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Customs and Excise Act 2018

Final and miscellaneous provisions - Offences - Interference with goods or cargo

360: Interference with cargo

You could also call this:

"Don't touch imported goods until they're cleared by Customs"

Illustration for Customs and Excise Act 2018

When goods arrive in New Zealand on a craft, you must not touch them until an inward report is made as required by section 24. You commit an offence if you interfere with the goods, alter how they are stored, or damage them in any way. This includes throwing goods overboard or opening packages without permission.

If you do any of these things, you can get in trouble, but there are some exceptions. You might not be in trouble if a chief executive or Customs officer said you could do it, or if you had to do it for navigation reasons, or if you had a good reason.

The person in charge of the craft can also get in trouble if someone on the craft commits an offence. If you commit an offence, you could be fined up to $15,000.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM7039822.

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359: Interference with goods, or

"Don't touch goods that Customs is in charge of without permission"

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Part 6Final and miscellaneous provisions
Offences: Interference with goods or cargo

360Interference with cargo

  1. This section applies to any goods that are on a craft that arrives in New Zealand—

  2. from the time when the craft arrives in New Zealand:
    1. until an inward report is made in accordance with section 24.

      1. A person commits an offence if the person does any of the following:

      2. interferes with the goods:
        1. alters the manner in which the goods are stored to facilitate unloading of the goods before the inward report has been made:
          1. staves, removes, or destroys the goods:
            1. throws the goods overboard:
              1. opens any package in which the goods are contained.

                1. However, subsection (2) does not apply if the relevant act—

                2. was authorised by the chief executive or a Customs officer; or
                  1. was required by any statutory or other requirement relating to navigation; or
                    1. is otherwise done with a reasonable excuse.

                      1. If a person commits an offence under subsection (2), the person in charge of the craft also commits an offence.

                      2. A person who commits an offence under this section is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $15,000.

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