Export prohibitions and restrictions
Some items are prohibited from export and cannot be sent out of New Zealand. Some items are restricted and may only be exported with government permission.
This page details export restrictions and prohibitions that Customs checks for compliance. It also tells you who the issuing authority is for the permit or approval you will need to export restricted items.
You must register with the Ministry for Primary Industries before you can export animals and animal products, including:
- live animals
- live bees
- germplasm
- dairy products
- foods containing animal products.
If you are exporting meat, you must also register with the New Zealand Meat Board.
The export of Antarctic toothfish and Patagonian toothfish from New Zealand is prohibited under Customs Export Prohibition (Toothfish) Order 2009 unless you have one of the following:
- a valid Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) catch document
- an export/re-export document (CDS) from a signatory to the CCAMLR.
The export of birds – other than domestic birds – is prohibited under the Wildlife Act 1953 unless you have a permit to export from the Department of Conservation.
Livestock includes:
- sheep
- cattle
- deer
- goats.
The export of all livestock by sea is prohibited under the Customs Export Prohibition (Livestock for Slaughter) Order 2010.
The export of livestock for slaughter is prohibited. However, individual consignments may be approved on a case-by-case basis by the Ministry for Primary Industries.
The export of chemical weapons and chemicals that may be used in the manufacture of chemical weapons is prohibited under the Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) Act 1996 unless you have approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The export of cloned or hybrid human embryos is prohibited under the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Act 2004. Customs may detain cloned or hybrid human embryos and their containers, and transfer them to the Ministry of Health.
The export of controlled drugs is prohibited under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, unless you have a licence to export from the Ministry of Health.
The following are prohibited unless you have approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade:
- export of weapons of mass destruction and their missile delivery systems
- transfer of conventional weapons and dual-use technologies including electronic publications
Exporters should check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade website for:
- items on the New Zealand Strategic Goods List (NZSGL)
- exports subject to catch-all controls.
All exporters of dairy products must be registered with the Ministry for Primary Industries. Only an approved exporter may export to:
- Japan – all prepared edible fats
- The Dominican Republic – all milk powder
- The EU – butter, cheddar cheese, and cheese for processing to be imported into the EU under New Zealand’s current access quota
- The USA – all cheddar, low fat, NSPF, and American-type cheeses.
The export of endangered, threatened, or exploited species – including live plants and animals, as well as products made from them – is prohibited under the Trade in Endangered Species Act 1989 unless you have approval from the Department of Conservation.
The export of hazardous chemicals and pesticides is prohibited under the Imports and Exports (Restrictions) Prohibition Order (No. 2) 2004 unless you have approval from the Environmental Protection Authority.
Examples include:
- 2.4.5-T
- Crocidolite
- Lindane
The export of hazardous wastes is prohibited under the Imports and Exports (Restrictions) Prohibition Order (No. 2) 2004 unless you have approval from the Environmental Protection Authority.
Examples include:
- used automotive batteries
- e-waste
- old electrical equipment, such as:
- computers
- printers
- TVs.
Exporters of the following items must have approval to export from the New Zealand Horticulture Export Authority (HEA):
- avocados
- blackcurrants
- boysenberries
- butternut squash
- chestnuts
- kiwifruit to Australia
- persimmons
- summerfruit
- tamarillos
- truffles
- walnuts.
Exporters of kiwifruit to all destinations other than Australia must have approval to export from Kiwifruit New Zealand.
Exporters of apples and pears must have approval from New Zealand Apples and Pears Inc.
When human remains (for interment) are to be sent from New Zealand, the freight forwarder or airline will usually complete the required Customs formalities. An export entry is not required.
The export of the following indigenous timber is prohibited under the Forests Act 1949 unless you have a permit to export from the Ministry for Primary Industries:
- logs
- rough sawn and dressed timber, including:
- mouldings
- panelling
- furniture blanks*
- joinery blanks*
- similar products
- woodchips
- stumps and roots
- salvaged stumps and roots
- tree fern trunks
- tree fern fibre.
* Furniture blanks, joinery blanks, etc, are lengths of timber cut to a specified size and shape from which a finished article is made. Until the blanks are processed into furniture or other articles, it is sawn indigenous timber and requires approval to export.
The export of live green-lipped mussels with a shell size of less than 50 mm in length (includes life stage known as “spat”) is prohibited under the Customs Export Prohibition Order 2014 unless you have a consent to export from the Ministry for Primary Industries.
The export of Living Modified Organisms (LMOs) is prohibited under the Imports and Exports (Living Modified Organisms) Prohibition Order 2005 unless you have approval from the Ministry for the Environment.
The export of marine mammals such as seals, whales, dolphins, porpoises, and parts of marine mammals is prohibited under the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978 unless you have a permit to export from the Department of Conservation.
The export of the following substances is prohibited under the Ozone Layer Protection Act 1996 unless you have approval from the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA):
- CFCs
- halons
- carbon tetrachloride
- methyl chloroform
- methyl bromide
- HCFCs
- HBFCs
The export of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) covered by the Stockholm Convention is prohibited under the Imports and Exports (Restrictions) Prohibition Order (No. 2) 2004 unless you have approval from the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).
Examples include:
- Aldrin
- DDT
- Dieldrin
- Endrin
- PCBs
The export of pounamu (New Zealand greenstone) is prohibited under the Customs Export Prohibition Order 2014 unless you have the approval of the Minister of Customs. The view of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and the Mawhera Incorporation needs to be sought.
This prohibition does not apply to:
- items made from pounamu – for example, jewellery, pendants or sculpture containing pounamu.
- consignments that are being exported by a single exporter, and in which the total weight of pounamu does not exceed five kilograms.
The export of protected New Zealand objects – previously known as antiquities – are prohibited under the Protected Objects Act 1975 unless you have approval from the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
The export of radioactive materials New Zealand is prohibited under the Radiation Safety Act 2016 unless you have approval from the Office of Radiation Safety – a unit of the Ministry of Health.
The export of rough diamonds is prohibited under the United Nations Sanctions (Kimberley Process) Regulations 2004 unless all of the following apply:
- the exporter holds a permission under this regulation
- the original certificate is produced to Customs or a Customs officer at or before the time of exportation
- the rough diamonds are exported in a tamper-resistant container.
You must have approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
New Zealand has imposed sanctions on Russia and any countries that support their war in Ukraine via the Russia Sanctions Act 2022.
A full list of all prohibited exports is available in the Russia sanctions register. All the HS Tariff classifications subject to the export ban can be found on the Trade Measures tab. The register is regularly updated as new sanctions are imposed, so check it often.
Sign up to receive email alerts about Russia sanctions, including when the sanctions register is updated.
The export of toheroa is prohibited under the Customs Export Prohibition Order 2011 unless you have a consent to export from the Ministry for Primary Industries.
The New Zealand Government has imposed export sanctions against a number of countries under the United Nations Act 1946 in response to resolutions adopted by the United Nations Security Council.
Check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade sanctions list for further detail on the goods and other restrictions which apply.
Contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade for further information.
Grape wine made from grapes grown in New Zealand
You must have approval from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to export grape wine made from grapes grown in New Zealand for sale.
Specific guidance on wine export and exemptions is available on MPI's website at Steps to exporting New Zealand grape wine.
Other wines
You must register with the Ministry for Primary Industries to export:
- fruit or vegetable wine
- cider
- mead
- non-New Zealand grape wine
- wine products.
Specific guidance on export and exemptions is available via the Ministry for Primary Industries.