New Zealand
General Information for New Zealand
Geo-political:
Capital City: Wellington. 41° 18.00′ S, 174° 47.00′ E
Nationality: (noun) New Zealander(s), (adjective) New Zealand.
Population: 4,925,477 (July 2020).
Communications:
International Direct Dial Code: 64.
Number of Internal Airports: 123 (2013).
Major Languages Spoken: English 95.4% (de facto official), Maori 4% (de jure official), Samoan 2.2%, Northern
Chinese 2%, Hindi 1.5%, French 1.2%, Yue 1.1%, New Zealand Sign Language .5% (de
jure official) and other or not stated 17.2%.
Economy:
Currency: 1 New Zealand Dollar (NZD) of 100 Cents.
Exchange Rates:
(as of November 2020)
USD 1.00 = NZD 1.52
NZD 1.00 = USD 0.66
Exchange rates under licence from
XE.com
Main Industries: Agriculture, forestry, fishing, logs, wood articles, manufacturing, mining, construction,
financial services, real estate services and tourism.
Agricultural Products: Dairy products, sheep, beef, poultry, fruit, vegetables, wine, seafood, wheat and
barley.
Imports: Petroleum, products, mechanical machinery, vehicles, parts, electrical machinery and
textiles.
Exports: Dairy products, meat, edible offal, logs, wood articles, fruit, crude oil and wine.
Commodities: Crude: Production 24,000 bbl/d. Exports 26,440 bbl/d. Imports 108,900 bbl/d. Reserves 51,800,000 bbl.
Products: Production 115,100 bbl/d. Exports 1,782 bbl/d. Imports 56,000 bbl/d. LNG: Production 5,097,000,000 cu.m..
Reserves 33,700,000,000 cu.m..
Environment:
Territorial Sea: 12 n.m.
Contiguous Zone: Contiguous Zone: 24 n.m. Continental Shelf: 200 n.m. Exclusive Economic Zone: 200 n.m.
Coastline Extent: 15,134 km.
Climate: Temperate with sharp regional contrasts.
Natural Resources: Natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold and limestone.
Natural Hazards: Earthquakes are common, though usually not severe, volcanic activity and significant
volcanism on North Island; Ruapehu (2,797 m), which last erupted in 2007, has a history
of large eruptions in the past century; Taranaki has the potential to produce dangerous
avalanches and lahars; other historically active volcanoes include Okataina, Raoul
Island, Tongariro, and White Island; see note 2 under "Geography - note".
Terrain: Predominately mountainous with large coastal plains.
Average Temperatures:
| Month | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| January | 21° C | 15° C |
| June | 12° C | 10° C |
| September | 13° C | 8° C |
CHARTS:
DOCUMENTS:
Nautical chart information and Notices to Mariners available at the Land Information
New Zealand website at
www.linz.govt.nz/products-services/charts
Arrival:
1 Advance Notice of Arrival
(Form NZCS 344)
1 Ballast Water Report Form*
1 Controlled Drugs & Firearms (Nil) List
(Form NZCS 341)
1 Crew Effects Declaration
(Form 6 or Form 7))
1 Crew List
(Form NZCS 355)
1 Inward Report
(Form C1)
1 Master's Declaration*†
1 Passenger List
(Form NZCS 342)
1 Ports of Call List (last 2 years or since last visit to New Zealand)*
* Required before arrival with the Advance Notice of Arrival (Form NZCS 344).
† Masters Declaration to be sent with NZCS 344 includes further information for Ministry
for Primary Industries (MPI), including details about stores on board (including details
of meat, fish and fresh produce), details of animals kept on board, details of management
of garbage/refuse and of pest management systems or procedures on board, details of
any hitchhiker animals/birds or insect pests etc. that have come onto the ship.
Departure:
1 Controlled Drugs & Firearms (Nil) List
(Form NZCS 341)
1 Crew List
(Form NZCS 355)
1 Outward Report
(Form C2)
1 Passenger List
(Form NZCS 342)
1 Stores Lists
(Form NZCS 325)
Also see
Arrival and
Pre-Arrival Information.
