Food & drink: bringing food into New Zealand, alcohol rules and food safety

Everyone who arrives in New Zealand must complete a New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD). This includes New Zealand citizens, residents and babies. The NZTD replaced the old paper Passenger Arrival Card. You must declare all food, plants and seeds, animal products and traditional or herbal medicines. A false declaration can bring an instant fine of at least NZ$400. If you are not sure, declare it.

In New Zealand you must be 18 or older to buy alcohol. When you buy alcohol or go into a bar, you may need to show an approved evidence of age document, such as a passport, a New Zealand driver licence or a Kiwi Access card. There are strict limits on giving alcohol to anyone under 18. Many parks and streets have alcohol bans, and you can be fined for drinking or carrying alcohol there. If you have been drinking, do not drive. These rules come from the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.

In New Zealand, food that is unsafe, unsuitable to eat or contaminated is recalled. The list of recalls is on the MPI New Zealand Food Safety website. This guide explains how to check for recalls, how to handle food safely at home, the difference between 'use by' and 'best before', and who to contact about food poisoning, foreign objects in food or poor hygiene.

If you run a food business in New Zealand, you usually need to register under the Food Act 2014. This includes a restaurant, takeaway shop, food stall or selling food you make at home. When you register, you choose a Food Control Plan or a National Programme. After that, your business gets regular checks, called verification. You register with your local council or with MPI, depending on where you operate and which type of plan you need. This page uses information published by Auckland Council as an example.