Displaying 1 - 24 of 39 results.

Customs Minister Nicky Wagner today officially opened the first nine brand new SmartGates – or eGates – installed at Auckland International Airport for departing passengers in time for summer’s peak travel season.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Customs

Customs Minister Nicky Wagner says New Zealand and its Asia Pacific neighbours are better prepared to respond to a potential threat from the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction as a result of this week’s successful exercise.

Twenty one Asia-Pacific countries met in Wellington for Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) Exercise Maru this week, to discuss and test systems, and learn more about how they would respond to a proliferation event.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Customs

Associate Conservation Minister Nicky Wagner today announced the Nature Heritage Fund is investing $235,000 to purchase 124 hectares of forested karst landscape on the western flank of the Abel Tasman National Park.

“This block of land, known as ‘Lindsay’s Block’, borders Abel Tasman National Park on two sides, so it will become an integral part of the district’s protected forest system,” Ms Wagner says.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Customs
  • Conservation

Customs Minister Nicky Wagner says Customs has begun detailed work to determine the practical implications of options to streamline the collection of duty on low-value physical imports.

“Streamlining the collection of duty on low-value imports is about being fair and equitable to New Zealand businesses and workers by creating a level playing field with overseas suppliers,” Ms Wagner says.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Customs

Customs Minister Nicky Wagner says New Zealand will next week host 25 Asia-Pacific countries in Wellington that are taking part in a major security related exercise.

Exercise Maru, which is a desktop exercise, aims to improve capability to stop the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by testing countries’ counter-proliferation systems and capabilities.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Customs

Customs Minister Nicky Wagner says over four tonnes of tobacco was abandoned at airports in the year since the duty free limits were dropped on 1 November 2014.

“Passengers choosing not to pay duty dumped almost 3.8 tonnes of tobacco – almost enough to fill a 20 foot shipping container – in Customs bins at international airports,” Ms Wagner says.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Customs

Customs Minister Nicky Wagner says the proceeds of crime-funded screening laboratory at Auckland Airport has made it quicker and easier to identify and stop drugs at the border.

“In its first year, the joint Customs-Environmental Science and Research (ESR) lab has screened more than 2000 drug samples. Of the samples screened, 33 per cent were controlled drugs,” Ms Wagner says.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Customs

Customs Minister Nicky Wagner says Customs officers are on patrol for the yacht season, and this year expect to welcome between 600 and 700 small craft to our shores during the warmer months.

“Yacht visitors contribute to New Zealand’s economy through tourism, berthage and marine services. Customs is an international yacht’s first port of call so it’s a great opportunity to make a first impression,” Ms Wagner says.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Customs

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Customs Minister Nicky Wagner have announced the rate for the new Border Clearance Levy following public consultation on the amount, the levy design and how it is to be paid.

The levy comes into effect on 1 January 2016 and will be NZ$18.76 + GST for air travellers and those arriving and departing on private craft, and NZ$22.80 + GST for cruise passengers. The higher rate for cruise passengers reflects the additional biosecurity assessments required at ports.

  • Nathan Guy
  • Nicky Wagner
  • Primary Industries
  • Customs

Customs Minister Nicky Wagner says positive results from Customs’ passenger and commercial satisfaction surveys confirm New Zealand’s already strong worldwide reputation for efficiency at the border.

“New Zealand ranks sixth in the world for the efficiency of its border control agencies, in both the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index and the World Economic Forum’s Enabling Trade assessment,” Ms Wagner says.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Customs

Customs Minister Nicky Wagner says the rapid uptake of an online service helping customs brokers meet border requirements for imports and exports has far exceeded expectations.

Self-service registration for the Joint Border Management System’s Trade Single Window was launched in July. It allows brokers to register and manage import and export information online.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Customs

Customs Minister Nicky Wagner says mid-winter marks the end of another successful yacht season, with many of the remaining international yachts departing at the end of last month.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Customs

Over $6 million from the Future Investment Fund will go towards expanding and modernising SmartGate at our borders to help manage increasing numbers of travellers, says Customs Minister Nicky Wagner.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Customs

Customs Minister Nicky Wagner today congratulated Customs on the high number of drug seizures at the border over the past six months, which has kept up to $246 million of methamphetamine off New Zealand streets.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Customs

Customs Minister Nicky Wagner announced today that from 6 July traders can go online to register and manage their own information and client and supplier code applications through the Trade Single Window.

“For brokers, the ability to go online reduces what is currently a 24-hour turnaround during business hours down to minutes, any time of day or night, in many cases,” Ms Wagner says.

“This major milestone comes at the same time as the number of inward border transactions through the Trade Single Window passes 2 million.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Customs

Customs Minister Nicky Wagner says Customs has destroyed over 2.5 tonnes of abandoned tobacco and collected $1.35 million in additional duty and taxes since the drop in tobacco duty free limits last November.

“People seem to be learning about the change. The amount of tobacco abandoned at airports by those not wanting to pay duty is dropping from the 100 kilograms Customs was initially collecting every week,” Ms Wagner says.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga
  • Health
  • Customs

Customs Minister Nicky Wagner says meetings with U.S.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Customs

Disability Issues Minister and Customs Minister Nicky Wagner will travel tomorrow to the United States to attend the Conference of States Parties (COSP) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. COSP is the annual meeting for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD).

“New Zealand is considered a world leader in disability issues. The Conference of States Parties is the pre-eminent annual disability-related event, and is an opportunity to promote New Zealand’s achievements and discuss ideas on the world stage,” Ms Wagner says.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Disability Issues
  • Customs

Extra Budget funding will help exporters take full advantage of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and avoid the risk of costly delays at overseas borders, Customs Minister Nicky Wagner says.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Customs
  • Budget 2015

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Customs Minister Nicky Wagner today welcomed law changes to help protect New Zealand at the border.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Nathan Guy
  • Primary Industries
  • Customs

Budget 2015 invests an extra $4.7 million of operating funding over four years to fund extra officers to screen departing international passengers for security threats such as terrorism and drugs, Customs Minister Nicky Wagner says.

This initiative is part of a range of measures in Budget 2015 to improve security at the border, involving Immigration, Customs and Biosecurity.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Customs
  • Budget 2015

A new border clearance levy will help the Government to protect New Zealand from imported pests, diseases, illegal drugs and contraband and bring us in line with border approaches by other countries, Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Customs Mi

  • Nathan Guy
  • Nicky Wagner
  • Primary Industries
  • Customs
  • Budget 2015

Customs Minister Nicky Wagner today congratulated Customs’ newest detector dog team, black Labrador Flame, and Customs Officer Andrew, after they graduated at the Police Dog Training Centre in Trentham.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Customs

Police Minister Michael Woodhouse and Customs Minister Nicky Wagner today congratulated agencies for the latest successful drug-related operation targeting the production and supply of methamphetamine in Auckland.

Operation Wand and Operation Sorrento recovered 123 kilograms of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of over $120 million in the Auckland region in late March. Nine individuals have been arrested and charged.

  • Nicky Wagner
  • Michael Woodhouse
  • Police
  • Customs