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Customs Minister Maurice Williamson today congratulated Customs for its successful summer campaign, which achieved major drug seizures and high service levels during a record travel season.

“Customs runs Operation Summer every year, moving resources to assist holiday-makers entering and leaving New Zealand, while targeting those smuggling illicit goods or travelling for criminal purposes.

“Between November and March Customs made 120 drug finds, including three methamphetamine seizures totalling 14 kilograms at Auckland Airport.

Police Minister Anne Tolley and Customs Minister Maurice Williamson have announced that New Zealand’s drug enforcement relationship with China is being strengthened to help identify organised criminals in China and reduce the supply of precursors and methamphetamine into this country.

The new initiative will play a key part in the Government’s Methamphetamine Action Plan, and follows the signing of a Memorandum of Arrangement (MOA) on precursor controls between China and New Zealand in April 2013.

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson today announced SmartGate is now open to United Kingdom and American travellers on arrival.

The automated border clearing technology uses information in ePassports and facial recognition technology to do customs and immigration checks.  It allows Customs to focus on high-risk travellers while letting low-risk people clear the border easily.

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson today announced $26 million of methamphetamine or ‘P’ was stopped from reaching New Zealand’s streets following a series of targeted operations in late 2013.

From August to November, Customs intercepted 11.5kg of methamphetamine and about 117kg of precursors that included 91.5kg of Contac NT, and just over 17.5kg of iodine, pseudoephedrine and ephedrine.

A Bill that supports the implementation of a new border management system has passed its third and final reading in Parliament today.

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson says the Border Processing (Trade Single Window and Duties) Bill amends the Customs and Excise Act 1996 and the Biosecurity Act 1993 to support implementation of the trade single window component of the Joint Border Management System.

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson has welcomed the passing of the second reading of the Border Processing (Trade Single Window and Duties) Bill.

The Bill amends the Customs and Excise Act 1996 and the Biosecurity Act 1993 to support the implementation of the Joint Border Management System.

“The new system is replacing existing Customs and Ministry for Primary Industries IT systems, integrating border clearance processes, and providing a single channel (the Trade Single Window) for importers and exporters to comply with New Zealand’s border requirements.

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson has welcomed the discovery of $72 million of methamphetamine pre-cursor drugs at the Ports of Auckland.

Detectives from the Organised and Financial Crime Agency of New Zealand, working with Customs Officers, yesterday intercepted 248 kilograms of pseudoephedrine and 16 kilograms of pure ephedrine when a shipping container arrived at the port.

Intelligence gathered from the 18 month long Operation Ghost, which terminated this month and saw $100 million in pre-cursor drugs seized, was critical in identifying the importation.

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson announced today that super-yachts, yachts and other small craft visiting New Zealand can now stay for up to two years without paying Customs charges.

All goods coming into New Zealand, including yachts, are subject to duty and GST. Visiting yachts and small craft are granted a temporary entry to exempt owners from paying these charges if they aren’t used commercially or sold, and depart the country within the time period.

Police Minister Anne Tolley and Customs Minister Maurice Williamson have praised their agencies following the largest ever ContacNT precursor drugs bust in New Zealand, in which over 330 kg of the Class B drug has been seized.

Police estimate it would have been used to produce up to 100 kg of methamphetamine, with a street value of $100 million.

$20 million of assets in property, cars and cash were also seized, and 24 arrests made, as 250 Police, OFCANZ and Customs officers today executed 40 search warrants in Auckland and Waikato.

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson today announced the Customs and Excise Act 1996 will be reviewed.

“The current Act is restrictive and constant changes in the border environment mean that legislative amendments continually have to be made to authorise Customs’ use of new technology and operating methods at the border.

“The review is an opportunity to develop a flexible legislative framework that can adapt to changes at the border and technology, and allows minor changes to be made by regulation rather than legislative amendments

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson says four Customs cash detector dogs have found more than $1 million in undeclared or concealed cash during their first three months on the job.

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson says results from a trial of the next generation of SmartGate technology will now be analysed by Customs.

A prototype called SmartGate Plus, which eliminates the need for a ticket kiosk and makes self-processing at the border a one step process, was installed for four months at Auckland International Airport for departures.

