Trade in Endangered Species Act 1989

Exemptions

29: Certificate of acquisition

You could also call this:

"Proof you legally owned an endangered species before the law changed"

Illustration for Trade in Endangered Species Act 1989

If you want to export or re-export a specimen of an endangered species that you got before this law applied, you must ask the Director-General for a certificate of acquisition in writing. The Director-General can give you this certificate if they are satisfied that you got the specimen legally before this law applied. They might talk to another management authority to check this.

You need to apply for the certificate if you want to export or re-export the specimen. The Director-General will look at your application and decide if you can have the certificate. If you get the certificate, some parts of the law, like Part 1, will not apply to you.

But even if you have a certificate of acquisition, some other parts of the law, like sections 9, 10, and 25, will still apply to you, with some changes to fit your situation.

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This page was last updated on 18 September 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM146569.

Topics:

Environment and resources > Conservation

28: Disposal and release of specimens seized from arrivals from overseas, or

"What happens to endangered species items seized when people arrive in New Zealand"

30: Endangered species as personal or household effects, or

"Bringing endangered species into New Zealand for personal use"

Part 2Exemptions

29Certificate of acquisition

Every person seeking to export or re-export a specimen of an endangered, threatened, or exploited species that was legally acquired before the provisions of this Act applied to that specimen shall apply in writing to the Director-General for a certificate of acquisition.
The Director-General may, after (if necessary) consultation with the appropriate other management authority, issue a certificate of acquisition to any applicant if the management authority is satisfied that the specimen to which the application relates was legally acquired before the provisions of this Act applied to that specimen.
Part 1 shall not apply to any person who has been issued with a certificate of acquisition under subsection (2).
Notwithstanding subsection (3), sections 9, 10, and 25 shall, with all necessary modifications, apply to a certificate of acquisition.