Kiwi holidaymakers are fond of packing exotic mementoes from their overseas trips — according to new figures revealed by the Department of Conservation.
Last year, border officials confiscated 1685 pieces of coral, 1268 shells, 1034 packs of crocodile jerky and 2377 other items from endangered species.
This week, the department revealed the figures with a reminder for travellers to check the rules if they planned to return to New Zealand with keepsakes from overseas, particularly the Pacific Islands, Hawai’i, or Queensland.
The conservation department is the New Zealand management authority for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
The convention “monitors and controls the international travel of items containing protected animals and plants, and ensures long-term survival of species is not threatened”.
Department of Conservation acting team lead of border operations, Storm Heaven, said many New Zealanders headed for the warmth of Pacific Islands, Queensland, or even Hawai’i to escape the winter – and many wanted to bring back something to mark their holidays.
“Many items found in markets or even on the beach in the Pacific Islands come from threatened species – good examples include some shark teeth or jaws, and all giant clams and stony corals.
“It means, if your souvenir is from a species protected by CITES, a permit from the country of export is needed, and in some cases, we will need to issue a permit for the item to be brought into New Zealand.”
Although some items were legal — such as crocodile jerky — DOC said the products must be accompanied by a CITES export permit issued from Australia.
It said coral, clams and crocodile jerky made up 62% of all seizures in 2024.
“Seizures of those types items alone totalled 1.26 tons: that’s the equivalent weight of a male giraffe — which is also a CITES-listed species.”
Spike typically seen in mid-year school holidays
Heaven said the mid-year school holidays were a time for a noted “spike” , with an increase in seizures due to people not obtaining the correct permits.
CITES-listed corals and clam shells seizures spiked the during school holiday periods of April, July and October.
“Since 2017 — excluding the COVID years of 2020 and 2021 when NZ’s borders were closed — CITES corals and clams seizures were on average 50% higher during the school holiday periods than other times,” Heaven said.
Generally, DOC said CITES seizures were trending down, but there was still a noticeable increase in seizures of these items around holiday periods.
“We understand many families want to bring back memories of their holidays, and we urge them to visit the CITES section of the DOC website to find out more about the permit process and how they can ensure their travel trinkets can be enjoyed into the future,” said Heaven.
“Ask yourself, ‘are my goods all good?’ and, if you’re not sure, check online.”
