This note is not part of the regulations, but is intended to indicate their general effect.

These regulations, which come into force on 20 December 2015, amend the Customs and Excise Regulations 1996 (the principal regulations) to prescribe rules of origin and product specific rules for goods imported from the Republic of Korea. The rules of origin and product specific rules give effect to the Free Trade Agreement between New Zealand and the Republic of Korea done at Seoul, Korea, on 23 March 2015 (the Republic of Korea FTA), which is sometimes also called the KNZFTA.

The rules of origin and the product specific rules in the Republic of Korea FTA are incorporated into the principal regulations by reference, and with specified variations to Tariff item references. At the time of the making of these regulations, the text of the Republic of Korea FTA is available at https://korea.fta.govt.nz/agreement.php. The variations are specified in new Schedule 9 (inserted by regulation 5 and the Schedule). They reflect updating maintenance of the product specific rules. Future similar updating is contemplated after the entry into force, and under Article 4.14.3(b), of the Republic of Korea FTA. The abbreviations (for example, “WO”) in the third column (Proposed rule following transposition to HS 2012) of new Schedule 9 are defined in paragraph 6 of the Headnote to Annex 3-A of the Republic of Korea FTA.

Access to the provisions incorporated by reference is also facilitated by the chief executive of the New Zealand Customs Service in the other ways required by section 287D of the Customs and Excise Act 1996.