Customs Minister Nicky Wagner says positive results from Customs’ passenger and commercial satisfaction surveys confirm New Zealand’s already strong worldwide reputation for efficiency at the border.

“New Zealand ranks sixth in the world for the efficiency of its border control agencies, in both the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index and the World Economic Forum’s Enabling Trade assessment,” Ms Wagner says.

“This is backed up by the Customs’ annual survey, which consistently shows very high levels of traveller and commercial satisfaction. The 2015 survey, conducted between March and July, shows traveller satisfaction with Customs at 92 per cent, and commercial customer satisfaction at 88 per cent.

“This is a great result given that a record number of air passengers – 10.4 million – crossed our border this year, and over 96 per cent got through within 45 minutes. This is well above the International Civil Aviation Organisation standard of 90 per cent.

“While our border has a strong worldwide reputation, the Government is always looking for ways to improve the experience for travellers and traders.

“That’s why the Government is investing an additional $6 million from Budget 2015 to provide 29 new SmartGates over the next 18 to 24 months. SmartGate is a key factor in customer satisfaction, as it is a fast way to process large numbers of passengers through the border securely,” Ms Wagner says.