Hon Casey Costello
Minister of Customs

Budget 2025 will do more to strengthen our borders, prevent drug smuggling and fight organised crime, Customs Minister Casey Costello announced today.

“Customs is doing a great job stopping illicit drugs entering the country, but New Zealand is increasingly being targeted by organised crime groups. The Government is committed to ensuring law and order, so it is investing in the tools and capacity agencies need to meet growing challenges,” Minister Costello says.

“Transnational and serious organised crime threats are growing worldwide. These groups are increasingly targeting the Pacific and New Zealand, which has some of the world’s highest prices for illicit drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine.

“In 2014, Customs seized 55kg of methamphetamine in the entire year. Last year Customs stopped, on average, 90kg of meth every week. In the past two years, Customs and its offshore partners stopped nearly 8.5 tonnes of meth from entering the country and harming New Zealanders.

“We know what works to stop the threat from organized crime, and harm from drugs. Decisions at Budget 2025 mean that Customs will have $35 million more over four years to help to do this job even better,” Minister Costello says.

“The extra funding will increase the number of staff protecting our border as well as increasing Customs technological capability.”

The funding will focus on three areas:

• Targeting those involved in lower-quantity, high-frequency drug smuggling such as through international mail or airports.
• Improving supply chain security and targeting the “trusted insiders” who use these links to help smuggle drugs.
• Extending Customs presence overseas, with an additional liaison officer to support investigations and information sharing with global enforcement and border partners.

“While Customs is dealing with increasingly large-scale drug smuggling attempts, it also needs more capacity to investigate and prosecute the smuggling that sends low quantities of drugs in high volumes through international mail and air routes. This new funding will provide that.” The new spending will provide Customs funding for up to 60 additional roles over the next four years, including investigations and prosecutions, intelligence, and border operations.

It comprises $21 million in operating expenditure and $5.5 million in capital funded through Budget 2025 plus an additional $8.2 million from third party levies and fees.

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