More travellers stung with fines at NZ border

Last year MPI added 24 new detector dog teams to its taskforce (Reuters)
Last year MPI added 24 new detector dog teams to its taskforce (Reuters)

New Zealand's biosecurity officers have stepped up the number of infringement notices they have been handing out at the border, according to statistics from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

Border security has issued $400 fines to 2288 passengers who have, unwittingly or not, presented a biohazard risk to New Zealand over the summer -- a 41 percent increase on the previous summer.

MPI border clearance services director Steve Gilbert says they have taken a more hardline attitude in recent months in an attempt to stop biohazard threats making their way past customs.

"To ensure the biosecurity message gets through, officers have been taking a stricter approach with fining passengers who break the rules," he said.

Part of that "stricter approach" is an expanded border security team; last year MPI added 90 new frontline officers and 24 new detector dog teams to its taskforce.

And it appears to be working, with MPI seizing 28 percent more undeclared items from air passengers this summer compared to last, and seeing a considerable 84 percent increase in interceptions of risk items from cruise vessels.

MPI are also pleased with their defences against an outbreak of fruit flies that affected Auckland last year -- they intercepted 14 pieces of organic material that contained the dangerous insects.

"Stopping fruit fly from entering New Zealand is a big focus for us. So it is good to know that we have prevented at least 14 incursions of this destructive pest this summer," Mr Gilbert said.

Newshub.