Westlake Girls' High School
Customs Officer Āpiha Taupare
Customs officers control the entry and departure of goods, ships, planes and people to and from New Zealand.
Customs officers may do some or all of the following:
- inspect mail and goods for illegal items
- patrol wharves and search ships and aircraft for prohibited and restricted goods
- check passengers' passports and travel documents
- check passengers for prohibited and restricted goods
- assess and collect taxes on goods coming into the country, and on alcohol and tobacco made in New Zealand
- gather import and export data
- gather intelligence and assess security risks
- carry out drug and commercial investigations
- keep notes and evidence for legal investigations.
Physical Requirements
Customs officers need to be reasonably fit and healthy, and have good eyesight (with or without corrective lenses).
They must pass a medical exam for entry into the role, and ongoing fitness tests (for some customs officer positions).
Useful Experience
Useful experience for customs officers includes:
- customer service roles involving dealing with the public, managing complaints and handling conflict
- work involving legislation or law enforcement
- being able to speak and understand other languages.
Personal Qualities
Customs officers need to be:
- skilled at communicating
- able to relate to people from a range of cultures and backgrounds
- polite, patient and helpful
- firm when dealing with people
- skilled at analysing information and solving problems
- good at planning
- responsible
- observant, with an eye for detail.
Useful Experience
Useful experience for customs officers includes:
- customer service roles involving dealing with the public, managing complaints and handling conflict
- work involving legislation or law enforcement
- being able to speak and understand other languages.
Subject Recommendations
There are no specific secondary education requirements to become a customs officer, but NCEA Level 2 English and maths are preferred.
Customs Officers can earn around $48K-$67K per year per year.
Customs officers may move into chief customs officer and managerial roles.
With further on-the-job training, customs officers may progress to jobs in areas such as:
- intelligence
- criminal investigation
- dog training and handling.
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