NZ Customs Release

Issue

814

28 November 2025

Significant Police-Customs investigation unravels smuggling syndicate at air border

Since early 2025, Customs has worked closely with Police and international law enforcement partners to dismantle a significant arm of an organised crime network smuggling Class A drugs into New Zealand, primarily through Auckland International Airport.

This operation has been targeting people employed by airline baggage handling agencies, and other associates from the criminal syndicate working within the air border.

The operation has resulted in 43 arrests – including 20 baggage handlers, and the seizure of 630 kilograms of methamphetamine and 112 kilograms of cocaine.

Customs seizes 33 kilograms of cocaine in Tauranga

Customs has made two seizures of cocaine totalling an estimated 33 kilograms at the Port of Tauranga. The combined street value of this amount is NZ$11.5 million.

Both seizures were found in refrigerated containers on board a vessel that originated in Ecuador and transited through Balboa, Panama, before arriving in Tauranga on 20 November 2025.

The containers had been risk-assessed as part of standard Customs procedures for all incoming cargo and vessels. During x-ray screening, Customs officers identified anomalies in the imagery, which led to a physical inspection of the containers and their contents.

Inside the containers, among legitimate goods, Customs officers located 17 bricks of cocaine in one container, and 16 in the other.

New excise and excise-equivalent duty rates for tobacco, tobacco products, and heated tobacco products from 1 January 2026

The annual indexation increase to excise and excise-equivalent duty rates will take place on 1 January 2026.

These increases will raise excise and excise-equivalent duty rates on tobacco, tobacco products, and heated tobacco products by 2.96 percent.

New Customs Goods Management Levies

New Regulations have been made that give effect to the Customs levies announced in March 2025.  

This allows Customs and MPI to recover the costs of managing goods crossing our border.
 
You can read the Customs and Excise (Goods Management Levies) Order 2025 and the Customs and Excise (Postal Articles) Amendment Regulations 2025.  

The new levy structure will take effect on 1 April 2026. It modernises our goods cost recovery framework, and also makes the way we recover costs fairer for levy payers and for taxpayers. 

Helping businesses prepare 

We're hosting industry meetings and online sessions to explain the changes and answer questions. You can download our industry information packs from Customs website at Goods Fees – 2026 changes. 

For more information, email trade.programme@customs.govt.nz.  

Declarants applying to submit TSW lodgements from outside New Zealand temporarily

Customs has prepared an information sheet for Customs brokers outlining how to request approval from NZ Customs to temporarily submit lodgements from outside New Zealand.

It details the information required for your application and the conditions under which a request may be approved.

If you have any questions or require further clarification, please email declarant.codes@customs.govt.nz.

Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Goods) Levy rate changes from 1 January 2026

From 1 January 2026, changes to the Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Goods) Levy Regulations will result in decreased levy rates.

The Climate Change (Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Levies) Amendment Regulations 2025 (Schedules 1 and 2) set out the new levy rates. Updates to tariff codes are also included in Schedule 2.

MFAT Market Intelligence Reports

The latest edition of the weekly global trade and economic update for New Zealand businesses has been published.