Biosecurity New Zealand, a department of the country’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is responsible for managing the biosecurity of vessels arriving in New Zealand ports.

They have advised Noonsite that from November 25, they will be issuing infringement notices to masters or persons in charge of overseas vessels who have not submitted notice of arrival documents in the required time frames.

The infringements will be $400 for a person and $800 for a corporation.

The infringements can be issued for:

• Failing to provide a notice of first arrival
• Failing to provide a second notice of arrival if there is a change to the place of arrival notified in the first notice
• When requested by a quarantine officer, failing to provide a declaration on how your vessel meets the MPI Craft Risk Management Standard (CRMS).

Completing the current advanced notice of arrival form will ensure you comply with all requirements for the first notice of arrival and CRMS. If your place of first arrival changes, you will need to let Biosecurity New Zealand and New Zealand Customs Service know by contacting them at [email protected]

Biosecurity New Zealand recommends forwarding the advanced notice of arrival before leaving your last overseas port prior to New Zealand. More information on how to prepare for arrival in New Zealand can be found at the Biosecurity New Zealand website (Yachts & other recreational vessels). The site includes a link to the advance notice of arrival form.

Anyone planning to head to New Zealand by boat should read Noonsite’s Formalities information to ensure they follow all the necessary pre-arrival procedures, thus avoiding unwanted Infringement Notices and fines.

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