ISPS COMPLIANCE:
All New Zealand ports are compliant.
ARRIVAL:
All international craft must arrive at a Place of First Arrival (PoFA) under the Biosecurity
Act. For commercial vessels, this must also be a Customs Port of Entry. Vessels are
to be fully cleared at this nominated port before moving on to other ports in New
Zealand.
Commercial vessels can arrive at a non-Customs Port of Entry only if:
- it is an emergency, or
- you have written permission from Customs. You must have this permission prior to arriving in New Zealand.
- Auckland
- Bluff
- Gisborne
- Lyttelton
- Marsden Point
- Napier
- Nelson
- New Plymouth
- Northport
- Otago Harbour
- Picton (Port Marlborough)
- Tauranga
- Timaru
- Wellington.
Ports which are both a PoFA and Customs Port of Entry include:
- Marsden Cove Marina (Northland)
- Opua Marine Park (Northland)
- Silo Marina (Auckland)
- Taharoa offshore buoy (Waikato – Taharoa)
- Viaduct Marina (Auckland)
- Westhaven Marina (Auckland).
The following are PoFA only:
Port of Departure:
All commercial vessels departing from New Zealand must depart from a Customs Port
of Entry and must proceed to a point outside of New Zealand.
APPROACHES:
Precautionary Area:
Petroleum exploration rigs and oil production platforms may be encountered off the
New Zealand coast. At present, the main areas of activity are off the west coast,
North Island, which is designated by the International Maritime Organisation as a
precautionary area.
All ships should navigate with particular caution in the precautionary area, defined
by a line connecting the following co-ordinates:
- the charted line of MHWS at approx. 30° 31.00′ S, 174° 37.80′ E
- 39° 18.50′ S, 173° 05.00′ E
- 39° 18.50′ S, 173° 01.00′ E
- 39° 26.00′ S, 173° 04.00′ E
- 40° 03.00′ S, 173° 16.00′ E
- charted line of MHWS at approx. 39° 53.50′ S, 174° 54.50′ E
PRATIQUE:
The
NZCS 344 Advance Notice of Arrival replaces all other methods for requesting radio pratique. As the
NZCS 344 Advance Notice of Arrival is required by other agencies 48 hours before ETA, a
No Change of Health Status form relating to health information (that may have been provided on the notice) is
needed at least 12 hours (and not earlier than 24 hours) before ETA. This confirms
that the health status of the crew has not changed. The
No Change of Health Status can be made by radio, phone, fax or email.
The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) inspector may board the vessel on arrival
and may:
- inspect galleys, and all provision areas
- examine animals on board and pests or insect infestations reported
- assess and inspect vessel refuse system
- inspect all dunnage, wood packaging, pallets and timber
- inspect bicycles and sports gear for landing or use in New Zealand
- inspect any baggage or belongings of specified passengers and landing crew
- inspect ship's logs and possibly sample tanks in relation to ballast water requirements.
All goods for landing must be declared to an MPI inspector. A Biosecurity Clearance
will be required for all risk goods.
Risk items that are either restricted or prohibited entry for landing may include:
- Food. All prohibited meat in ship's meat lockers (chambers) and prohibited meat belonging to crew members held elsewhere on the vessel, is sealed on arrival at the first port in New Zealand. Prohibited food items must remain secured during the vessel's stay within New Zealand's territorial waters.
- Live animals and items of animal origin. The MPI require the Masters of vessels carrying animals, ie. cats, dogs, fish, birds, etc. to complete: The Requirements for Dealing with Risk Goods on Craft: Biosecurity Act 1993.
- Vessel refuse. Please ensure that refuse is not disposed of within New Zealand territorial waters and is only landed via the MPI approved refuse system at the port. Waste ground up to 25 mm. or less may be discharged if outside 3 n.m. from inner territorial limits and 500 m. from offshore installations.
- Plants and items of plant material
- Sporting equipment, e.g. golf shoes and bikes
- CITES items (endangered species such as clam and conch shells, coral, turtle shells and ivory)
- Items for incineration/sterilisation.
