Shipping Heavy Equipment to New Zealand

The four ways to ship machinery to New Zealand

Container, flat rack, RoRo and breakbulk, with where each one lands. RoRo availability is by U.S. coast; the other three are booked on the services that run when the cargo is ready.

Published sailings to New Zealand

One carrier service in our trade lane guides calls in New Zealand. Each row links to the carrier schedule it was read from; transit is from the U.S. load port to the port named.

What the U.S. ships to New Zealand

U.S. exports to New Zealand by machine class, 2025 against 2024, as reported by the United States to UN Comtrade^[1]. Units are as declared; the average is customs value divided by units.

A dash means the quantity was not reported for that year. Classes the U.S. did not ship here in either year are left out.

Import duty on machinery in New Zealand

The most-favoured-nation (MFN) duty applied to each machine class, as a simple average of the national tariff lines under its HS subheading^[3]. Preferential rates under trade agreements can be lower.

The range shows the lowest and highest line within the subheading; a dash means every line has the same rate.

Worked example: a $100,000 excavator

Import duty: 5% of $100,000 CIF is $5,000 (HS 8429.52, 2023 tariff)^[3].

GST: 15% of the duty-inclusive $105,000 is $15,750 (New Zealand Customs Service, checked June 2026)

Total duty and tax: $20,750, or 21% of CIF.

• Excise, port charges, broker fees and any registration tax are extra. The final rate depends on the exact tariff line your broker declares.

Vehicles and other taxes

Most passenger vehicles carry 0% import duty, but 15% GST applies to the customs value plus freight and insurance (and any duty). Border fees also apply.

Source: New Zealand Customs Service, checked June 2026.

• Import duty: 0% (most passenger vehicles)
• VAT: GST 15%
• Other charges: Import Entry Transaction Fee and Biosecurity System Entry Levy; Clean Car Programme fees or rebates may apply to light vehicles
• Age limits: No general age limit, but every used vehicle must pass entry certification (safety, emissions and frontal-impact standards) and gain a Warrant/Certificate of Fitness before it can be registered for road use.

Documents for New Zealand

The papers a machinery shipment to New Zealand usually needs at destination. Your consignee and their customs broker confirm the list for the exact cargo.

• Commercial Invoice
• Packing List
• Bill of Lading
• Certificate of Origin
• Cleaning Certificate
• Equipment Specifications
• Biosecurity Declaration

U.S. export rules

What every shipment from the U.S. has to clear before it sails, whatever the destination.

Electronic Export Information (15 CFR 30)U.S. Census Bureau

Electronic Export Information is filed in AES for each Schedule B number worth more than $2,500 going to one consignee on one conveyance, and for every vehicle whatever its value. For vessel cargo it is due at least 24 hours before loading; the Internal Transaction Number (ITN) goes to the carrier with the booking.^[4][5]

Applies to: Any Schedule B line over $2,500, and every vehicle

Used self-propelled vehicles: 72-hour ruleU.S. Customs and Border Protection

U.S. regulations count self-propelled construction and agricultural machinery as vehicles. A used one must be filed in AES at least 72 hours before export, whatever its value or destination, and the ITN, the VIN or serial number and the ownership documents go to CBP at the port of export. Filing after departure is not allowed.^[6][7][5]

Applies to: Used machines that drive: excavators, loaders, dozers, tractors, trucks

ISPM 15 wood packagingIPPC, administered in the U.S. by USDA APHIS

Wood packaging and dunnage must be heat-treated to a core temperature of 56 °C for at least 30 minutes, or fumigated, and carry the IPPC mark with the US country code, the facility number and HT or MB. Marked wood can be reused; repaired or remanufactured wood must be treated and marked again.^[8]

Applies to: Crates, skids, blocking and dunnage

Export classification under the EAR (ECCN or EAR99)BIS (U.S. Department of Commerce)

An item subject to the EAR is either listed on the Commerce Control List under an Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) or classified EAR99, the basket for items not listed. The ECCN’s reasons for control, read against the Commerce Country Chart, decide whether the destination needs a license. An EAR99 item rarely needs one, but no item, EAR99 included, may go to a person under a denial order or to a prohibited end use or end user without BIS authorization.^[9][10][11]

Applies to: Every export of goods subject to the Export Administration Regulations

Used machinery cleanliness: New ZealandNew Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries

Used machinery must be cleaned inside and out before shipping, and a cleaning certificate for used outdoor machinery reaches MPI before arrival. MPI expects to inspect on arrival, within 12 hours of unloading for breakbulk and open containers, and can require partial or full dismantling. If contamination cannot be removed, the machine may be reshipped or destroyed at the importer’s cost.^[12]

Applies to: Used vehicles, machinery and parts shipped to New Zealand

Clearance notes for New Zealand

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug seasonal measures (roughly September–April) require offshore treatment for vehicles and machinery from target risk countries.

• MPI biosecurity is the most common cause of delay — vehicles and machinery must arrive clean and free of soil, plant material and pests.
• Cleaning by an MPI-approved system before departure is required for risk origins, and an on-arrival inspection is mandatory.
• Biosecurity (MPI) cleanliness standards are exacting; contaminated equipment can be decontaminated at your cost or refused entry.
• Every imported vehicle needs entry certification before it can be registered for the road.

Questions buyers ask

Export checklist (PDF)

A one-page checklist with the facts on this page for shipping New Zealand: methods, duty, rules and documents. Give it to your customs broker.

Nearby destinations

• Shipping Heavy Equipment to Australia

All destinations in Asia Pacific