[2] In 2010 Tangaroa received a $20 million upgrade including a dynamic positioning system.

This allows the ship to "automatically maintain a vessel in a fixed position at sea (within a few metres) by using its own propellers and thrusters".

[6] In October–November 2016, a collaborative team of researchers on Tangaroa from Auckland Museum, University of Auckland, Massey University, NIWA and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa undertook research around Kermadec Islands.

The multi-disciplinary team investigated the biodiversity of organisms living on the ocean floor and at midwater.

The marine mammal populations were examined to determine what animal and plant species are shared between mainland New Zealand and the Kermadec region.