OFFICIAL INFORMATION ACT RESPONSE
14 JULY 2022
Official Information Act request:
Roger Calkin, Firearm Interceptions & Seizures 2019 - 2021
NOTES
1. The information in this document was obtained from the New Zealand Customs Service
(Customs) database. While the information is considered correct at the date it was extracted
(14 July 2022), it may be amended or reviewed at any time. This document contains
information on the number of firearms intercepted and seized, by year, between 1 January
2019 and 31 December 2021.
Terminology
2. When Customs finds prohibited goods or goods that have been, undeclared, mis-declared or
undervalued for revenue evasion purposes at the border, it is referred to as an ‘interception’.
From there Customs takes custody of goods, at which point they are ‘detained’. Goods that are
‘detained’ can be either released back to the importer (usually when conditions/requirements
have been met e.g. duty and GST paid, doctor’s prescription/permit produced etc.) or formally
‘seized’. Seizure is a specific legal action that alters the legal status of the goods and instigates
a sequence of legal requirements.
3. Goods which cross the border are either legitimate or prohibited (conditional or absolute).
Prohibited goods include controlled drugs and prescription medicines, drug paraphernalia,
objectionable material, weapons, copyright/trade mark goods (IPR), items containing
endangered species (CITES), and items covered by the Customs Import Prohibition Order
(CIPO).
4. If goods are intercepted or detained it is usually because:
a person failed to declare them
a person made an incorrect declaration or produced false or incorrect documents
they are prohibited or restricted
a person attempted to evade duty.
5. Customs also detains goods which are abandoned, for example cigarettes and alcohol left at
the airport.
6. Customs detains offensive weapons such as flick knives, knuckledusters and concealed
weapons under the Customs and Excise Act 2018. Customs also detains restricted weapons
such as firearms, parts of firearms and disabling sprays under the Arms Act 1983.
Information requested:
Year
Interceptions
Seizures
Quantity Incidents Quantity Incidents
2019
557
146
80
59
2020
167
77
24
22
2021
199
79
30
22
-ends-
NEW ZEALAND CUSTOMS SERVICE
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