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Report Illicit Sellers
& help put an end to the illegal sale of tobacco
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About this site
Stopping
illicit trade
Illicit trade is a serious and prominent threat to New Zealand retailers. Through smuggling, counterfeiting and tax evasion, legitimate businesses are being undermined, consumers are being exposed to poorly made and unregulated products, and the New Zealand government is losing billions in lost tax revenue.
This site allows retailers to anonymously report those they suspect or know are selling illicit tobacco. This information will be collated and provided to police authorities to assist with their understanding of illicit crime problem areas — so they can investigate and take action.
Smuggling & Counterfeiting
Cheap illegal imports bypassing border controls
Tax Evasion
Billions in lost excise revenue every year
Unregulated Products
No safety standards — unknown risk to consumers
Speak up. Stop illicit trade. Protect Kiwi businesses.
Know the threat
What is
illicit tobacco?
Illicit tobacco is tobacco that is grown, manufactured and/or produced in New Zealand without an appropriate excise licence, or imported into the domestic market without customs duty being paid.
Loose tobacco
Known as “Chop-Chop”
Unprocessed or roughly cut leaf tobacco grown or imported illegally — sold loose, unbranded and untaxed.
Cigarettes
Known as Contraband or Counterfeit
Factory-made cigarettes smuggled across the border or fake branded packs — no excise paid, no quality control.
Know the threat
Types of illicit tobacco
The illegal tobacco trade falls broadly into four categories.
Contraband
Genuine tobacco products produced for lawful distribution in their intended market, but illegally diverted and smuggled into a different market.
Illicit Whites
Tobacco products generally legally produced in one market, then smuggled into another where they have limited or no legal distribution.
Counterfeit
Tobacco products manufactured without the permission of the trademark rights holder — fake branded packaging with no quality control.
Unbranded Tobacco
Finely cut loose-leaf tobacco sold in a range of pack sizes in roll-your-own form. Also known as ‘chop chop’.
The hidden cost
Illicit tobacco
robs us all
27.2%
of total tobacco consumed in 2024 was illicit product
$600M
in estimated lost government revenue every single year
What could $600 million buy each and every year?
100 new classrooms
At $870,000 each
Dozens of new drug treatments
for Pharmac ($151 million)
200 new Police Officers
($105 million)
1,116 hip replacements
At $31,000 each
A C-130J Super Hercules
for the RNZAF ($283 million)
The money lost to illicit tobacco exceeds everything NZ earns from exporting these four industries — combined
NZ exports outstripped every year
$480M
Eggs & Honey
$460M
Wool
$395M
Beverages
$388M
Paper & Paperboard
Source: NZ Overseas Merchandise Trade, October 2025
Public health
Illicit tobacco threatens
a Smokefree NZ
Smoking rates vs excise revenue — year by year
2023 — Baseline
6.8%
Daily smoking rate when $1.66 billion in excise was collected.
2024 — Smoking rises, revenue falls
6.9%
Daily smoking rate climbed — yet excise fell to $1.473 billion.
−$193M excise / −$221.95M incl. GST — in just one year
2025 — Same smoking rate, less revenue
6.8%
Daily smoking rate returned to 6.8% — the same as 2023 — yet excise fell again to $1.471 billion — $8M below the May 2025 Budget forecast.
−$195M excise / −$224M incl. GST — since 2023
Gangs don’t care about age, social status, or getting people hooked on cigarettes
Report an illicit seller
All information collected is anonymous and will be passed on to the relevant authorities.