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Exporting to the Middle East? The NZ Middle East Business Council is hosting a free webinar | | Join the New Zealand Middle East Business Council for their webinar will a panel of key New Zealand Government agencies and departments that work to support your export journey. You'll learn some key ways to boost your exports into Middle East markets.
Tuesday 18 August 2026, 4:00 - 5:00 pm NZST. | | | |
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Regulations updated: key changes coming into force on 10 September | | Several amendments to the Customs and Excise Regulations 1996 will come into force on 10 September 2026. While most changes are technical, two are particularly relevant for businesses:
Record-keeping: Businesses won't need Customs approval to store Customs records overseas, including in cloud-based systems, provided Customs can access, view and copy the records from New Zealand, and their integrity is maintained. The changes also clarify record-keeping obligations, aligning the regulations with the Customs and Excise Act 2018.
Excise: Monthly excise payers will be required to pay duty on goods removed during November 2026 by 15 January 2027 instead of late December 2026. The changes also allow alcoholic food products and alcoholic beverages to be covered by a single excise entry and payment.
Other changes are:
- Updates relating to the China and Hong Kong trade agreements.
- Removal of the Customs-controlled area licence form from the regulations.
- Updates to infringement and reminder notice forms.
- Removing a redundant reference to excise-equivalent duty.
- Replacing references to "JBMS" with "Joint Border Management System".
- Revoking an obsolete flavour bases order.
Full details will be available on the Customs website in due course. | | | |
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New levy rates for the Petroleum or Engine Fuel Monitoring Levy (PEFML) | | The rates for the PEFML levy decreased on 1 July 2026 from 0.69 cents per litre to 0.57 cents. This levy applies to petroleum or engine fuel specified in the Excise and Excise-equivalent Duties Table as motor spirits, diesel, biodiesel and ethyl alcohol. The full list of tariff items can be found on the Customs website. | | | |
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Thinking about exporting from New?Zealand? | | The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Exporter Help team has developed a new Beginner's Guide to Exporting to support new and early-stage exporters of food and fibre products.
If you're exploring whether exporting is right for your product, or supporting businesses that are, this resource provides a practical overview of what's involved in exporting from New?Zealand and highlights key requirements you may need to meet.
The guide will help you to:
- understand whether export requirements may apply to your product
- find the requirements that apply to your product and target market
- identify key steps and where to get help
If you have any questions, you can contact MPI's Exporter Help team at exporterhelp@mpi.govt.nz. | | | |
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Do you have friends or family coming to New Zealand to hit the slopes before winter's out? | | They can make it a smooth run when arriving in New Zealand by completing a New Zealand Traveller Declaration online, ahead of time.
Everyone travelling to or returning to New Zealand needs to complete a traveller declaration.
This can be submitted up to 24 hours before departing for New Zealand.
Head to www.travellerdeclaration.govt.nz for more info. | | | |
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MFAT Market Intelligence Reports | | The latest edition of the weekly global trade and economic update for New Zealand businesses has been published. | | | |
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