Hon Maurice Williamson

Minister of Customs
28 February 2013 Media Statement
Better public services in action at mail centre

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson says the International Mail Centre in Auckland is a great example of how government agencies can collaborate successfully for the benefit of New Zealand.

Customs, the Ministry for Primary Industries and New Zealand Post have been working more closely at the IMC as part of a two year project.

“One initiative involves all three working in unison as mail comes down conveyor belts for screening. Mail packages are stacked neatly and right way up. This allows for improved revenue profiling, which is now also being done by New Zealand Post staff.”

“These simple steps have led to a noticeable increase in duty being collected on items where duty payable is more than the $60 de minimis. The measures accounted for an additional $560,000 of duty and GST being charged in the final five months of 2012.”

In total, more than $7.8 million in revenue from the IMC was collected in 2012, compared to $6.3 million in 2011.

“The effort at the International Mail Centre is a great example of how small changes and working together can have a big impact.”

Other initiatives have improved screening and processing times, referrals between government agencies, and communication with customers.

The joint effort supports the Governments’ Future Direction for the Border Sector programme and sets a benchmark for potential opportunities within the trade sector.

In 2012, more than 52 million international mail items were processed by Customs. All mail items are subject to rigorous screening processes to allow legitimate mail to pass through quickly and efficiently, while identifying those that are high risk or require revenue collection.

ENDS

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