shipping to new zealand from australia

If you are shipping to NZ and sending items that have been “owner packed” then they will attract more stringent inspection by Customs and MAF Biosecurity on arrival.

Providing a detailed carton-by-carton inventory to assist Customs and Biosecurity in inspecting your effects may avoid delays. It is advisable to have your goods packed by your shipping if you are looking at sending larger consignments to ensure the clearance process can be conducted with a minimum of fuss.

Shipping to New Zealand with your pets presents a unique set of logistical challenges. When relocating with your loved pet, eg cat or dog, this process will be managed with a specialist ‘OSS approved’ pet moving provider who understands the needs of both pets and their owners, and will take care of all the relevant arrangements when shipping to New Zealand.

For more information about moving overseas with pets, please refer to our detailed guide to moving pets overseas page

It is possible to ship your vehicle to New Zealand, provided the strict rules set by the New Zealand government are complied with.  Our service for shipping a vehicle to New Zealand will be a delivery service from our depot to our partner’s depot in New Zealand, with the main depots being Auckland, Christchurch & Wellington. (If delivery is required to another depot location please let us know and we can arrange this, delivery to your residence can be arranged for an additional fee).

If you’re considering importing your vehicle to New Zealand, we recommend the use of an entry certifier to assess whether the vehicle meets the applicable standards and can be registered for use on New Zealand Roads. 

To complete the importing process, you must provide evidence of:

• Proof of ownership

• Emissions Standards

• Frontal Impact Standards

• Fuel Consumption

• Light-Vehicle brakes standards

• Heavy-Vehicle brakes standards

• Overall standards

You must make sure that you deregister the vehicle with its current country’s registration authority and keep all the documents required for arrival, as well as arrange for an entry certifier to perform the entry certification inspection. 

Please note you cannot export tyres to New Zealand without rims. If you do they will incur mandatory fumigation with no option of destruction.

When shipping your household goods to New Zealand by sea freight, this will typically take 4 – 6 weeks for an FCL service. For services such as LCL and shared container services (i.e. groupage), these will take longer to reach your destination as your goods will need to be consolidated with other consignments heading to the same destination.

Please discuss these options & shipping times with your shipping consultant, as shipping times will vary greatly for each destination when using this type of service over an FCL service.

Shipping a boat to New Zealand from Australia has similar requirements to shipping a car to New Zealand when it comes to registration requirements and processes.

Customs and Quarantine in New Zealand will have a special interest in the boat due to its exposure to marine life, however as Australia has a fairly clean marine environment, your boat should pass customs and quarantine without any problem.

OSS offers a full range of shipping insurance options depending on your needs when shipping to NZ.

Although your shipment to New Zealand will be packed to export standards (designed to withstand the longest journey), the small cost of insurance gives you complete peace of mind about the exposure and rigours that are always inherent when shipping from one side of the world to the other.

Ask us about MoveCover, our Marine Transit Insurance product.

If you are considering shipping to New Zealand then you must understand the tax differences and rates between the two nations. These rates are based on your total income for the tax year. Your income could include:

• Salary, Wages or Earnings from Self-Employment

• Work and Income benefit

• Scheduled payments

• Interest from a bank account or investment

• Money from renting out property

• Overseas income

Some income is taxed before you get paid (which includes salaries, wages, work and income benefits, scheduled payments and interest). The amount of tax your employer or payer deducts depends on the tax code and income information you gave them. Other income is not taxed, and you pay tax on this income at the end of the year, with the amount depending on your total income for the tax year.

Refer here to visit the IRD government website to understand more about taxation in New Zealand

You must understand and obtain specific accounting and taxation advice suitable to your individual circumstances before shipping to NZ.

When shipping to New Zealand you will need to consider the extensive list of restricted and prohibited items. The following is a sample of the extensive list you

Shipping To New Zealand From Australia – FIDI Guide

• Objectionable material contained on items like videotapes, films, records, CD-ROMs and in publications

• Weapons like flick knives, butterfly knives, swordsticks, knuckle-dusters and any weapon which is disguised as something else

• Equipment for using illicit drugs

• Anything that you’re planning to use in a crime

You need a permit to import certain items, including:

• Ivory in any form, including jewellery, and carvings

• Tortoise or sea turtle shell jewellery, and ornaments

• Meat or food derived from whales, dolphins, rare cranes, and pheasants, or sea turtles

• Medicines containing musk, rhinoceros or tiger derivatives such as ground horn or bone

• Carvings or other things made from whalebone or bone from other marine mammals

• Trophies of  sea turtles, all big cats, rare reptiles, cranes, pheasants, bears, antelope, and deer

• Live species, including pet eagles, hawks, owls and parrots, many cacti, orchids, cycads, and cyclamens

• Carnivorous plants.

New Zealand appliances are manufactured to operate on 220-240 Volt AC supply which is the same as Australia. You should not expect any compatibility issues with appliances purchased and used in Australia. For New Zealand, the associated plug type is I, which is the plug that has three flat pins in a triangular pattern.