The Cook Strait Cable Protection Zone (CPZ) protects vital submarine electricity and telecommunication cable links between the North and South Islands. The protected HVDC power cables between Fighting Bay in the South Island and Oteranga Bay in the North Island are part of the High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) cables that transmit power between Benmore in the South Island and Haywards in the Hutt Valley in the North Island. Also located in the CPZ are fibre optic communications cables.The submarine cables laid on the seabed within the CPZ (which is about seven kilometres (km) wide for most of its length) are legally protected and are subject to severe restrictions on activities that can be carried out within the CPZ under the Submarine Cables and Pipelines Protection Act 1996.
