Accredited persons

Review the relevant standard

Accredited person responsibilities and requirements are outlined in the relevant container standard and the Biosecurity Act.

Download the container standard for sea containers [PDF, 320 KB]

Download the container standard for air containers [PDF, 503 KB]

Biosecurity Act 1993 – NZ Legislation website

You must complete an approved course

To become an accredited person you must complete and pass an MPI-approved training course. More details are in Step 2: Complete training.

Proof of right to work in New Zealand for non-New Zealand citizens

If you're not a New Zealand citizen, you must show us your foreign passport with a valid New Zealand visa which allows you to work.

All visa options to work are on the Immigration New Zealand website. Non-New Zealand citizen applicants should check that their visas (including any conditions) will allow them to do this work. MPI may use passport details to check your right to work, using the Visa Verification Service.

• Immigration New Zealand

Length of appointment

You will not be appointed for a term that exceeds the expiry date of your work visa.

Get advice from MPI

Find out about getting appointed as an accredited person or training requirements, by contacting the national facility approvals team.

• Email seacontainer@mpi.govt.nz

You can also get advice from your local biosecurity inspector.

• Find your local MPI office or inspector

You must complete and pass an MPI-approved accredited person course. The courses outline what to do when checking a container for biosecurity risks and MPI reporting requirements.

For information on locations and dates of training courses contact one of the approved training providers.

• Find an accredited person training provider

After training, complete an Application for appointment as an accredited person.

• Application for appointment as an accredited person [DOCX, 92 KB]

Required documentation

Include in your application for appointment a:

• copy of your certificate of training
• coloured copy of your photo identification (such as a current driver's licence or passport).

Email your completed documentation to seacontainer@mpi.govt.nz

What happens next?

Only completed applications can be processed. The approval can take up to 10 working days to process.

If you don't provide everything we need, we'll decline your application and tell you why. You'll need to re-submit the entire application.