Customs and Excise Act 2018

Final and miscellaneous provisions - Miscellaneous provisions - Origin

435: Certificates of origin

You could also call this:

"A document to prove goods come from New Zealand when sent to certain countries"

Illustration for Customs and Excise Act 2018

When you export goods from New Zealand, you need a special document called a New Zealand certificate of origin. This document is issued by a trusted organisation that checks the goods are from New Zealand. The organisation must make sure the goods meet certain rules before giving you the certificate. You can only get a certificate for goods that are going to certain countries that have a free trade agreement with New Zealand.

A free trade agreement is a special deal between countries that makes it easier to trade with each other. New Zealand has free trade agreements with countries like China, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates. The Governor-General can decide which countries are part of these agreements.

If you want to become an organisation that can issue these certificates, you need to apply and meet certain criteria. You might have to pay a fee and follow certain rules. The chief executive can set conditions for organisations that issue certificates. You can find more information about secondary legislation in Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019.

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This page was last updated on 1 October 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM7039939.

Topics:

Money and consumer rights > Consumer protectionMoney and consumer rights > International tradeBusiness > International tradeBusiness > Industry rulesGovernment and voting > International agreements

434: Foreign currency, or

"Converting money from other countries to New Zealand dollars using approved exchange rates"

436: Fish, etc, or

"Rules about where fish and seafood come from for tax purposes"

Part 6Final and miscellaneous provisions
Miscellaneous provisions: Origin

435Certificates of origin

A New Zealand certificate of origin is a document issued by an authorised certification body that—
identifies the goods to which it relates; and
certifies that those goods originate in New Zealand.

An authorised certification body may issue a New Zealand certificate of origin in respect of goods for export—
to a party to a free trade agreement in respect of which the body is authorised; but
only if the authorised certification body is satisfied that the goods meet the requirements of the rules of origin prescribed for that agreement.

The chief executive may designate a body as an authorised certification body for the purpose of certifying that goods for export originate in New Zealand if the chief executive is satisfied that the body—
is suitably qualified; and
meets any prescribed criteria for designation.

A designation under subsection (3)—
must specify the free trade agreements and parties to free trade agreements in respect of which the body is authorised; and
may be subject to—
1. prescribed terms and conditions; and
2. any additional terms and conditions the chief executive considers appropriate.

Regulations may—
make provision, and prescribe fees, for applications for designation as an authorised certification body; and
without limiting paragraph (a), require applications for designation to be made in the way prescribed by the chief executive’s rules.

In this section, free trade agreement means—
the Free Trade Agreement between the Government of New Zealand and the Government of the People’s Republic of China done at Beijing on 7 April 2008 (the China FTA); or
the Agreement Establishing the ASEAN–Australia–New Zealand Free Trade Area done at Cha-am, Phetchaburi, Thailand on 27 February 2009 (AANZFTA); or
the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership done at Hanoi, Vietnam, on 15 November 2020 (the RCEP); or
the New Zealand–United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement done at Abu Dhabi on 14 January 2025 (the UAE CEPA).

In this section, party to a free trade agreement means—
in relation to the China FTA, the People’s Republic of China:
in relation to AANZFTA, a specified AANZFTA party (see subsection (8)):
in relation to the RCEP, a specified RCEP party (see subsection (8)):
in relation to the UAE CEPA, the United Arab Emirates.

For the purposes of this section, the Governor-General may, by Order in Council, declare—
a country that is a party to AANZFTA to be a specified AANZFTA party:
a country that is a party to the RCEP to be a specified RCEP party.

An order under this section is secondary legislation (see Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019 for publication requirements).

Compare

1996 No 27 ss 64A, 64B, 64C

Notes

Section 435(6)(c): inserted, on 1 January 2022, by section 4(1) of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 40).
Section 435(6)(d): inserted, on 28 August 2025, by section 14(1) of the United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement Legislation Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 37).
Section 435(7)(c): inserted, on 1 January 2022, by section 4(2) of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 40).
Section 435(7)(d): inserted, on 28 August 2025, by section 14(2) of the United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement Legislation Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 37).
Section 435(8): replaced, on 1 January 2022, by section 4(3) of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 40).
Section 435(9): inserted, on 28 October 2021, by section 3 of the Secondary Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 7).