The holidays are upon us and with them come extra biosecurity risks posed by unpacking Christmas goodies and luggage.

Remember, and be sure to remind family and friends, to carefully unpack and check any packages or bags from overseas for hitchhiking pests like Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB). It was only a couple of weekends ago that 26 of the bugs were discovered in a box of imported shoes, bought by an eBay customer in Oamaru – proving how real the threat is.

Open overseas parcels in a closed room and if you find anything unusual, catch it, photograph it, and report it. Watch and share the short video below about checking parcels for unwanted visitors.



Kiwifruit growers and other passengers associated with primary sectors travelling overseas over the Christmas and New Year period may find they experience more interventions when returning to New Zealand. This is because they potentially pose a greater biosecurity risk based on the likelihood they may have visited offshore orchards and farms during their travels. KVH has put together a useful fact sheet outlining what kiwifruit growers can do to help reduce biosecurity risk and what they can expect through border control when returning home.