25 November 2014

NZ-HK Customs heads meet to strengthen ties

A meeting between New Zealand Customs and Hong Kong Customs officials in Auckland today has strengthened the close partnership between the two agencies that continue to work together, especially to combat drug smuggling and organised crime.

The Hong Kong delegation, led by Commissioner Clement Wan-ching Cheung, is in Auckland for the eighth NZ – HK China Customs Cooperation Conference. Leaders of both agencies met to review their extensive cooperation, get updates on regional anti-drug enforcement strategies, outline respective secure trade programmes, and discuss e-commerce.

NZ Customs Comptroller, Carolyn Tremain, says New Zealand Customs is privileged to share a great relationship with its Hong Kong counterpart, and it was a pleasure to host the delegation and meet them face-to-face to share strategies, experiences and priorities.

“Customs places great importance on co-operating on drug trafficking enforcement and trade facilitation with Hong Kong. The high-level discussions this week were positive, and our ties are just as strong at an operational level.

“Together, we’ve had a number of anti-drug smuggling successes this year, resulting in several arrests in both countries and preventing millions of dollars worth of methamphetamine from reaching New Zealand,” Ms Tremain says.

“We’re also assisting Hong Kong Customs to develop a cash detector dog programme similar to ours. The delegation will see our dual cash-drug detector dogs in action tomorrow, and visit operational sites to get first hand understanding of our work.

“There’s also a lot we would like to learn from our counterparts, in particular their experiences of working with industry groups to assist in enforcement. Keeping pace with new technology is also particularly important, and they are very quick to adopt this,” she says.

Commissioner of HK Customs and Excise Department, Clement Wan-ching Cheung, says “co-operating with New Zealand and other countries is key to our anti-drug strategy.”

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