“The Queensland fruit fly has been detected five times before in northern NZ – in Whangarei and in Auckland. In all cases MPI carried out thorough surveillance and no further flies were found.”
Coleman said the ministry responded swiftly and field teams were setting additional fruit fly lure traps to determine if other flies were present in the area, and if other flies were there, preventing any spread of the pest out of the area.
“It is vital to find out if this insect is a solitary find or if there is a wider population in Auckland. This insect, if established here, could have serious consequences for NZ’s horticultural industry. It can damage a wide range of fruit and vegetables and could lead to restrictions on trade in some of our horticultural exports.”
MPI has placed legal controls on the movement of fruit and some vegetables outside of a defined circular area which extended 1.5km from where the fly was trapped in Grey Lynn.
The controlled area takes in parts of Grey Lynn, Western Springs, Mt Albert, Ponsonby and Kingsland.
