AUCKLAND
Air Cargo Inspection Facility, 21 Tom Pearce Drive, Manukau 2150
PO Box 73 003, Auckland Airport, New Zealand
Phone: 09 927 9000 All general enquiries phone: 0800 428 786
Email: [email address], Website: www.customs.govt.nz
20 March 2023
Ref: OIA 23-019
Jason tor Vesta
By Email
: [FYI request #21594 email] Tēnā koe Jason
Request for information under the Official Information Act 1982
Thank you for your email dated 20 January 2023 to the New Zealand Customs Service
(Customs), in which you request the following information under the Official Information Act
1982:
“Please provide all internal documents such as SOPs, guides, internal FAQs, staff
training materials, etc. Surrounding the questions that may be asked of arriving
passengers, specifically those undergoing a bag check and what questions are
legally allowed to be asked per the Customs and Excise act 2018. Please include any
additional information surrounding guidance for when a passenger refuses to answer
a question. Please also include any examples of questions which are allowed to be
asked, if this material exists.”
In response, please find attached four documents containing guidance and training material
for Customs staff, regarding questions that may be asked of arriving persons by Customs
officers and their respective powers and obligations under the Customs and Excise Act
2018:
‘Guidelines – Questioning persons about goods and debt’, a Customs
Operational Policy and Procedures guidance document which outlines questions
that may be asked by Customs officers when interacting with arriving persons at
the border. This document also outlines Customs officers’ statutory powers to
question persons about goods and debt, in accordance with section 205 of the
Customs and Excise Act 2018
‘Customs and Excise Act 2018 People Powers’, a
Customs eLearning module
which presents Customs officers’ powers and obligations in relation to people,
including the power to question, search, detain and arrest, and obligations under
the Customs and Excise Act 2018
‘Customs Officer Learning Guides – Questioning and Interviewing’, a brief
knowledge guide summarising Customs officers’ powers to question persons
about goods and debt, including examples of questions that may be asked to risk
assess passengers at the border
‘People powers reference guide’, a one-page document which breaks down
Customs officers’ powers in relation to people, listed under four categories –
Question, Search, Detain, and Arrest.
If you have any queries about this response, please contact the Correspondence, Reviews
and Ministerial Servicing Team by email at:
[email address].
Please note that Customs proactively releases responses to Official Information Act requests
on our website. As such, we may publish this response on our website after we have sent it
to you. Your name and contact details will be removed.
Nāku noa, nā
Dana McDonald
Group Manager, Border Operations
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