Cruise Vessels:
Following items cannot be removed from the vessel without the permission of an MPI
inspector:
- fresh fruit and vegetables
- meat of any kind
- prepared meals including sandwiches
- dairy products
- honey
- any other consumable food item
- flowers, seeds or plants.
Only commercially bottled drinking water is permitted to leave the vessel without
the permission of the MPI Biosecurity New Zealand Clearance Officer.
The ship's Purser should broadcast the following announcement over the ship's public
address system, including the crew accommodation area before any passengers or crew
go ashore, and regularly while they are disembarking: ``Passengers and crew are requested
to present their hand luggage for inspection to the MPI Biosecurity New Zealand Clearance
Officers stationed at the gangway. MPI Biosecurity New Zealand detector dogs may also
be used''.
Note:
If passengers and crew are from a non-English speaking background, the above message
should be broadcast in the appropriate language as well as English.
- Ships stores not permitted ashore
- MPI seals must not be broken.
- Animals not permitted ashore
- NZ animals not allowed on vessel.
- Plants, timber and/or dunnage require Quarantine inspection and clearance.
The following regulations apply in New Zealand waters:
Ship Masters can communicate with Quarantine Inspectors prior to their arrival in
New Zealand waters to determine requirements.
Ship Sanitation Control Certificate:
The following New Zealand ports are authorised to issue Ship Sanitation Certificates:
- Auckland (including Onehunga)
- Bluff
- Devonport Naval Base
- Gisborne
- Lyttelton
- Marsden Point
- Napier
- Nelson
- Opua
- Otago Harbour
- Picton
- Tauranga
- Taharoa
- Taranaki
- Timaru
- Wellington
- Whangarei.
Also see
Pre-Arrival Information.
PRE-ARRIVAL INFORMATION:
Masters/operators/owners of commercial vessels destined for New Zealand must provide
specific information to Customs. This includes advising who is on board, what cargo
and other items are on board, who will be staying in New Zealand and who and what
will be leaving New Zealand. Mandatory forms must be completed in full, with the correct
information and emailed to
[email protected] within the prescribed timeframes as listed below.
Documentation should be supplied in pdf, Word, Excel, and jpg format (photographs
accepted if content is legible).
Forms are available at:
NZCS 344 Advance Notice of Arrival:
Complete the Advance Notice of Arrival (ANA) for all vessels travelling to New Zealand
required under the Customs and Excise Act 2018.
Form NZCS 344 Advance Notice of Arrival (ANA), with supporting documentation, needs
to be completed by the owner/Master of the vessel and sent to New Zealand Customs
Service at least 48 hours before arrival in New Zealand territorial waters (i.e. 12
n.m.).
The ANA is a legal requirement, and the owner/Master is liable to prosecution for
not submitting the ANA in the required timeframe and for not providing the ANA in
the specified form and manner.
NZCS 355 and 342 Passenger List Crew List:
Crew and passenger details are to be included as part of the ANA.
The owner/Master of the vessel must provide details of crew and passengers on board
the vessel including names and passport information using the relevant Commercial
ship or Cruise ship form. The form must be completed and sent to New Zealand Customs
Service at least 48 hours before arrival in New Zealand territorial waters (i.e. 12
n.m.).
Form C1 Inward Report:
Complete the Inward Report required under the Customs and Excise Act 2018.
The Inward Report is to be completed by the owner/Master of the vessel and provides
information in relation to the vessel, its travel movements, any cargo, firearms,
controlled drugs/medicines, stores, and passengers and crew on board. The form must
be completed in respect of all vessels and within 24 hours of arriving at a Customs
place and provided to New Zealand Customs Service at the port.
Form 6 Customs Individual Crew Declaration:
On arrival of the ship at the first port in New Zealand this form must be completed
by each New Zealand domiciled member of the crew, in readiness to be handed to the
Customs officer. The form is required in duplicate. Each person must state opposite
his or her name all the goods in his or her possession or custody (not including personal
effects), whether to be landed or not.
