By RNZ
NZ Post has suspended some forms of shipping to the United States as US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs loom.
These included shipping to American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
On its website, NZ Post said there were some restrictions on what could be sent to the US and US territories. This included suspending a number of services temporarily “until further notice”, while formal processes around the new US tariffs were being finalised.
The suspended services included sending with economy, economy tracked, economy plus, courier and express. Letters sent via economy letters and documents sent via express were the only services still available.
As of August 29, any items sent or in transit would be subject to the new tariffs, NZ Post said, regardless of their value.
“We appreciate your patience while we adapt to these changes. We’ll continue to keep this page updated as we learn more,” it said.
NZ Post said it expected the suspension would be short-term but could not give customers an exact date.
New Zealand was hit with a 15% base rate tariff at the start of the month, up from the original 10% announced earlier.
Trump announced the tariffs back in April and said they would be imposed on more than 125 countries.
Tariffs are paid by importers of products from other countries to their own Governments and are akin to taxes, effectively making imported goods more expensive for local consumers.
Advocates say they protect local economies, while detractors say they reduce trade and push up prices.
In announcing the initial range of tariffs in April, Trump caused confusion when he held up a chart saying New Zealand charged US goods a 20% tariff, which the New Zealand Government denied.
The initial tariff ended up being 10%, which Willis at the time called “extraordinary”. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said New Zealand would not respond in kind.
Two-thirds of Kiwi businesses in a survey earlier this year thought the tariffs would have a more severe global impact than Covid-19 and the Global Financial Crisis over the next 12 months.
– RNZ