OIA 25 231 Response Bohan.pdf

WELLINGTON
The Customhouse, 1 Hinemoa Street, Wellington
PO Box 2218, Wellington 6140, New Zealand

www.customs.govt.nz

28 May 2025

Ref: OIA 25-231

R Bohan
By email: [FYI request #30604 email]

Tēnā koe R Bohan
Request for information under the Official Information Act 1982
Thank you for your email received on 1 April 2025, to the New Zealand Customs Service (Customs),
in which you request the following information under the Of icial Information Act 1982 (the Act):
“1) Al  current internal documents detailing how certain people are selected for further
questioning/searches for international arrivals.
  a) If said documents are refused, please provide a summary of factors considered for
selection. Additionally, I request that the following factors are addressed directly if a summary
can also not be provided or are not included in said summary:
   - Age of traveler
   - Sex/Gender
   - Race/ethnic background
   - National origins (e.g. second passports)
2) The number of total passengers as well as the number passengers selected for said
secondary questioning/searches, per year, per point of entry, since 2018.
3) In OIA 24-575, one reason to be rejected at an eGate was: "Customs directive – the traveller
is required to be processed by an officer". Could more info be given on this - specifically what
potential situations could result in a requirement to be processed by an officer?”
As  background  to  my  response,  the  Customs and Excise Act 2018 allows Customs of icers to
undertake a variety of tasks as part of Customs’ role in protecting the New Zealand border from
potential risks arising from international travel. As part of this, Customs employs a sophisticated risk-
profiling system which uses a range of information to identify potential risks at the border.
Customs interacts with travellers to assess risk to the New Zealand border and to establish whether
any  offences  have  been  commit ed  against  New  Zealand’s  border  legislation.  All travellers,
regardless  of  citizenship,  may  be  subject  to  Customs’  intervention,  which  can  include  asking
questions relating to their identity and contact details, travel, entitlement to travel, and goods in their
possession. It may also involve the searching of a traveller’s accompanying baggage and any other
goods in their possession, and if warranted, a search of their person. A baggage search by Customs
may also involve the use of aids to screen or test goods.
More information about Customs’ questioning and search processes is available on the Customs
website at the following link: www.customs.govt.nz/personal/travel-to-and-from-nz/travelling-to-new-
zealand/on-your-arrival/.
It must be noted that Customs interacts with less than one percent of the travelling public, as outlined
in our 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 Annual  Reports,  which  are  publicly  available  on  the  Customs
website at the below links.

E: [email address]
W: www.customs.govt.nz

www.customs.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/corporate-documents/customs-annual-report-2024-
digital.pdf
www.customs.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/corporate-documents/customs-annual-report-
2023.pdf
I have outlined Customs’ response to each part of your request below.
Question One
Al  current internal documents detailing how certain people are selected for further
questioning/searches for international arrivals.
a)  If said documents are refused, please provide a summary of factors considered for
selection. Additionally, I request that the following factors are addressed directly if a
summary can also not be provided or are not included in said summary:
- Age of traveler
- Sex/Gender
- Race/ethnic background
- National origins (e.g. second passports)
In response question one of your request, for “Al  current internal documents detailing how certain
people are selected for further questioning/searches for international arrivals”,  I can advise that
providing  the  specific  detail  you  request  would  compromise  the  effectiveness  of  Customs’  risk
assessment  processes. As such, Customs  is  withholding the information requested  in full  under
section 6(c) of the Act, as the making available of the information would be likely to prejudice the
maintenance of the law, including the prevention, investigation, and detection of of ences, and the
right to a fair trial.
However, I can advise you that Customs interacts with travellers at the New Zealand border for a
wide range of reasons as Customs is tasked with enforcing a variety of legislation at the border.
Customs does not select travellers for further interaction based on their nationality, ethnicity, age, or
sex, but rather on a combination of factors.
While Customs is unable to provide specific reasons as to how or why a traveller may be referred
for further Customs’ interaction, as to not undermine our risk assessment techniques, I can advise
that some of those reasons can include that Customs has concerns regarding a person’s travel or
suspects that a person may be carrying prohibited, restricted, and/or dutiable goods. A traveller’s
behaviour and responses to questioning by Customs officers may also be relevant to assessing a
traveller’s potential risk and any further intervention that may be necessary.
Customs also interacts with travellers who self-declare goods – such as alcohol, tobacco, or tobacco
products in excess of their duty-free concessions or goods purchased or acquired overseas at a
value  of  NZ$1,000  or more  –  which  require  the  payment  of  duty  and/or  GST,  or travellers with
accompanying  goods  that  require  further  Customs’  checks  or  additional  documentation  to  be
completed.  Travellers are also required  to  complete  a  Border  Cash  Report  if  they are  carrying
NZ$10,000 or more cash (or foreign equivalent) into or out of New Zealand, and Customs will interact
with travellers to ensure compliance with cash declarations.
Question Two
2)  The number of total passengers as well as the number passengers selected for said
secondary questioning/searches, per year, per point of entry, since 2018.
In response to question two of your request, please find attached a PDF document titled “OIA 25-
231  –  Customs  Interactions  from 2018” which advises  the number of travellers selected  for
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secondary questioning/searches, per year, per point of entry, since 1 January 2018. The number of
travellers selected for secondary questioning/searching is further broken down by the average age
of the traveller, sex, and nationality  per  their  passport.  Please note the travellers’  “race/ethnic
background” is not recorded.
Customs’ website contains publicly available information of the total number of arriving and departing
commercial air passengers which can be viewed at the following link: www.customs.govt.nz/about-
us/statistics/passenger-statistics/.  The  Statistics New Zealand website also contains  publicly
available information of the total number of arriving and departing commercial air passengers and
can be viewed at the following link: https:/ www.stats.govt.nz/topics/migration/.
Question Three
In OIA 24-575, one reason to be rejected at an eGate was: "Customs directive – the traveller
is required to be processed by an officer". Could more info be given on this - specifically what
potential situations could result in a requirement to be processed by an officer?”
In response to question three of your request, Customs’ response to a previous Of icial Information
Act request  [Customs file reference OIA  24-575]  provided  a list of the most common  reasons a
traveller is unable to self-process using eGate where the message “please go to the assistance desk”
is generated onscreen.
Included in the list of the most common reasons, is a ‘Customs directive’. A Customs directive can
include where a travellers details activate a border alert entered on Customs border system. Border
alerts are placed on individuals by a number of government agencies for a variety of reasons. These
reasons include law enforcement reasons, taxation, or court orders. When an alert is activated, the
traveller is processed in accordance with the alert instruction.
You have the right, by way of complaint to the Of ice of the Ombudsman under section 28(3) of the
Act, to seek an investigation and review of this decision. Information about how to make a complaint
is available online at: www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or you can phone 0800 802 602.
If you have any queries in relation to this response, please contact the Correspondence, Reviews
and Ministerial Servicing team by email at: [email address].
Please note that Customs proactively releases responses to Of icial 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 wil  be removed.
Nāku noa, nā

Paul Williams
Acting for Group Manager, Border Operations
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