WELLINGTON
The Customhouse, 1 Hinemoa Street, Wellington
PO Box 2218, Wel ington 6140
Phone: 04 901 4500 4555 Al general enquiries phone: 0800 428 786
Email: [email address] Website: www.customs.govt.nz
18 March 2024
Ref: OIA 24-055
Mr Felix Lee
By email:
[FYI request #25789 email]
Tēnā koe Mr Lee
Request for information under the Official Information Act 1982
Thank you for your email received on 19 February 2024, to the New Zealand Customs Service
(Customs) via the FYI website, requesting the following information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act):
“Thank you for your response in OIA 23-222 last year where you noted "our
intentions are to progressively enable further countries over 2024" for eGate access.
I would like to request an update for this. Please let me know:
- the countries/territories where there are plans to let them use the NZ eGates,
including those with plans that are finalized or not finalized. If possible please give an
indication on completion date for each, a rough estimate is OK.”
In response, I can advise that Customs’ plans to advance New Zealand’s eGate is currently
under consultation, as such I am refusing your request in full under section 9(2)(f)(iv) of the
Act to maintain the constitutional conventions for the time being which protect the
confidentiality of advice tendered by Ministers of the Crown and officials.
Customs considers that the public interest arguments in favour of making the withheld
information available do not outweigh the necessity to withhold this information.
You have the right, by way of complaint to the Of ice of the Ombudsman under section 28(3)
of the Act, to seek an investigation and review of this decision. Information about how to make
a complaint is available online at
: www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or you can phone 0800 802
602.
In the first instance however, if you have any queries in relation to this response, please
contact the Correspondence, Reviews and Ministerial Servicing team at:
[email address]
Please note that Customs proactively releases responses to Of icial Information Act requests
on our website. As such, we may publish this response on our website after we have sent it to
you. Your name and contact details wil be removed.
Nāku noa, nā
Chris King
Group Manager, Strategic Systems and Service Optimisation
