Tania Riddell
Customs Broker, UTI NZ Ltd, Auckland Airport, Auckland
Qualifications: Customs Broking and Law Course, Customs Tariff Interpretation Course, Customs Valuation and Origin Preference Course (all industry recognised).
Job Basics: Customs clearing a range of imported goods into New Zealand, working with business clients and Government authorities such as MAF, Ministry of Health and the New Zealand Customs Service.
The world is literally at the fingertips of Auckland customs broker Tania Riddell.
The 22-year-old deals with all kinds of imports that arrive in New Zealand from around the globe ranging from ordinary, everyday household goods through to the not so ordinary.
"We can bring almost anything from "Point A" on the map right to your front doorstep," she says.
"I deal with anything and everything from all over the world."
Tania has to clear items that arrive via sea, air or post. The process means she has to deal with the authorities involved in bringing various items into the country.
"Nothing comes into New Zealand's borders without being cleared first," she says.
"I have to deal with all the border agents like MAF, the Health Department, Ports, and also New Zealand customs."
The nature of the job in dealing with items arriving from a range of destinations and preparing and submitting documents to gain clearance, means it's an interesting and rewarding career path where you are learning everyday, Tania says.
"I think if you are learning new things then you are never going to get the chance to be bored and I'm the kind of person that if I was bored then I wouldn't stick with it."
Although customs broking is IT intensive Tania says she does get out and about to meet clients in the field.
"You meet really good contacts and make friends not only in the industry but with your clients as well."
Customs brokers also arrange the delivery of cleared goods through transport companies such as trucking firms.
The most challenging aspect of the job is the research of particular products and their classification in the Working Tariff Document or the "Product Bible".
The product bible lists the code of every type of import from furniture to foodstuffs that may arrive in New Zealand, Tania says, along with the relevant duty rates and rules that may apply.
It's a tool that has helped her customs clear some interesting items during her career including a $10,000 pedigree dog and even some explosives.
Tania has created a great career but she says she wasn't always sure which pathway was the best for her.
"Like a lot of people I left school and didn't really know what to do. My Dad was a customs broker and that's how I got the idea of going into it."
A recruitment agent at Team Personnel arranged a work placement as a customs clerk for her when she left school and she still works for the same international freight forwarding company, UTI.
"I thought that I would try it for six months and I have been here for five years now," she says.
UTI deals with freight forwarding, customs brokerage and logistics. About 20 customs brokers work in her office and it's a supportive working environment, she says.
A number of courses are on offer for those in the industry through the Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Federation of New Zealand (CBAFF) and there is also a new Modern Apprenticeship being planned for the freight forwarding sector by Tranzqual ITO.
Tania is also a member of the CBAFF Youth Development Council, a group which allows younger people in the industry to contribute, take ownership and make real decisions that affect the industry they work in.
Tania says she is happy with the way things have worked out for her so far.
"It's a great industry to be involved in and I would really recommend it," she says.
"Once you are in the door then things can really open up for you. You can really progress quickly once you prove yourself and there are lots of options."