Form 7 Customs Individual Crew Declaration:
On arrival of the ship at the first port in New Zealand this form must be completed
by non-New Zealand domiciled crew in readiness to be handed to the Customs officer.
One copy only of the form is required.
Inward Cargo Report:
Complete the
Inward Cargo Report (Cargo vessels only) required under the Customs and Excise Act 2018.
The owner or operator of a craft headed for New Zealand (or their Agent) must submit
an Inward Cargo Report (ICR) using the Trade Single Window (TSW) site at least 48
hours prior to the expected time of arrival in New Zealand.
An
Inward Cargo Report is used to:
- advance-report cargo destined for New Zealand (including empty containers)
- request movement of such cargo as an international or domestic transshipment
- request clearance of shipments that don’t require an Import Declaration.
Trade Single Window (TSW) is available to registered users at
www.tsw.govt.nz
No Change of Health Status:
Complete the
No Change of Health Status form required under the Health Act 1956
The Master must complete a
No Change of Health Status form 12–24 hours before arrival into New Zealand. This is a notice to confirm the
health status on board following the submission of
NZCS 344 Advance Notice of Arrival. The form should be completed and sent to the Port Health Authority (Public Health
Service) at the port of arrival.
Maritime Declaration of Health:
A Maritime Declaration of Health must be completed by all first porting vessels, even
if there is no illness on board. The Maritime Declaration of Health must be completed
by the Master of the vessel and countersigned by the ship’s surgeon if there is one.
It should be completed and provided to the Medical Officer of Health or a Health Protection
Officer when the No Change of Health Status Report is submitted. In practice, completed
Maritime Declaration of Health is often sent to the vessel’s Agent for forwarding
to health authorities.
Any illness reported on the
Maritime Declaration of Health should have been declared on the
NZCS 344 Advance Notice of Arrival.
Further information can be found at
www.health.govt.nz/our-work/border-health
Departure:
You can only depart New Zealand from a designated Customs port. When you leave, you
must depart immediately and not go to any other place within New Zealand unless you
have Customs permission or there is an emergency.
Cruise ship passengers will usually be cleared at the port the vessel is departing
from. If you need to be processed at a different location, you must get permission
from New Zealand Customs Service first. The cruise vessel coordinator can be contacted
at T: +64 (9) 359 6620. F: +64 (9) 359 6692.
[email protected]
Form C2 Advance Notice of Departure:
You need a
Certificate of Clearance (Form C3) from Customs before you can leave New Zealand ports. To obtain clearance, the person
in charge of the craft must give Customs a
Form C2 Advance Notice of Departure not less than 4 hours before intended time of departure. The owner of the craft,
or person in charge, or Agent, are the only people who can sign
Form C2.
NZCS 355 and 342 Passenger List Crew List:
You must email passenger and crew information to
[email protected]
Forms
NZCS 355 and NZCS 342 should be used as applicable.
NZCS 337 Border Cash Report:
Passengers must complete a
NZCS 337 Border Cash Report or the online Border Cash Report form (at
bcr.customs.govt.nz ) if they are carrying NZD10,000 or more in cash or equivalent. This form is to be
completed by the individual moving the cash out of New Zealand.
BALLAST:
Ballast water loaded in another country's waters must not be discharged inside New
Zealand territorial waters without permission from MPI.
Permission is granted when the inspector is confident that ballast in question has
been exchanged with ocean water at least 200 n.m. from land. Master of all ballast
capable vessels must complete Part 1 of the Ballast Water Declaration and every ballasted
vessel that may need to discharge ballast water in New Zealand must complete Part
2 (apart for the discharges column which is completed after discharging in New Zealand).
Copies of these forms are sent by fax or email, accompanying the
NZCS 344 Advance Notice of Arrival to Customs via the Agent in New Zealand. The originals to be kept on board and they
will be collected at departure port with discharge details added in the last column
of the tank table. All vessels must log all ballast water management undertaken recording
the volumes, locations and dates of all ballast water loaded, of exchanges undertaken
and of discharges in New Zealand. MPI inspector will ask to see this information.
