish customers whereas sustaining information residency in New Zealand. The NZD $7.5 billion Amazon Internet Companies (AWS) funding to determine 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 sooner utilizing essentially the most safe and resilient infrastructure.
AWS in New Zealand
Since we opened our first workplace in New Zealand in 2013, we’ve been constantly increasing our infrastructure to higher serve Kiwi prospects:
Connectivity to the worldwide AWS community – In 2016, AWS enhanced New Zealand’s connectivity to the AWS World Infrastructure by establishing various, high-capacity subsea cable connections, enhancing community reliability and efficiency for purchasers.
Amazon CloudFront – In 2020, AWS expanded its infrastructure footprint in New Zealand by including two Amazon CloudFront edge areas 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 prospects ship functions that require single-digit millisecond latency.
AWS Direct Join – In the identical 12 months, AWS additionally added a Direct Join location in Auckland to assist prospects securely hyperlink their on-premises networks to AWS leading to decrease networking prices and improved utility efficiency. With this Area launch, AWS is including one other Direct Join location in Auckland.
Let’s check out how AWS prospects 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 Cost Card Business Knowledge Safety Customary (PCI DSS), Well being Insurance coverage Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Well being Info Expertise for Financial and Medical Well being (HITECH), Federal Threat and Authorization Administration Program (FedRAMP), Common Knowledge Safety Regulation (GDPR), Federal Info Processing Customary (FIPS) 140-3, and Nationwide Institute of Requirements and Expertise (NIST) 800-171, serving to prospects 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 essentially the most complete set of capabilities for generative AI at each layer of the stack, together with a alternative of cutting-edge giant language fashions (LLMs) for implementing generative AI with Amazon Bedrock, and essentially the most succesful generative AI assistant to remodel how work will get accomplished with Amazon Q.
New Zealand prospects are already benefiting from the generative AI capabilities provided 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. Every time we design an answer, we do take a look at greater than 10 giant language fashions (LLMs). Persistently those provided by AWS are successful these competitions,” mentioned Nathan Holmberg, CTO and Co-Founder, Thematic.
To study extra on different prospects like One NZ utilized generative AI, go to this text.
Constructing cloud abilities collectively
Since signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the New Zealand authorities in 2022, Amazon has educated greater than 50,000 Kiwis towards our objective of 100,000. Amazon is dedicated to persevering with to put money into 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 prospects 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
Via 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 power from day one by way of its settlement with Mercury New Zealand.
Vitality 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 power, “ 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 power is a big step ahead. And really thrilling!”
AWS companions in New Zealand
The AWS Accomplice Community (APN) in New Zealand features a rising ecosystem of consulting and expertise companions serving to prospects 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 prospects to ship progressive options tailor-made to the distinctive wants of New Zealand organizations throughout varied industries. With the brand new Area, these companions can now leverage the complete capabilities of AWS cloud companies regionally.
AWS group in New Zealand
New Zealand can also be residence to 1 AWS Hero, 26 AWS Group Builders, 6 AWS Person Teams and nearly 9,000 group members throughout AWS Person Teams in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. In case you’re eager about becoming a member of AWS Person 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 information facilities; it’s about unlocking the potential of New Zealand’s companies and developer communities, permitting us to construct a greater, extra related Aotearoa for all.”
Obtainable 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 around the globe, 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 what you are promoting, and you could find an in depth record of the companies accessible on this Area on the AWS Companies by Area web page. To study extra, go to the AWS World Infrastructure web page, and begin constructing on ap-southeast-6!
Blissful constructing!
— Donnie

