In order to protect its country from biological risk the government of New Zealand follows stringent procedures at airports and ports to prevent the introduction of unwanted pests and diseases to its country.
So if you are a traveller from India visiting this beautiful environment-friendly country, then you must be well aware of what you should bring or what not to, with you when arriving here.
So as a traveller to New Zealand from India, you might have something special that you want to bring (like food ingredients, sweets, and cultural items). Find out what you can bring and avoid a $400 fine.
What’s banned?
There are some items you definitely cannot bring to New Zealand. These include:
- fresh fruit and vegetables
- flowers and seeds
- prasad in any form – rice, Sundal (boiled pulses mixed with spices), milk, Panchamirtham (fruits, honey, jaggery, nuts, spices mixture), sugar candy, nuts, pepper, salt, sand from ant hill, Tulsi leaves, Powa (pounded rice mixed with coconut and sugar)
- fresh meat or fish
- grains and pulses (like lentils, chickpeas, pigeon peas, and black gram)
- honey and bee products (including tonics with honey such as Chyawanprash)
- tonics (including Chyawanprash).
If you choose to bring any banned items to New Zealand, you must declare them on your Passenger Arrival Card. Or you can dispose of them on your arrival in a marked biosecurity bin.
What you must declare
Your Passenger Arrival Card has a list of the items you must declare. Besides banned items, they include:
- sweets and wafers
- food and cooking ingredients
- plants and plant products
- animal products
- used outdoor equipment.
If you are unsure whether an item is allowed into New Zealand, declare it on the arrival card when you land. Border staff will then check what you have – many items may still be allowed into the country. Doing the right thing will save you at least a $400 fine for not declaring.
Completing your Passenger Arrival Card
All passengers entering New Zealand must complete the Passenger Arrival Card.
The card contains questions about what biosecurity risk items you are bringing to New Zealand. You must declare the items you’re bringing into the country on the card. This helps the concerned authority to check whether these items pose a threat to New Zealand. If they find that you have undeclared biosecurity items, you will be fined at least $400.
You must declare all the items you are carrying with you or in your luggage.
What happens when you declare risk items?
Many items you declare can still enter New Zealand but it will depend on the packaging and how they were processed. The quarantine officers may need to inspect these items to make sure they are safe to enter the country.
The biosecurity staff (quarantine officers) will assess your declared items by asking you more questions and inspecting them. Some biosecurity risk items you declare may be allowed into the country if:
- a quarantine officer is satisfied your items don’t pose a risk
- they have been treated by the staffs at the border.
However, some items may not be allowed into the country no matter what. These items may be confiscated or destroyed.
If your items need to be treated, then they will be sent to a private independent treatment company. You can collect these items at a later date. Treatment costs may apply.
You can buy many Indian products in New Zealand
Many Indian food ingredients are easy to get in New Zealand, at speciality supermarkets and stores. You can find New Zealand stores that sell Indian food ingredients by searching on the internet.
Help New Zealand to protect it from biological risks
New Zealand has a natural environment that is well-known internationally. As a visitor to New Zealand you are appealed by the government to play your part to help protect the country from pests and diseases.
You must abide by the law of the land and follow what is allowed into New Zealand, or you may be fined at least $400.
Source: biosecurity.govt.nz