Quarantine Inspectors may also want to talk with crew members about the loading and
exchange of ballast water, and they may take ballast water samples for scientific
testing.
Under no circumstances may sediment from the cleaning of holds, ballast tanks or anchor
chain lockers be discharged into New Zealand's territorial waters. Sediment or mud
can only be landed and disposed of at a landfill approved by MPI inspector.
The MPI inspector may grant an exemption if it can be shown that an exchange of ballast
water could not be undertaken safely in mid-ocean.
No exemptions are available to discharge unexchanged water from:
- Tasmania, Australia
- Port Philip Bay, Victoria, Australia.
Ballast water declaration forms can be obtained from:
Mid-Ocean Ballast Water Exchanges:
Such ballast water exchanges reduce the chance of introducing unwanted marine organisms
to New Zealand waters.
Mid-ocean ballast exchanges must be carried out with ocean water at least 200 n.m.
offshore. Mid-ocean exchanges can be successfully carried out by using either the
``empty-refill'' method, or the ``flow-through'' method. If the ``flow-through'' method
is used, three times the tanks' volume should be pumped through the tanks to ensure
sufficient dilution of the coastal water. If using the empty-refill method vessel
must replace at least 95% of the volume of water in the tank.
WASTE DISPOSAL:
The discharge of garbage is restricted in New Zealand's Territorial Sea. Disposal
arrangements for garbage will be advised to the Master on arrival at each New Zealand
Port by the MPI inspector. Additionally any garbage on the vessel must be covered/secured
at all times.
TIME:
GMT plus 12 hours (New Zealand Standard Time – NZST) and GMT plus 13 hours (New Zealand
Daylight Saving Time – NZDT). New Zealand Daylight Saving Time starts on the last
Sunday in September in each year and ends on the first Sunday in April each year.
HOLIDAYS:
1 and 2 January (New Year's Days); Picnic Day; Anniversary Day, both in latter part
of January; 6 February (Waitangi Day); Good Friday; Easter Sunday; Easter Monday;
25 April (Anzac Day); first Monday in June (Queen's Birthday); 4th Monday in October
(Labour Day); 24 December (Christmas Eve); 25 December (Christmas Day); 26 December
(Boxing Day).
CUSTOMS:
Ship Stores:
Ship stores include:
- food
- cleaning products
- alcohol and tobacco
- spares and service parts
- bunkers
- general provisions for passengers and crew.
It is permitted to load stores in New Zealand. If you wish to load any duty-free alcohol
or tobacco you must have permission from New Zealand Customs Service
[email protected] and complete
NZCS 325 Requisition for Ships Stores.
Forms are available at:
If vessel is arriving into New Zealand on a temporary import entry, duty-free items
can be loaded into ship stores only as vessel is about to leave New Zealand. The amount
of duty-free stores is calculated using the approved quota (see below) multiplied
by the number of crew and passengers multiplied by the length of the voyage minus
any duty-free alcohol or tobacco on board already.
The approved quota per person is:
- 6 cans or bottles of beer (375 ml or less per bottle/can) per day or one bottle of wine (750 ml) per day, and 3 bottles (1,125 ml) of spirits or liqueur per 10 days
- cigarettes – 20 cigarettes per day or 250 g of tobacco per 10 days or 5 cigars (regardless of weight) every 10 days.
Cruise ships have different allowances. Contact your local Customs shipping office
or local port agent for details.
Customs Offices:
General enquiries and comments. Tel: +64 (9) 300 5399. Fax: +64 (9) 359 6730.
Auckland. Tel: +64 (9) 359 6655. Fax: +64 (9) 359 6732.
Christchurch. Tel: (3) 358 0600. Fax: +64 (3) 358 0606.
Dunedin. Tel: +64 (3) 477 9251. Fax: +64 (3) 477 6773.
Invercargill. Tel: +64 (3) 218 7329. Fax: +64 (3) 218 7328.
Napier. Tel: +64 (6) 835 5799. Fax: +64 (6) 835 1298.
Nelson. Tel: +64 (3) 548 1484. Fax: +64 (3) 546 9381.
