[Debbie]

OK, I shouldn't have so much stuff and I should probably be more aware of what I have.

I've just got hold of the MAF papers to clear my belongings and am realy struggling with this. I hoped I had paid a remover to assist with this but to be honest the 2 boxes we air freighted ourself had just the same forms to compleat.

The problem is the form asks for info that I just can't remember, I wonder if Im the only person to have this problem and how others have resolved it. I would like to advoid a hefty fine from MAF for not declaring things and would like my stuff cleared before Xmas.

Note for those of you just packing up now, you will need this info at the other end, write it somewhere safe.

I've been asked what wine and spirits I have, the make, quantity, date of purchase, price in NZ $ and country of origin.

I dont have a clue, and it was all packed and labled contence of drinks cupboard so it will be found on inspection.

I've been asked to identify all types of food packed. Again, I remember some bits, (my favourite Maple syrup and tea bags, O' how Im looking forward to getting those back). But I can't remember everything.

What type of medicines I have and specify if they contain plant or animal products. Again I just packed up my medicine box and cabinate with all my every day bits in it. I can't remember specific details.

It asks what ornaments I have and what they are made from. Do most people just put general assorted household nic knacks, glass, metal china and wood?

I have a horrible feeling about this, I don't want to write something that will encourage an over inspection.

My stuff was packed up at the end of August, I can't remember what I had for tea 2 days ago, I don't have a cat in hells chance of remembering what I packed nearly 3 months ago.

I can't be the only one who's had this problem. Any help would be great.
Debbie

[jo-and-jeff]

Oh, Debbie, I'm so sorry, I went through the exact same thing, and was absolutely livid (not to mention despondent at trying to deal with all of it, since I basically had a mental and physical breakdown right after I got here due to the moving ordeal).

It's totally unnecessary and absolutely inexcusable, since the Customs Declaration form is available online, and if shipping companies just made sure that their customers saw it before things were packed, it would make a huge difference in terms of advance preparation.

You can read the whole saga here:
http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=5976 (http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=5976)
(I strongly recommend pouring a big glass of wine or cracking open a cold beer before starting to read.)

As far as the alcohol, those boxes will have to be set aside for MAF inspection. On the form, I would just specify that you didn't know you would need that information, and will be glad to provide it to them upon receipt of the box(es), under their supervision if they wish. You do get a certain exemption (I don't know how much), so it's entirely possible that you're under the allowed limit.

As far as the food, just list your best guess. The boxes labeled "food" on the manifest will be set aside for inspection by MAF anyway.

As far as decorative items, they're looking for real pine cones, unfinished wood, seashells, real fur, anything with dirt or sand in it, and items made of raw rattan, cane, or bamboo (if these have been painted or varnished, they're okay). Declare whatever you can remember.

As far as the medicines, declare whatever you can remember. Tell them that they are welcome to inspect the prescriptions when the box is opened.

I'm sorry that I can't give you a "magic" fix for this mess.


Customs Form NZCS 218, Unaccompanied Personal Baggage Declaration (http://www.customs.govt.nz/library/form/nzcs+forms/nzcs+218.asp)

[Ana&Steve]

There is a link to the MAF regulations on this site, maybe it will get reposted...
It asks what ornaments I have and what they are made from. Do most people just put general assorted household nic knacks, glass, metal china and wood?
On this I think they want to make sure you don't have pine cones, wreaths, raffia, or anything that may contain seeds or plant material, I don't know what else they are after.
I've been asked to identify all types of food packed. Again, I remember some bits, (my favourite Maple syrup and tea bags, O' how Im looking forward to getting those back). But I can't remember everything.
Again, I think they are looking for seeds and plant material.
From what I gather, lying comes with a big price, so try to remember as much as you can, and be prepared to have your stuff looked through.
I am sure someone will come along soon will more info!
Ana

[lollypop]

Hi Debbie,

Me too! I struggled with the MAF forms, and remembering what was packed (I put it down to age!). Regarding the ornament question, when MAF guy came to the house to do the inspection he asked me again about my ornaments, he was interested in the fact they were wooden and what size they were, he didn't want to see them in the end, don't think they were big enough!!

[Jenny & Mark]

Yikes. I hope that everything goes smoothly for you, Debbie. Thank you for the notice.

Mark.

[wiki]

You can read the whole saga here:
http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=5976 (http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=5976)
(I strongly recommend pouring a big glass of wine or cracking open a cold beer before starting to read.)


