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Prohibited and restricted items

Can I bring in food? Can I bring in medicine? Items you can't take out of New Zealand More information for business importers

  • Some items are prohibited: you can’t bring or import these into New Zealand.
  • Some items are restricted: you will require approval to import or export these items.
  • You may not be able to bring some medicines or controlled drugs into New Zealand.
  • You may not be able to take some items out of New Zealand.

Prohibited items

You can’t bring or import any of these items into New Zealand:

  • objectionable material contained on items such as mobile phones, USB devices, videotapes, films, records, CD-ROMs and in publications
  • equipment for smoking or taking drugs including certain cannabis or methamphetamine utensils and vaporisers
  • some firearms and weapons such as flick knives, butterfly knives, swordsticks, and knuckle dusters
  • small high powered magnets, such as “buckyballs”
  • anything which you’re planning to use in a crime involving dishonesty.

Restricted items

You need a permit or an exemption to import these items:

  • species that are protected under the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
  • carnivorous plants
  • firearms and ammunition
  • luxury goods of Russian origin including vodka, truffles, seafood, precious stones of any value, and other luxury goods of Russian origin worth more than NZ$1000 including clothing, footwear and personal electronics. This prohibition applies to goods made in Russia, no matter where they are sold online or shipped from
  • gold of Russian origin
  • oil, gas and coal of Russian origin
  • handheld high power laser pointers.

Medicines

You may not be able to bring some medicines or controlled drugs into New Zealand.

Prohibited and restricted exports

Some items are prohibited or restricted – you may not be able to take them out of New Zealand without a permit or consent, or at all. These include:

  • pounamu (greenstone) in its natural state
  • paua meat
  • wildlife
  • protected objects covered by the Protected Objects Act.

If you aren’t sure whether you can take something out of New Zealand, please contact us.

Agricultural items

Any pests or diseases that come in with your items could cause serious damage to New Zealand’s environment and economy.

Equipment for smoking or taking drugs

You can’t bring methamphetamine and cannabis utensils and their parts, including any pipe with a heatproof bowl into NZ.

Firearms and weapons

You need a New Zealand Police permit to bring firearms (including airguns) into New Zealand.

Objectionable material

A publication is objectionable if it describes, depicts, expresses or otherwise deals with matters such as sex, horror, crime, cruelty or violence in such a manner that the availability of the publication is likely to be injurious to the public good.

Children's crayons, finger paints and watercolour paints

To protect children from toxic elements (such as lead, mercury and chromium) in their graphic materials, there are strict controls on importing children's water colour paints, finger paints, and crayons.

Endangered species

Items that are prohibited and or restricted entry into New Zealand.

Radio transmitters/telecommunication equipment

Some transmitting devices interfere with radio or television broadcasts.