An air passenger from Brisbane shocked Ministry for Primary Industries border staff last week by arriving in Auckland with two crates of fresh mangos.
“It is common to see a passenger carry one or two fruit items, but two whole crates is really over the top,” says Operational Support Coordinator Steve Gay.
Mr Gay says the mangos posed a high biosecurity risk to New Zealand.
“They’re a favourite fruit for Queensland Fruit Fly – a pest that would have a devastating impact on New Zealand horticulture if it became established here.”
The woman declared the fruit, so did not receive any penalty. She thought it was okay to bring mangos into New Zealand after talking with the airline, says Mr Gay.
“The good thing is the woman declared the goods, which shows our biosecurity messages are getting through to international passengers. We’ll be talking further with the airline to see if there is any confusion about our biosecurity rules.”
The crates contained 28 mangos. They have since been destroyed.