Wow that's one hell of an eye-opener! Big bravo to Avalon, Jo, Smiler Neinke and everyone else who tried to get their point across in the face of such belligerence. :clap

I might be naive, but I'm hoping the fact that I'm a Kiwi might stop them trying to fleece me so much.

At least I know where my local MAF office will be...

Best of luck Debbie (and anyone else about to battle through this)

[Hannah]

Thanks guys, this is a really useful thread, esp. as i'm packing boxes right now and will be moving in January. We are self packing the boxes so it's well worth thinking about this stuff now. I know it's no consolation to those going through/or who have gone through the difficulties with packing boxes and later finding out that they needed to supply more details, however hearing about your experiences is very useful - thank you for sharing this with the rest of us.
I hope things go as smoothly as they can for you when you arrive.
Keep us all posted
All the best, hannah

[Avalon]

Wow that's one hell of an eye-opener! Big bravo to Avalon, Jo, Smiler Neinke and everyone else who tried to get their point across in the face of such belligerence. :clap

We try our best :D :D :D

[Debbie]

Well, I phoned customs, (they are the ones who need the alcohol details) and was told, 'O' just put down what you can remember in as much detail as you can remember'.
Calming sentiment but not that helpful. I will just write a note to say it was packed 3 mths ago and to the best of my knowlegde it contains roughly the following..

I now need to contact MAF and get some ideas from them and try and get an inspection at the house.

P.S. If you are getting certified copies of stuff done in the UK get and extra copy of your passport photo and visa page. I have to find someone in NZ to do ours so we can get our stuff back. Thankfully we have just got a solicitor for a house purchase otherwise I be stumped on that to.
Debbie

[jo-and-jeff]

If you are getting certified copies of stuff done in the UK get and extra copy of your passport photo and visa page.
That is good advice, no matter from which country you're coming. However, if you get here and you don't have it, you can go to a JP here for the notarization, and it's free (although you probably need to take the copy(ies) along with you, as the JP may not always have access to a copier). The Citizens' Advice Bureaux (http://www.cab.org.nz/) here usually have some hours when a JP will be in the office.

Jo

[Nienke]

You can get a copy of your passport certified at any police station here. They do it for free as well, the police officer even made the copies for me free of charge!

[Avalon]

You can get a copy of your passport certified at any police station here. They do it for free as well, the police officer even made the copies for me free of charge!
Seriously ?????

Wow - never knew that! Ive been pestering our very nice solicitor (they dont charge us :nice1 ). But being able to get them at the Police station?

Thats my "You learn something new every day" thing for today :raebanana

[Nienke]

Yep, seriously! When the moving company asked for certified copies of our passports, they told me I could go to a police station. Went to the one in St Heliers Bay (we lived there until we bought a house in Titirangi), and the policeman made copies, stamped and signed them. Free of charge :nice1

I also heard that sworn translators can certify copies, which would be nice as I am one! But not sure about this. Anyone know for sure?

[Debbie]

OK, called MAF and again they seem quite laid back about all this. Advised to put what i can remember and they will inspect will probably inspect it anyway. So Im going to get stung for inspection charges, they charge per item but at least I wont be done for smuggling in contraban.
I asked about getting the inspection done at the house, now that wasn't as clear cut.
MAF are apparently stopping home inspection in the next few months because of the bio-hazzard risks. For the moment I can have a home inspection if I go to the public counter and ask for a BACC, (what ever that is, I forgot to ask). I apparently also need a 'bill of loading' and a 'quarantine declaration' for the container from Doree Bonner our shipper. I don't hold up much hope of Doree Bonner getting themself orgainsed enough to get me that. We used the Maidstone branch and their admin has been terrible the whole process through. (They lost our insurance forms, e-mails from them 48hr before shipping as they weren't sure if it was to go to Auckland or Wellington.....I kid you not).
It's such a shame because a friend used DB ,but another branch, and had no problems at all with them.
Debbie

[willowshouse]

.. our MAF inspection was very tame!

I listed food and alcohol on the form - it was never checked, they didn't ask to see it. The only things they were interested in seeing were golf clubs, xmas decorations, tools and things marked garden. The MAF guy was here for 15 mins and was very pleasant.

Obviously it could be that we had a different experience to others but my take on it is that the forms are EXTREMELY difficult and detailed and designed to make you terrified to forget any little detail but in actuality they just want to make sure you stick to the rules and are not interested in persecuting people for the sake of it.

