Trade Law Daily is a Warren News publication.

New Zealand Revises Export Controls

New Zealand recently revised its catch-all export controls and issued guidance on the changes. The revisions, which took effect Oct. 9, include changes to restrictions on goods and technologies that are not controlled under New Zealand's export control regime but may have military or police uses, such as biological and chemical weapons or goods that may have “military applications.”

Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article

Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.

The changes include a new prohibition on items that may be used in “terrorist acts,” expand restrictions on items for military end-uses and provide an exemption for exporters from “needing to seek permits for low-risk countries and products.” The guidance provides a list of countries exempt from the controls -- including the U.S., Japan and the European Union member states -- and a list of exempt items, such as animals, food, medical products and sanitary equipment.

New Zealand also widened the definition for “military end-use” so it now includes “activities that materially enable or support operations and activities of a military or internal security nature,” such as the use of a commercial vehicle to support military logistics. New Zealand’s previous definition covered only “items for incorporation into weapons, or for use in the production, maintenance or testing of weapons,” which “did not provide sufficient coverage of risks involved” in exporting goods.