New Zealand has strict quarantine laws and all arriving passengers are subject to screening. During non-peak hours, passengers with no baggage can expect to exit the airport within 10 minutes. For passengers with baggage it will take some extra time to go through the screening and during peak times it may take up to 1 hour. A NZ$200 instant fine applies for risky items not being declared, while a fine of up to NZ$100,000 and ten years in prison are possible for the importation of certain specifically risky goods.

You must declare if you have any of the following:

• food of any sort
• plants and parts of plants (alive or dead)
• animals (alive or dead) or products of animals
• equipment used with animals
• camping gear, golf clubs and used bicycles
• biological specimens

Certain items cannot be brought into New Zealand at all or can only be brought in with written permission given beforehand. These include fruit, meat, honey, bird nests and reptiles.

There's no restriction on the amount of foreign currency you can bring in or take out of New Zealand. However, if you carry more than NZ$10,000 cash in or out of New Zealand you'll be required to complete a Border Cash Report.