NZ Customs Release 727

The time it takes for goods to be released at air and seaports is important for New Zealand's trade and economy. 

Customs has published its Time Release Study 2023, which assessed performance in clearing goods arriving by sea and air.  It measured the times of various events and procedures from arrival to release to market, finding that Customs has good processes and systems in place to facilitate trade. If goods are reported to Customs correctly, they are cleared in just seconds.  

The annual indexation increase is based on the movement in the All Groups Consumers Price Index (less credit services) over the 12-month period to 30 September 2023.

Two Brazilian nationals were sentenced to prison terms yesterday after Customs found them trying to smuggle a total of five kilograms of cocaine, worth up to $2.2 million, through Auckland International Airport in separate cases earlier this year.   

Customs is aware that when submitting import entries, some declarants are declaring origin that is taken solely from what is stated on an invoice, regardless of it being accurate or not. In particular this applies to goods that may have been packaged only, or had minimal inputs in the country that has exported the goods to New Zealand.  

Please be reminded when entering goods at a preferential rate of duty, the claim may be verified by Customs either at the time of entry or at any subsequent time, such as through a post clearance audit. If the claim cannot be verified, the normal rate of duty will apply and when applicable, compensatory interest may be payable.

Please refer to Section 105 of the Customs and Excise Act 2018.

Due to the high number of errors detected recently, importers and their agents are reminded that as of 01 January 2022 multi-use vaping devices and electronic cigarettes are now specifically classified under 8543.40.00.00E Electronic cigarettes and similar personal electric vaporising devices. 

Use the link below to find classifications for other vaping products. 

Customs is currently transitioning to a new credit card payment portal with a new service provider.  While everything is being done to ensure that this happens in a timely manner, the option to pay by credit card will not be available until 2024. 

We apologise for any inconvenience and advise that, during this time, customers are required to pay Customs through internet banking.  It is important to follow our internet banking instructions precisely to ensure that payments can be processed correctly, reducing the risk of any delays.

From 11 December 2023 changes to the steel research levy, which applies to all items listed in Schedule 2 of the Heavy Engineering Research Levy Act, 1978, will increase levy rates from $10/tonne to $20/tonne.

From 1 January 2024 changes to the Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Goods) Levy will increase levy rates across all items.

The Climate Change (Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Levies) Amendment Regulations 2023 (Schedule 1 and 2) set out the levy rate changes. Minor updates to item descriptions and tariff codes are included in Schedule 2.