Today’s announcement by Customs Minister Nicky Wagner that extra Budget funding is being provided for Customs to help exporters is great news, says ExportNZ.
Executive Director Catherine Beard said, “ExportNZ provides regular feedback to officials about the barriers to exporting and getting through Customs. This issue comes up with China time and time again in our annual exporter survey.
“Exporters tell us that barriers at the border are some of the biggest barriers they face, and in China the customs requirements can be very difficult to interpret. In some cases, it has been so hard for exporters to take advantage of the Free Trade Agreement, for various reasons, that they miss out on the advantage altogether.
“We welcome the expansion of the trusted trader scheme and some official assurance around certificate of origin. We have been helping food and beverage exporters raise these issues with the market access team at the Ministry of Primary Industries, and are pleased to see that Government has recognised our exporters need some help in this area.”
Contact: Catherine Beard 04 496 6560 or 0274 633 212
