Completed Trade Single Window opens smoothly, further enhancements ahead

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Thursday, 27 April 2017

NZ's completed Trade Single Window has been successfully deployed, according to its ministry partners, and is now available for import/export processing.

As we reported during its lengthy development and testing process, the e-commerce platform for trade is designed to allow all border requirements for goods and craft to be handled in one place instead of many.

Its creation has been part of the Customs and Ministry for Primary Industries' joint border management system program.

Customs comptroller Carolyn Tremain said getting the completed system in place was a significant achievement for all involved, including the industry

"This milestone is the culmination of more than five years of hard work and I'd like to thank all who've been involved along the way, in particular our pilot partners, the wider industry and the Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Federation.

"The enhanced TSW, which has been in place since 2013 with more than five million transactions processed, will support the seamless clearance of trade for years to come."

The completed TSW has expanded functionality.  For on-line registration this includes the ability for brokers and others to control who can do what in their name.

It also features four new lodgement types which are being piloted prior to becoming available to all users.  These include Advance Notice of Arrival (ANA) and Departure (AND).  An excise declaration facilitates submitting excise lodgements directly into TSW for the first time, with minimal Customs interaction.

A new Inward Cargo Report (ICR) is described as the most complex message set.  It includes electronically requesting international and domestic trans-shipment to get approval to move consignments out of the airline store, port or other Customs Controlled Area if they have not been cleared already.

Murray Young, chief information officer for NZ Customs said the rationale behind running pilots with a small number of companies first is akin to turning a tap on slowly.

"We want to make sure the new messages work well in a live environment, then we will progressively increase the load on the system to allow industry to become accustomed to using the new functionality.

"Later, we will set mandatory dates for all industry to transition from legacy messages to only Trade Single Window, which uses the World Customs Organizations latest data model WCO3."

Nicky Wagner (pictured), NZ's Customs minister before the recent shuffle there, welcomed completion of the TSW.

"Ongoing support from the wider import/export industry has been crucial in developing a system that works well not only for Customs and MPI, but for industry too."

Wagner said that using WCO3 would 'allow border agencies to collect better data for risk assessments'.