Terminology

Terminology used by the New Zealand Customs Service.

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 eg. 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.

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).

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.

A Customs-controlled area (CCA) is a secure and controlled environment in which the activities that take place are monitored or conducted by Customs. This includes places where goods are inspected and where duty free or excisable goods are manufactured, sold or stored.

Other locations include commercial and/or residential premises and the Customhouse’s.