Amazon Web Services (AWS) has officially launched a new cloud region in New Zealand, fulfilling its 2021 

announcement of a NZ$7.5 billion (approximately US$4.4 billion) investment in building and operating 

data centers in the country.

The new AWS Asia Pacific (New Zealand) Region, comprised of three Availability Zones, is now open to 

New Zealand businesses. It offers a range of services including analytics, compute, content delivery, 

databases, generative AI, machine learning, networking, storage, and other cloud computing technologies.

“The new AWS Region in New Zealand will help meet the growing demand for cloud services across 

the country and accelerate digital transformation for organizations of all sizes,” said Prasad Kalyanaraman, 

Vice President of Infrastructure Services at AWS, in a statement. “With this launch, businesses can now l

everage advanced AWS technologies while meeting local data residency requirements,” he added.

AWS has invested in New Zealand’s digital infrastructure for many years, including improving customer 

network reliability by establishing submarine fiber optic cable connections. Five years ago, AWS launched 

two Amazon CloudFront edge locations in Auckland, followed by an AWS Direct Connect location and 

a Local Zone in 2023.

AWS estimates that the new cloud region will contribute approximately NZ$10.8 billion (US$6.32 billion) 

to New Zealand's gross domestic product (GDP) and support an average of more than 1,000 full-time

 jobs in areas such as facilities maintenance, engineering, and telecommunications.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon attended the launch event and welcomed the new cloud

 region, calling it a significant investment in the country. He told local media, "We are delighted to see a 

major international investor coming to New Zealand. This is exactly what we wanted and is in line with 

 government's policy of welcoming investment to drive job growth."

New Zealand is seeking to attract foreign investment to stimulate its economy, which is in a severe

 recession. The government has streamlined planning regulations to speed up new project approvals

 and adjusted visa regulations to attract foreign investors and entrepreneurs.

Simultaneously, AWS announced a memorandum of understanding with the New Zealand government 

to train 100,000 people in cloud computing skills, with 50% of the goal already achieved.