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3.51. Prohibitions and restrictions are now regulated under Customs and Excise Act 2018, or legislation administered by the Government department responsible for particular controls. Some prohibitions/restrictions can be waived, subject to prior approval/exemption from relevant Government departments or agencies (e.g. MPI, Ministry of Health, Environmental Protection Authority, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade) prior to importation for the prohibition/restriction to be waived. Some import prohibitions and restrictions are covered by import alerts on the New Zealand Customs Service (NZCS) computerized entry processing system and are subject to electronic compliance checks. These relate to, inter alia, agricultural products, food, chemicals, controlled drugs, explosives, firearms, hazardous waste. A comprehensive list of these products and a description of related procedures are found on the NZCS website.

[3.1.5 Import prohibitions, restrictions, and licensing]
3.53. The current quantitative restrictions in force are implemented for various purposes, such as protection of public morals, compliance with domestic regulations and international conventions, or protection of public health. They include agricultural products, chemicals, and endangered species, as well as a range of food products.

[3.2.3 Export prohibitions, restrictions, and licensing]
3.73. (...). New Zealand imposes restrictions, licensing requirements, controls, and prohibitions on a variety of exports mostly for health and safety reasons, or to comply with international obligations. Some prohibitions/restrictions can be waived, subject to prior approval/exemption from the relevant government departments or agencies (e.g. the MPI, the Ministry of Health, the Environmental Protection Authority, or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade) prior to exportation. Some export prohibitions and restrictions are covered by export alerts on the New Zealand Customs Service (NZCS) computerized entry processing system and are subject to electronic compliance checks. These relate to, inter alia, certain horticultural products, protected objects, chemicals, controlled drugs, explosives, firearms, and hazardous waste. A comprehensive list of these products may be found on the NZCS website. Exports of certain goods may be restricted for a range of reasons, such as ensuring New Zealand's compliance with international conventions (such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the Montreal Protocol, and the Stockholm Convention), conservation of goods of cultural status / tāonga such as pounamu and tῡturu, or ensuring that products meet requirements under relevant New Zealand legislation.

3.91. In its latest notification to the WTO, New Zealand reported 3 subsidy schemes (down from 11 programmes in 2011) that aim to promote R&D, industry innovation, business capabilities, jobs, sustainable economic development, and environmental sustainability (Table 3.9).

Table 3.9 Subsidy schemes, 2021
Subsidy scheme: Sustainable Food and Fibre Future (SFFF)
Purpose: Industry innovation and capability-building
Form of assistance: Government and non government investment fund
Duration: No fixed duration
Annual budget (NZD million): FY2018/19: 34.00; FY2019/20: 25.04

Table 3.9 Subsidy schemes, 2021
Subsidy scheme: Provincial Growth Fund (PGF)
Purpose: Jobs, economic development, environmental sustainability
Form of assistance: Loans, grants, or equity
Duration: Until 2027/28
Annual budget (NZD million): FY2018/19: 220.181; FY2019/20: 439.657

3.92. The Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) is a government-industry partnership scheme (industry contributions must be at least 60% of the total programme funding), administered by the Ministry for Primary Industries. Primary, forestry, and food sector industries are eligible to participate. The PGP has been replaced by the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures (SFFF) programme.

3.93. The Sustainable Food and Fibre Future (SFFF), introduced in October 2018, is a merger of two pre-existing funds: the The Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) and the Sustainable Farming Fund. The SFFF, also administered by the Ministry for Primary Industries, funds transformative programmes through partnerships and grants to create more value, develop capabilities, and deliver economic, social, cultural, and environmental benefits.

3.102. From 1 January 2015 to 31 January 2022, New Zealand made 39 TBT notifications (i.e. regular notifications, excluding revisions and addendums) of which all except for 2 relate to proposed technical regulations or proposed conformity assessment procedures. These measures covered, inter alia, food, alcoholic beverages, plastics, chemicals, and construction materials, and they were based on, inter alia, health, safety, quality, or environmental considerations. The other two notifications were about the adoption of emergency/urgency technical regulations.

3.108. (...) The MRAs with China and Chinese Taipei were signed in 2016 and 2020, respectively, and cover the recognition of the certification of organic products. As at January 2022, the former was not yet operational but its implementation was ongoing.