Passenger compliance is up, risk is down

International air travellers are less likely to get risk goods through border checks, according to a new air passenger compliance survey.

The 2019 results show the overall compliance rate for passengers entering New Zealand is 98.95%. Biosecurity New Zealand’s target is 98.5% and they say betterig this target in the face of increasing passenger numbers suggests the ongoing work to improve border controls is producing results.

Some of the survey highlights:

· The highest performing exit lane was the Green Lane (99.2%). This result suggests officers are getting it right with their risk decisions – only low-risk passengers are are able to use this exit.

· High-risk items are being stopped from entering New Zealand. Passenger compliance regarding goods associated with fruit fly and foot-and-mouth disease was very strong at 99.9%.