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The interception of a large amount of the drug GBL is proof of the success Police and Customs achieve in the fight against crime, Police Minister Judith Collins and Customs Minister Maurice Williamson said today.

Last month Customs officers intercepted a package from Hong Kong at the International Mail Centre.

The package contents were declared as a cleaning chemical. But analysis showed the 24.24 kg of liquid was the Class ‘B’ Controlled Drug Gamma Butyrolactone commonly known as GBL or Fantasy.

Commerce Minister Simon Power and Customs Minister Maurice Williamson today welcomed new powers to help crack down on people who import and sell counterfeit goods.

The Trade Marks Amendment Act and the Copyright Amendment Act, which come into force today, gives new powers to the Ministry of Economic Development and the Customs Service to investigate and prosecute people involved in the manufacture, importation, and sale of illegal goods.

Prime Minister John Key officially opened the Customs’ Integrated Targeting and Operations Centre (ITOC) in Auckland today with Customs Minister Maurice Williamson.

Based in the Auckland Customhouse, the ITOC will enhance the government’s ability to protect the safety and security of New Zealanders through more effective border control 24-hours a day. 

“Everything needed to determine risks presented by people, goods, or craft, are now brought together at the ITOC,” Mr Williamson says.

Changes to the Rules of Origin under the Australia New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement (CER), will reduce costs for exporters Customs Minister Maurice Williamson and Trade Minister Tim Groser say.

The Rules of Origin determine which products are “New Zealand" or "Australian" goods and are able to be exported between the countries free of duty.

The changes were agreed to by the New Zealand and Australian Trade Ministers in June 2010 and take effect today.

New Zealand Minister for Customs Maurice Williamson and Australian Minister for Home Affairs Brendan O’Connor today welcomed the launch of the SmartGate trans-Tasman trial.

The trial will involve the integration of New Zealand’s and Australia’s SmartGate systems and will give some travellers the opportunity to complete part of the Australian arrivals process in New Zealand.

An agreement between New Zealand and the Republic of Korea will bring significant benefits to New Zealand exporters, Customs Minister Maurice Williamson said today.

The signing of a mutual recognition agreement (MRA) between the countries customs services allows New Zealand’s secure export scheme members (SES) to be treated as the equivalent to Korea’s authorised economic operator (AEO) members.

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson and Biosecurity Minister David Carter today welcomed the signing of a contract to develop a new border processing and management system.

New Zealand Customs, with MAF, has signed the contract which formally kicks off the development of a joint border management system (JBMS). The new system combines Customs’ and MAF’s existing independent systems, Cusmod and Quantum.

Mr Williamson said the new system would bring very sophisticated technology to the New Zealand’s border.

Economic Development Minister David Carter and Customs Minister Maurice Williamson today announced changes to wine excise tax regulations which will benefit more than half the country’s wineries.

From 1 July, thresholds for the payment of excise tax will lift tenfold, allowing smaller wineries to shift from monthly payments to six-monthly or yearly payments. 
Currently, only wineries with a tax liability of less than $10,000 are exempted from paying monthly. The new thresholds are:

Budget 2011 includes an extra $3.5 million in operational funding for SmartGate, Customs Minister Maurice Williamson says.

The Budget also provides $3.4 million in capital spending for 2011/12.

The system, which uses face recognition biometric technology from the information stored in a microchip inside ePassports, has recently just clocked its one millionth passenger.

“SmartGate is an unqualified success and the uptake at New Zealand airports has been well ahead of expectations,” Mr Williamson says.

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson has congratulated the New Zealand Customs Service for five major drug seizures so far this month.

“Great work by Customs officers has resulted in numerous arrests, these drugs are now off our streets and away from our families,” Mr Williamson said.

Customs officers seized 18 kgs of dimethylltryphamine (DMT), the largest seizure on record of the rarely seen class A drug after it was detected in a package at the Auckland mail centre.

Greetings and thank you for inviting me to speak here today. 

The Government has worked hard this term to maintain forward momentum in the trade sector.

Border services that are not seamless cost industry money and impact on national economies. Evidence shows that inefficient border processes can be a significant barrier to trade.

New Zealand Customs Minister Maurice Williamson and Australian Minister for Home Affairs Brendan O’Connor have welcomed today’s successful completion of Exercise Tasman Union.

Exercise Tasman Union was a joint training operation by Customs agencies in each country. It was completed today.

The exercise involved a realistic scenario of simultaneous precursor drug importations into New Zealand and Australia using small water craft. In the exercise, both countries were required to respond to the threat at their respective borders

The seizure of 67.6kg of precursor drugs in Auckland this week was the result of great investigative work by Police and Customs, Minister of Police Judith Collins and Minister of Customs Maurice Williamson said today.

Three people have been arrested following the seizure in a combined Auckland Police metro drug squad and New Zealand Customs operation this week.

SmartGate has processed its one-millionth passenger Customs Minister Maurice Williamson announced today, as demand for the technology continues to rise.

“SmartGate has reached yet another outstanding milestone and it’s great that New Zealanders are making the most of this new technology”, Mr Williamson said.

“I am very proud of the level of uptake SmartGate has received. It is well ahead of expectations.”

The technology is currently available at Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch airports.

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson today announced an improvement to the existing Mutual Recognition Arrangement between New Zealand Customs and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson today announced that the de minimis level — the minimum amount of duty (including GST) which Customs collects — will remain at $60.

This means that if duty on imported goods, including GST, is less than $60, Customs will not collect it.

Given the current capabilities of Customs’ cargo reporting and revenue collection systems:

Police Minister Judith Collins and Customs Minister Maurice Williamson today congratulated Police and Customs officers for their role in making 2010 an “awful year” for methamphetamine dealers.

Police and Customs seized 30.4 kg of methamphetamine, or “P”, during 2010, an increase of 46 percent over 2009 when 20.8kg was seized. The seized drugs have an estimated street value of $30 million.

Many of these seizures were the result of nationally co-ordinated investigations targeting organised crime.