New Plymouth. Tel: +64 (6) 758 5721. Fax: +64 (6) 758 1441.
Tauranga. Tel: +64 (7) 575 9699. Fax: +64 (7) 575 0522.
Wellington. Tel: +64 (4) 473 6099. Fax: +64 (4) 473 7370.
Full details of New Zealand Customs Service requirements, services and regulations
are available at
www.customs.govt.nz/
REPATRIATION:
A list of crew signing off vessels in New Zealand must be given to the MPI inspector.
Each crew member signing off will be required to complete a biosecurity declaration.
Personal baggage requires quarantine inspection and clearance.
Details of visas for entry into New Zealand are available at the Immigration New Zealand
website
www.immigration.govt.nz
Cruise Ship Crew:
Crew of cruise ships only must have a Crew ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) before
they leave for New Zealand. All working and positioning crew members, regardless of
nationality, need a Crew ETA unless they:
- are Australian or New Zealand citizens, or
- already hold a visa for New Zealand that allows them to work as crew.
Positioning cruise ship crew can use their Crew ETA to fly to New Zealand to meet
a ship.
Crew members need a Crew ETA if they are employed by:
- a cruise operator
- a manning agent — that is, a company that recruits crew for cruise ships or other vessels
- a concessionaire that employs or engages staff on behalf of a cruise operator to provide services — for example, a musician who provides entertainment for passengers.
Different rules apply to the crews of other vessels or private craft, including cargo
ships, fishing vessels and private yachts.
Cruise ship crew who hold a Crew ETA and who travel by sea to stay in New Zealand
are deemed to hold a visa for up to 28 days from the day of arrival in New Zealand.
A Crew ETA is different from an NZeTA.
A Crew ETA is linked to the cruise employer. It is valid for up to 5 years and costs
NZD17.00 which is paid by the employer. It is no longer valid if a crew member's employment
ends before 5 years are up.
A crew member's employer or the employer’s nominated representative requests Crew
ETAs using Immigration New Zealand’s Batch ETA system. Requests are accepted from
cruise companies, manning agents, and concessionaires. Note: If you are a crew member
and need to get a Crew ETA, ask your employer or their representative to request one
for you.
Before you can request Crew ETAs for crew, your organisation must register to use
the Immigration New Zealand online Batch ETA system. Requests for access should be
sent to
[email protected]
Cargo Ship Crew:
Crew members on a cargo ship travelling from a foreign port to New Zealand, regardless
of nationality, do not need a Crew ETA or a visa before travelling to New Zealand.
They are deemed to hold a visa when they board their ship at a foreign port and are
granted entry permission when they arrive in New Zealand waters.
Cargo ship crew members who travel by air to join their ship at its berth in New Zealand
must hold:
- an NZeTA if they are from a visa waiver country, or
- a visa ( Crew joining a Ship or Plane Visitor Visa) if they are from another country.
For details of NZeTA see:
For details of the
Crew joining a Ship or Plane Visitor Visa see:
Fishing Vessel Crew:
The crew of fishing vessels working in New Zealand waters must have a Fishing Crew
Work Visa. As such, people who hold a Fishing Crew Work Visa for New Zealand do not
need an NZeTA or Crew ETA.
For details of the
Fishing Crew Work Visa see:
Private Yacht Crew:
Crew of private yachts cannot apply for a Crew ETA, but they must have:
- an NZeTA if they are from a visa waiver country, or
- a Private Yacht or Plane Visitor Visa if they are from another country.
For details of the
Private Yacht or Plane Visitor Visa see:
Other Crew:
All travellers on a commercial vessel travelling to New Zealand, which does not fit
into any listed category, must have an NZeTA unless they hold a current New Zealand
visa, or are an Australian or New Zealand citizen.
If crew members intend to undertake work in New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone
(EEZ), they must hold a visa to do so.
AUTHORITY:
Maritime New Zealand, Level 10, Optimation House, 1 Grey Street, Wellington 6141,
New Zealand.
T: +64 (4) 473 0111.
F: +64 (4) 494 1263. [email protected] www.maritimenz.govt.nz
