New Zealand is home to various species of sharks, or mangō, as they are known in Maori. These include well-known specimens like blue sharks, thresher sharks, and great whites but also species that are endemic to the island nation. Examples include McMillan’s and New Zealand catsharks.
List of the Different Types of Sharks in New Zealand
| Species | Maximum
Size |
Aggressiveness |
| Basking Shark | 23-30 feet | Not aggressive |
| Bigeye Thresher Shark | 11-16 feet | Not aggressive |
| Blackbelly Lantern Shark | 1-1.5 feet | Not aggressive |
| Blue Shark | 6-11 feet | Not aggressive |
| Bluntnose Sixgill Shark | 15-20 feet | Moderately aggressive (rarely targets humans, reports of just one provoked attack) |
| Bramble Shark | 9.2-10 feet | Not aggressive |
| Broadnose Sevengill Shark | 3.5-7.5 feet | Not aggressive (unless caught) |
| Cookiecutter Shark | 1.5-3.5 feet | Not aggressive |
| Copper Shark | 11-12 feet | Not aggressive |
| Frilled Shark | 5.6-6.6 feet | Not aggressive |
| Galapagos Shark | 9.8-12 ft | Highly aggressive |
| Goblin Shark | 7-8 feet | Not aggressive |
| Great White Shark | 11-16 feet | Highly aggressive |
| Kitefin Shark | 3-5 feet | Not aggressive |
| Knifetooth Dogfish | 3.4-3.6 feet | Not aggressive |
| Largespine Velvet Dogfish | 2-2.2 feet | Not aggressive |
| Leafscale Gulper Shark | 5-5.2 feet | Not aggressive |
| Little Sleeper Shark | 4.6-4.7 feet | Not aggressive |
| Longnose Velvet Dogfish | 2.1-3.4 feet | Not aggressive |
| Longsnout Dogfish | 2.9-3.6 feet | Not aggressive |
| Mandarin Dogfish | 2.8-3.5 feet | Not aggressive |
| McMillan’s Catshark | 1.7-1.8 feet | Not aggressive |
| Moller’s Lanternshark | 1.2-1.5 feet | Not aggressive |
| New Zealand Catshark | 1.1-1.4 feet | Not aggressive |
| Oceanic Whitetip Shark | 10-13 feet | Highly aggressive |
| Pacific Sleeper Shark | 12-15 feet | Not aggressive |
| Plunket Shark | 4-4.2 feet | Not aggressive |
| Porbeagle Shark | 6-12 feet | Not aggressive |
| Port Jackson Shark | 5-5.5 feet | Not aggressive |
| Portuguese Dogfish | 3-3.3 feet | Not aggressive |
| Prickly Dogfish | 1.9-2.4 feet | Not aggressive |
| Prickly Shark | 13-14 feet | Not aggressive |
| Pygmy Shark | 1-2 feet | Not aggressive |
| School Shark | 6-7 feet | Not aggressive |
| Sharpnose Sevengill Shark | 2-4.6 feet | Moderately aggressive |
| Shortfin Mako Shark | 6.5-9.5 feet | Highly aggressive |
| Silky Shark | 7-10 feet | Highly aggressive |
| Slender Smooth-hound | 3-3.6 feet | Not aggressive |
| Small-spotted Catshark | 1.5-3 feet | Not aggressive |
| Smalltooth Sand Tiger Shark | 12-14 feet | Not aggressive |
| Smooth Hammerhead Shark | 8-12 feet | Not aggressive (but are potentially dangerous) |
| Southern Lanternshark | 0.75-0.9 feet | Not aggressive |
| Spiny Dogfish | 2.5-3.5 feet | Not aggressive (due to their small size) |
| Spotted Estuary Smooth-hound | 4.1-5 feet | Not aggressive |
| Thresher Shark | 10-18 feet | Not aggressive |
| Tiger Shark | 10-14 feet | Highly aggressive |
| Whale Shark | 18-32 feet | Not aggressive |
FAQs
1. Have there been shark attacks in New Zealand?
While rare, shark attacks do occur in the waters of New Zealand. The most recent victim was 19-year-old Kaelah Marlow, who would later succumb to her injuries.
2. What sharks around New Zealand can glow in the dark?
The kitefin shark, the blackbelly lanternshark, the Moller’s lanternshark, and the southern lanternshark.
3. Can you go cage diving with sharks in New Zealand?
Yes, but only with the help of the company Bluff.
4. Are there great white sharks in New Zealand?
Yes, and their population appears to be rising in recent times.
5. Are there sharks around Stewart Island?
Stewart Island is home to some of the largest great white specimens ever recorded.
6. What is the biggest great white caught in New Zealand?
A specimen caught in 1900 at Port Chalmers was recorded at 18 feet, most likely an overestimation.
7. Do bull sharks live around New Zealand?
No, bull sharks do not live in New Zealand.
