These regulations, which come into force on 1 July 2025, amend the Biosecurity (Costs) Regulations 2010 (the principal regulations).

The principal regulations set the charges that importers, facility operators, and others (as defined in the principal regulations) must pay for various activities carried out by inspectors and biosecurity advisers under the Biosecurity Act 1993 (the Act). These regulations—

• adjust some of the charges for travel costs, waiting-time costs, on-call charges and call-out costs, work done by veterinary inspectors outside standard working hours, penal costs, and missed appointment costs so as to better reflect the cost of those things to the Ministry for Primary Industries (the Ministry) (regulations 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9):

• remove the 3-hour minimum charge payable when a veterinary inspector undertakes specialist functions and activities necessary for the import of live animals or germplasm on a public holiday or Ministry holiday (regulation 6(5)):

• adjust some of the costs in relation to—

  • inspection of goods (except goods imported for the personal use of the importer) for the purpose of ascertaining whether those goods should be cleared (regulation 10(1)); and

  • tests, examinations, and treatment of imported goods that harbour, or may harbour, an organism (regulation 10(1)); and

  • inspection of goods for which costs are not prescribed except in item 7 of the Schedule of the principal regulations (regulation 10(1)); and

  • monitoring controls on new organisms in containment facilities (regulation 10(1)); and

  • inspection of an animal that is on board a craft within New Zealand territory and is not intended to be cleared (regulation 10(1)); and

  • inspection and monitoring of an animal or a plant held in a transitional or containment facility for the purpose of ascertaining whether the animal or plant should be cleared, moved from, or continue to be held in, a transitional or containment facility (regulation 10(1)); and

  • inspection of a consignment of animal material (other than fish meal) for the purpose of ascertaining whether it should be cleared (regulation 10(1)); and

  • inspection and compliance auditing of a transitional or containment facility, to ascertain whether it should be approved, or continue to be approved, under section 39 of the Act (regulation 10(1)); and

  • investigation and compliance auditing of a facility operator, or proposed operator, to ascertain whether the operator or proposed operator should be approved, or continue to be approved, under section 40 of the Act (regulation 10(1)); and

  • investigation and compliance auditing of a ruminant protein control programme under regulation 7A of the Biosecurity (Ruminant Protein) Regulations 1999 (regulation 10(1)); and

  • functions, powers, or duties not prescribed except in item 23 of the Schedule of the principal regulations (regulation 10(1)); and

  • inspection of an animal after arrival for the purpose of ascertaining whether the animal should be cleared or directed to be held in a transitional or containment facility (regulation 10(2)); and

  • processing an application for approval of a transitional or containment facility, or a facility operator, for which a veterinary inspector’s expertise is required (regulation 10(3)).