Amazon has announced the launch of the AWS Asia Pacific (New Zealand) Region, accompanied by a NZ$7.5 billion investment aimed at building data centers, supporting approximately 1,000 jobs annually, and contributing NZ$10.8 billion to New Zealand's GDP. The new region will enable customers to store data locally with reduced latency.
Cloud adoption is becoming a central driver of New Zealand’s digital economy. According to the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment, cloud infrastructure is seen as essential for enabling resilience, productivity, and global competitiveness across industries such as finance, logistics, and agriculture. The AWS Asia Pacific (New Zealand) Region ensures that organizations can leverage advanced AI and data services while complying with local data residency laws.
The scale of Amazon’s investment ranks it among the largest foreign direct investments in New Zealand’s history. As reported by The New Zealand Herald, the NZ$7.5 billion commitment is projected to inject NZ$10.8 billion into the nation’s GDP over 15 years while supporting an average of 1,000 full-time equivalent jobs annually. This economic impact will extend beyond technology sectors, benefiting industries like construction, utilities, and education through both direct and indirect growth.
Sustainability is integrated into the infrastructure rollout of the AWS New Zealand Region. According to Reuters, Amazon is powering its data centers with renewable energy through Mercury NZ’s Turitea South wind farm, ensuring that its cloud services are environmentally friendly from inception. This project aligns with Amazon’s Climate Pledge to achieve net-zero carbon emissions across all operations by 2040.
Amazon has evolved into one of the most influential technology companies globally, spanning cloud computing, e-commerce, logistics, entertainment, and healthcare sectors. According to the company’s official site, Amazon Web Services (AWS) now powers organizations in over 245 countries and territories by delivering services like analytics, machine learning, and cybersecurity to millions of customers. With the addition of the New Zealand Region, AWS now operates 38 Regions globally with 120 Availability Zones.