We speculate on a marine future for New Zealand and how, as a society built upon a foundation of maritime endeavours, it could benefit from a re-engagement with the ocean domain. Specifically, we suggest that by embracing a rapidly, globally and radically evolving scientific understanding of the oceans and their workings, we could become a marine-thinking culture. This requires a shift from our present land-based focus, which we maintain despite ownership of a marine domain that spans from subtropical to subantarctic waters. We use imagination as a cornerstone, along with understanding, education and societal value, to consider a revitalised marine outlook. Link.