Police have arrested a man and a woman in Auckland for money laundering following the record seizure of cocaine in Tauranga.

A five-month long inquiry by Customs and police uncovered 46kg of the drug at a Tauranga address on November 1 in what was the largest single seizure of the drug in New Zealand.

Four men have already appeared in court after it was alleged a ship near the city was approached under the cover of darkness and the cocaine retrieved from a hidden compartment on the exterior of the hull.

On Wednesday, Detective Superintendent Greg Williams said a 29-year-old Birkenhead man was charged with four counts of money laundering, while a 35-year-old woman from Auckland Central will face one charge of money laundering.

They are both due to appear in the Auckland District Court on November 14.

A number of items have also been seized by police following a search warrant in Birkenhead.

These include a 2017 Honda Civic, a motorbike, various electronic equipment including phones and laptops, as well several thousand dollars in cash and a money counting machine.

"The arrests followed an investigation which uncovered a sophisticated money laundering operation involving hundreds of thousands of dollars," Det Supt Williams said.

"Police will continue to hold those to account who are responsible for the laundering of funds generated by the drug dealing activities of criminals."

He said the police investigation is continuing.

The other four men, all foreign nationals, will reappear in the Tauranga District Court on December 4.

- NZ Newswire