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| | | Hong Kong improves perishables access to Chinese consumers | | | A new initiative between Hong Kong and China Customs called the Air-Land Fresh Lane service now offers a dedicated route for importing live and chilled seafood and fruits from overseas to mainland China from Hong Kong, with streamlined customs clearance and quarantine arrangements.
This initiative provides more transport options to market and could benefit New Zealand seafood re-exports by reducing time, cost, and spoilage risks. | | | | | | | | | | 
| | | Four arrested as Customs finds 1.2 tonnes of tobacco and a cannabis grow-house | | | Four Chinese nationals were arrested by Customs on a variety of illicit tobacco and drug-related charges.
During search warrants carried out on Wednesday 22 October, Customs investigators located an estimated 1,200 kilograms of loose tobacco in an Auckland storage unit, and a commercial quantity of cigarettes at a residential address. They also found small bags of methamphetamine at the same residential address, and a cannabis grow-house at another, which the New Zealand Police dismantled with Customs' assistance. | | | | | | | | | | 
| | | Customs' Annual Report 2025 is now available | | | Some key highlights for this year's annual report include:
- Our role in supporting the successful negotiation of a Free Trade Agreement between New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates.
- Our work to make goods and cargo fees fairer and more sustainable through the successful conclusion of the goods and cargo fees review and the development of a new levy structure.
- Almost 9.3 tonnes of illicit drugs were seized before they reached our communities.
- The collection of $17.8 billion in revenue on behalf of the Crown. | | | | | | | | | | 
| | | New GST refund processes in place | | | Changes to the Goods and Services Tax Act 1985 (the GST Act) were made by the Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2025. Those changes came into force on 24 September 2025.
The GST Act changes have immediate effect. The changes make it fairer for importers who have to return either faulty goods, or those goods not to specification, to overseas suppliers. In some cases, people re-exporting the goods could not previously get back the GST they paid on import (despite all the other duty paid being refunded). | | | | | | | | | | 
| | | MFAT Market Intelligence Reports | | | The latest edition of the weekly global trade and economic update for New Zealand businesses has been published. | | | | | | | | |