NZ Customs Release 718

A delegation from the Customs Administration of the Netherlands has been welcomed to Tamaki Makaurau Auckland this week, further strengthening bilateral customs relations.

Customs is hosting a three-day visit by a group of Dutch senior officials led by Director General Nanette van Schelven. 

New Zealand's engagement with countries like the Netherlands helps to enhance trade opportunities and strengthens our respective border systems. The joint Customs relationship further support the Free Trade Agreement that was signed earlier in the year.  

New Zealand has upgraded its trade deal with ASEAN and Australia. This upgrade will boost economic ties, cut costs and sets a framework for cooperation on sustainable and inclusive trade, a first for an ASEAN Free Trade Agreement.

It also introduces updates for speedier customs clearance, which will benefit exporters through increased efficiency at the border and the quicker release of goods. 

A 37-year-old Rotorua man was recently sentenced to three years and seven months' imprisonment at Rotorua District Court for possessing and exporting videos depicting child sexual abuse.

Chief Customs Officer - Child Exploitation Operations Team, Simon Peterson, welcomed the result, saying a thorough investigation has paid dividends.

"This strength of evidence provided by Customs investigators played a significant role in this sentencing result, following a referral by the US-based National Centre of Missing and Exploited Children. This man now faces prison time for his crimes."

New Zealand Customs recently joined APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) delegates in Seattle, Washington, to engage in some thought-provoking discussions about women in trade, 'green' customs and digitalisation.

Natalie Ross, Manager International Targeting Centre, and Shani Lim, Acting Regional Manager Asia, from our International team, both represented New Zealand at numerous conferences, including a panel on inclusion and promoting resilient supply chains.

Work is underway to review Customs' secondary legislation. It is important that secondary legislation is fit for purpose for those who interact with it, and for Customs' day-to-day operations.

The review, which will take some time to complete, is underway with high priority matters already identified.  

As the review progresses, Customs will reach out to our stakeholders to seek their views.

Customs' goods fees are to be increased to reflect inflation on 1 October 2023 and 1 July 2024. A table of the fees to apply from 1 October 2023 is found using the link below. 

These increases are interim, pending a longer, more comprehensive review of Customs' goods fees. These interim fee adjustments will reflect the rate of inflation since the fee levels were last agreed in 2019, maintaining the real value of the fees. 

Customs consulted stakeholders on these increases in March and April 2023 and stakeholders' submissions informed the Government's decisions.