Bloomfield is currently program manager at OCO and has been responsible for managing the Customs components for of the Regional Trade Facilitation Program, or RTFP under the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations.
Bloomfield will succeed New Zealander Robert Taylor who will retire at the end of next month. He joined the OCO Secretariat in Noumea, New Caledonia in September 2005 and prior to this he was chief executive of the Tonga Customs Service.
OCO set up operation within the Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s Suva headquarters in early 2006.
He has extensive experience in trade having been a member of the Tongan Government officials trade negotiations team.
During his career in Customs, Taylor spent time in Customs Investigations including drug investigations where he was senior Customs representative at the New Zealand National Drug Intelligence Bureau. He also served as Director Training with the Australian Customs Service while on an exchange program.
Taylor’s interest in Customs legislation has seen him manage and lead the team that took the Customs and Excise Amendment Act 2004 through the NZ Parliament as well as work in the region developing model Customs legislation.
Taylor will retire in New Zealand where he says he will focus on his other interest, fishing.
The OCO brings together 23 Customs administrations of Australasia, Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia. Its headquarters is in Suva, Fiji.
