Biosecurity Act 1993

Administrative provisions - Administrative powers

107A: Power to detain for purpose of checking for unauthorised goods

You could also call this:

"Inspectors can stop and search you if they think you have forbidden items"

If you are suspected of having unauthorised goods, an inspector can stop you. They can keep you for up to 4 hours to be searched by a police officer. The inspector can use reasonable force to keep you there.

You will be stopped if the inspector has a good reason to think you have unauthorised goods. The inspector must only keep you for a reasonable amount of time. They must not keep you for more than 4 hours in a row.

The inspector gets this power from the Biosecurity Act 1993, which was updated by the Biosecurity Law Reform Act 2012. This means they can take action if they think you have goods that are not allowed. The inspector's job is to check for these goods and keep New Zealand safe.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM4759074.


Previous

107: Power to detain for purpose of checking for uncleared risk goods, or

"Inspectors can stop and search you if they think you have risky goods you're not allowed to have."


Next

107B: Power to detain for public health or law enforcement purposes, or

"Inspectors can stop and hold you for a short time if they think you're sick or have broken the law."

Part 6Administrative provisions
Administrative powers

107APower to detain for purpose of checking for unauthorised goods

  1. An inspector who suspects on reasonable grounds that a person may be in possession of unauthorised goods may—

  2. detain the person, for a period that is reasonable in the circumstances and no longer than 4 consecutive hours, to be searched by a constable:
    1. use the force that is reasonably necessary to detain the person.
      Notes
      • Section 107A: inserted, on , by section 42 of the Biosecurity Law Reform Act 2012 (2012 No 73).