“During the four month trial almost 38,000 people used SmartGate Plus and feedback received from travellers was overwhelmingly positive.

Police Minister Anne Tolley and Customs Minister Maurice Williamson today congratulated the Police and Customs for a $2 million drug bust.

Just over two kilograms of methamphetamine, $20,000 and vehicles were seized and five people arrested in the Wellington region yesterday after a joint operation between Police and Customs.

The methamphetamine, which has a street value of $2 million, came from Hong Kong concealed in LED lighting panels.

“There is no place for these despicable drugs in our communities,” says Mrs Tolley.

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson says on average 60,000 people a week are now using Customs’ automated passenger processing system.

SmartGate was introduced in 2009 and since its roll out in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch has been used by 6.7 million arriving and departing passengers.

“The original targets had SmartGate use reaching more than 60,000 users a week in 2015, so I’m delighted it has shattered all expectations. As more New Zealanders and Australians shift to ePassports we will see a further increase in usage.

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson today announced drugs worth tens of millions of dollars have been kept off the streets as a result of a seven month Customs operation targeting suspected psychoactive substances.

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson says Customs’ online duty and GST calculator is helping highlight the additional costs associated with online shopping, which many people are not aware of.

On average, 4,000 people a week are using the calculator on the What’s My Duty? website, and more than 2,100 people have downloaded the mobile app.

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson today congratulated Customs following the nine year prison sentence handed down to a Hong Kong man caught importing a record haul of methamphetamine, or ‘P’.

“The sentencing of 31-year old Wai Hung Mak at Auckland District Court today sends a clear message that anyone coming to New Zealand solely for the purpose of bringing in drugs will not get away with it.”

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson says an operation targeting express delivery low value imports has found more than a quarter are undervalued and evading duty.

Operation Hilton II examined 2562 express consignments and found 733 consignments were above the low-value threshold.

“High value goods are being mis-described and undervalued to speed up border clearance and evade duty. A total of $158,000 in lost revenue has been collected as a result of this operation.

The Government has sounded a clear warning to distributors and retailers who deliberately, or otherwise, contravene recently enacted psychoactive substance laws.

The 28 day period for submitting licence applications under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2013 ended this week, with no products or retailers permitted in the market unless they have been granted an interim licence by the Psychoactive Substances Regulatory Authority.

Police Minister Anne Tolley and Customs Minister Maurice Williamson say that drug detector dogs are now being trained to sniff out large amounts of currency, to target the proceeds of crime and ensure that criminals are hit hard in the pocket.

A recent trial involving two detector dogs from Police and Customs resulted in the seizure of over $350,000 in undeclared or concealed cash at Auckland International Airport, and while carrying out search warrants.

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson announced today that up to $1 billion in methamphetamine and its precursor drugs has been stopped at the border since 2009.

Sixty-six kilograms of methamphetamine and 3.3 tonnes of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine has been intercepted through the International Mail Centre, sea cargo and air cargo shipments, and from individuals entering the country. The street value of these drugs is between $740 million and $1 billion.

The drug harm prevented is calculated to be $410 million.

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson says a crackdown on the importation of psychoactive substances shows targeted efforts by Customs are paying off.

Since the start of 2012, there have been more than 320 interceptions of Class C Analogue drugs intercepted at the border.  There have also been more than 130 seizures under the Temporary Class Drug Notice (TCDN) regime.  It equates to more than 150 kilograms of suspected psychoactive drugs.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Customs Minister Maurice Williamson today announced the Government’s $89 million Joint Border Management System has been launched.

Importers, exporters, and their agents and brokers, can now submit shipment details electronically to a single point of contact through the JBMS Trade Single Window, rather than dealing separately with several government agencies.

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson announced today the introduction of SmartGate to United States and United Kingdom ePassport holders on departure.

SmartGate is Customs’ automated passenger processing system, which has been used by six million people since its introduction in 2009.

“Building on the success and popularity of SmartGate with New Zealanders and Australians, the system is now being made available to eligible US and UK ePassport holders departing New Zealand.