Mango misunderstanding shocks

The woman passenger from Brisbane 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 operational support coordinator Steve Gay.

"It is common to see a passenger carry one or two fruit items, but two whole crates is really over the top," says Gay.

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 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.