Dawn

[Going2NZ]

No to hijack the thread, but just a related thought to share: I work at a govt agency in NZ and spend a great deal of time with staff from both agencies. Its been my experience that the MAF and Customs people are generally good sorts who are doing their part to keep their country safe. They are not trying to trip you up or take advantage of anyone and they realize that most people simply don't know the potential dangers of importing certain items. The geographic isolation of NZ means that diseases and pests that are common everywhere else just don't exist here. For example, there are 3 chicken diseases that are considered so "normal" that noone even worries about them anymore in other countries. So if you eat NZ chicken, you are eating healthier chicken not absorbing some nasty germs that are "normal" and MAF is one of the reasons why. On the Customs side of things, they want to make sure you aren't a drug traffiker or trying to bring in lots of stuff to re-sell without an import license or paying excise tax. Thats why 26 cases of wine gets their attention but once they're convinced that its your own collection, they probably won't worry about it.

Much of what they do is a combination of lots of training on everything from reading body language to understanding the govt acts that give them the responsibilities; experience - many frontline staff have 20+, 30+ and even 40+ years on the job; and intuition about what feels "right" and what doesn't. Which is probably why willowshouse's inspection was a breeze - obviously the MAF person didn't see any concerns based on your info and your attitude or approach to them.

Having said all that, they aren't perfect either so if you get an answer that doesn't make sense (like an NZ drs note for UK drugs), then ask more questions or ask to speak to someone else. As long as you're polite about it, I doubt they'll get there feelings hurt. ;-)

None of what I've said here is a secret, just common sense (I hope) and public knowledge. Most of it is just my observation of how these things work from both sides of the fence. I didn't know all this before I got here and I have found it reassuring to see how transparent it is from inside NZ so I hope it helps someone else.

As immigrants, my husband and I brought our dogs over to NZ and MAF people were helpful, polite and gave us answers within hours to every question we had. Frankly, the only problems we've had have been unscrupulous vendors so my advice would be to ask lots of questions, read lots of forum threads and get everything in writing. But, best laid plans and all that, our household goods are curently on tour of the north island supposedly at our expense but since we got all the details in writing, I'm hopeful that we won't get billed for it. We'll see.

At any rate, sorry for the soap box. I thought another perspective might help someone out.

[Avalon]

At any rate, sorry for the soap box. I thought another perspective might help someone out.
Good post.

Think its worth mentioning that on the whole - the problems migrants face are not with MAF itself - but with the shipping companies who use MAF as an excuse to swindle xs fees out of us- and most of the "less than favorable" threads on this topic are about the shippers not MAF.

MAF are in fact usually the ones that give migrants in this position the most help (other than the forums of course) - by allowing them to circumvent the shippers - somthing it seems is likely to stop. If that happens - MAF will not be helping the situation and will in fact be making it a whole lot worse.

[jo-and-jeff]

I have to second Av's statements. The MAF Inspector who looked at our contents was great, extremely fair and understanding. He could have made life very difficult for me if he had chosen to do so, but he did not. Likewise, the young man at MAF with whom I spoke was quite nice and sympathetic about looking up our actual charges and disclosing them to me.

Allied Pickford's, on the other hand, did make my life extremely difficult, and refused to accept any responsibility for their mistakes or their deliberate overcharging.

Jo

[Ana&Steve]

Going2NZ, nice post, we'll take it to heart when it's our time!

The geographic isolation of NZ means that diseases and pests that are common everywhere else just don't exist here. For example, there are 3 chicken diseases that are considered so "normal" that noone even worries about them anymore in other countries. So if you eat NZ chicken, you are eating healthier chicken not absorbing some nasty germs that are "normal"
Wow... Do you know what the diseases are? I was wondering if Salmonella was one of them.
our household goods are curently on tour of the north island
:) that's cute!

Ana

[Avalon]

Wow... Do you know what the diseases are? I was wondering if Salmonella was one of them.

It was reported in the news a while back that bacteria on chickens sold here was rife. Not sure if it was salmonella or e.coli or something else.

[Debbie]

Thanks for your responces to my shipping dilema. I have put in the calls i have had with Customs and MAF as both agencies seem to be quite laid back, understanding and pragmatic about the whole thing. It was just a shame that I wasn't given more info by the UK shippers prior to packing up because I would have been able to advoid a lot of possible stumbling blocks.
My boat comes in tomorrow and I will try and post an update on how we get on in practice.
Debbie.

[Trigirl]

its campylobacter that is rife in nz chickens. but then its rife in chickens everywhere!