The New Zealand Customs Service collaborates in IPR efforts with Procter & Gamble

The New Zealand Customs Service is working with Procter & Gamble (P&G) to enhance Customs ability to detect counterfeit consumer products that are attempted to be smuggled into the country.   

A Confidentiality Agreement was signed on Monday 20 April to confirm their partnership against counterfeit goods.  Under this agreement, Customs officers will be trained to differentiate genuine from counterfeit products, by using a range of very simple test kits that P&G have put together. The kits will help officers to quickly determine the authenticity of the products.   

In the Asia-Pacific region, P&G have selected Sydney and Auckland to participate in the program due to the active level of IPR enforcement in these regions and also because they have the highest number of seizures at these ports.  

In 2008 New Zealand Customs successfully intercepted 5,400 counterfeit P&G products.  

Many of the products produced by P&G, if counterfeited, pose health and safety threats to the New Zealand public. These counterfeit products are not produced to the same standards as legitimate products and could contain potentially harmful ingredients such as harmful chemicals or bacteria. These products include toothpastes, shampoos, conditioners, creams, perfumes, antibacterial soaps, and laundry detergents.  These are also the most common counterfeit products.  

As part of their work to assist Customs, Procter & Gamble have developed a guidebook detailing their consumer products that are subject to counterfeiting. The guidebook includes information for Customs officers on composition of authentic products and analytical methods for identifying key ingredients.


Terry Brown, Customs' Manager Investigations and Nimalan Rutnam, Procter & Gamble's Corporate Counsel and Director sign the Confidentiality Agreement to confirm their partnership against counterfeit goods.

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