12697 (2025). Camilla Belich to the Minister of Customs

12697 (2025). Camilla Belich to the Minister of Customs: What is the total amount, if any, spent on advertising and promotional campaigns by any agencies under the Minister’s responsibility since 27 November 2023, broken down by agency, purpose, and media platform?

Hon Casey Costello: I am advised that the New Zealand Customs Service (Customs) records and analyses historical expenditure information on a monthly basis, therefore my response provides expenditure from 1 December 2023, not 27 November 2023. The total spent by Customs on advertising and promotional campaigns between 1 December 2023 and 28 February 2025 (year to date) is $1,019,022. This includes expenditure on promotion of the New Zealand Traveller Declaration. I refer the Member to the attached appendix which provides Customs’ expenditure on advertising and promotional campaigns, broken down by advertising and social media platform, for the entire 2023/24 financial year and 2024/25 (year to date). I also refer the Member to the responses to Question 49 and 50 (pages 64 to 66) of the 2023/24 Annual Review of the New Zealand Customs Service Responses, which provides a breakdown of Customs’ total spending on advertising and promotional campaigns in the 2023/24 financial year which is publicly available on the Parliament website at the following link: https://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-NZ/54SCFADT_EVI_ccd4dc81-901b-4bcb-6fde-08dcebf31e9f_FADT1015/c70abce72267ec9a5d74818b530eb5273a25840e This expenditure is predominantly made up of spend to support the implementation of the New Zealand Traveller Declaration. Travellers are required to complete a New Zealand Traveller Declaration before arriving into New Zealand. The promotional campaign focused on the digital completion of the declaration. The expenditure also includes funding for a Crimestoppers campaign to raise public awareness and encourage the reporting of illicit tobacco smuggling, as well support to New Zealand Customs’ Border Protect programme, which encourages public and industry reporting about illicit drug smuggling and other border-related crimes. I have been advised that Customs has not engaged with any social media influencers. Customs is the provider of communications support to the Border Executive Board and the Secretariat as the servicing department. The Border Executive Board has not paid for any advertising services on social media or digital platforms. The Border Executive Board provided cross-agency governance to the project establishing the New Zealand Traveller Declaration but was not involved in the purchase of advertising. Customs is the lead agency for the New Zealand Traveller Declaration and any costs were managed and paid for by Customs.