One of the longest-serving former employees of the Cook Islands Customs Service, Ngapoko Ngatamaine, was recognised for his outstanding service at the opening of the 26th Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO) Annual Conference on Monday.

The former chief customs officer was acknowledged for his remarkably long and loyal service to the country.

Ngatamaine dedicated 50 years to Cook Islands Customs Service in an impressive career that began in 1973.

Reflecting on his journey, he shared how he first became involved with Customs.

“I’ve been with the Customs since 1973. First, I was a teachers college trainee, and during the end of the year school break, I went looking around for part-time work to earn some money. I got hooked up with someone from Tertiary, and he said to try out Customs. I had no idea what it was,” Ngatamaine explained.

“When I joined, I saw its working frontline all in white uniforms, and that’s how I started off.”

Ngatamaine said that he wanted to be either a builder or a farmer, “but my mother said my back is not strong enough to be a builder or farmer and told me to try office work”.

So, he tried teaching before switching to Customs when a vacancy arose.

“Since then, I got stuck in that place (Customs) for over 50 years.”

Ngatamaine highlighted some of the key challenges faced by Customs, one of which is understanding what it means to be a customs officer.

“Personally, Customs is the totality of the two million square kilometres we have; it falls under Customs’ jurisdiction, which means we are responsible for ensuring that crafts coming in are accounted for, which includes people and goods,” he said.

“Ensuring things coming in are all licenced and legal and there is permission to bring them in.”

Another significant challenge according to Ngatamaine is dealing with a diverse range of people.

“The kinds of people that we’re dealing with, the ones that tell us what to do and ones that smuggle in undeclared things.”

Reflecting on the changes over the years, Ngatamaine pointed out technological advancements have transformed Customs operations. He also acknowledged the benefits of modern electronic systems.

“The difference back then is that there was no such thing as computers and everything was manually done,” he said.

“The advantages with the electronic system now are that things get to your doorsteps faster once they’re cleared. No hassle, as for back then, people or businesses had to wait for days until they got their stuff cleared by the Customs.”

Despite these changes, Ngatamaine emphasised the enduring connections between Customs and other governmental bodies.

“Not much changed because we have seven ministries, and each of them has their own roles, and Customs is linked to all of them,” he said.

The three-day Annual Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO) Conference has brought together leaders and officials from across the Pacific at The Edgewater Resort to discuss critical issues such as border security, trade facilitation and the fight against transnational crime.

Prime Minister Mark Brown officially opened the conference, emphasising the urgency of regional cooperation in safeguarding the region’s future.

Brown also addressed several key challenges faced by customs agencies in the region, including the increasing need to strengthen border security against criminal networks using the Pacific as a conduit for the transhipment of hard drugs into the markets of New Zealand and Australia.

The conference will end today.