A backpacker coming home for Christmas says he has no idea why Customs stripped him of every bit of electronic equipment he had at the airport with his only theory being that he attended a talk in London about Edward Snowden's leaked documents.
The New Zealand Herald is reporting that a Customs officer at Auckland Airport took Sam Blackman's two smartphones, iPad, an external hard drive and laptop – and demanded his passwords when he arrived on a flight from Heathrow to spend Christmas at home.
He says he believed loose-leaf tea he declared was responsible for the extensive bag search Customs officers carried out when he arrived
Blackman says he was then told that Customs 'weren't worried about the tea'.
When he asked why the items were being confiscated, the official refused to say, or how long the items would be kept.
A Customs spokeswoman refused to discuss Mr Blackman's case with the newspaper.