Importing Fruit and Vegetables

Fruit and vegetables fall into two major categories; fresh or processed.

• Fresh Fruit and Vegetables
• Processed Fruit and Vegetables
• Import Health Standards
• What about Fresh Fruit and Vegetables not in the IHS?
• Import Permit
• High Profile Pests

Fresh Fruit and Vegetables

The Ministry for Primary Industries allows fresh fruit and vegetables, including fresh fungi, to enter New Zealand on a country:commodity basis. A specific species of fresh fruit or vegetable can only be imported into New Zealand, where they have been assessed from a specific country, and a specific import health standard or schedule is in place.

The import health standard 152.02 Importation and Clearance of Fresh Fruit and Vegetables into New Zealand (1369 KB) summarises the phytosanitary requirements for all fresh fruit and vegetable commodities that are allowed to be imported into New Zealand.

• List of approved processed commodities (19 KB)

Processed Fruit and Vegetables

Fresh peeled, shredded and diced fruit and vegetables can only be imported into New Zealand from approved pathways. See specific details listed in section 8 of the import health standard 152.02 Importation and Clearance of Fresh Fruit and Vegetables into New Zealand.

Fruit and vegetables that have been frozen, cooked or preserved may be imported from all countries, with the exception of frozen seaweed, truffles and citrus leaves.

All processed fruit and vegetables must meet the requirements of section 9.5 of the import health standard BNZ-NPP-HUMAN Importation into New Zealand of Stored Plant Products Intended for Human Consumption (see below).

Import Health Standard

• 152.02: Importation and Clearance of Fresh Fruit and Vegetables into New Zealand (1369 KB)
• BNZ-NPP-HUMAN: Importation into New Zealand of Stored Plant Products Intended for Human Consumption (538 KB)

These documents state the requirements for fresh and processed fruit and vegetables, approved in accordance with New Zealand MPI's obligations under the Biosecurity Act 1993 and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).

What about Fresh Fruit and Vegetables not in the IHS?

Species of fresh fruit and vegetables can only be imported into New Zealand, where the associated risks have been assessed from a specific country.

Each year, MPI Plant Imports, receives many proposals and applications to import horticultural commodities. We advise that in order for these commodities to be permitted entry into New Zealand, it is necessary for MPI to undertake an import risk analysis for each commodity so as to develop appropriate phytosanitary measures, in the form of an import health standard. The outcome of such analyses will be the import requirements (schedule) for each commodity, that will list the requirements to be met before biosecurity clearance can be given, this may include a post entry quarantine period.

More information is available on requesting the development of an import health standard.

Import Permit

A permit to import is not required to import fresh fruit and vegetables into New Zealand.

High Profile Pests

More information on high profile pests of fresh fruit and vegetables can be found at the links below.

• Pierce's Disease – Xylella fastidiosa
• Glassy-winged Sharpshooter - Homalodisca vitripennis/Homalodisca coagulata
• Queensland Fruit fly - Bactrocera tryoni
• Mediterannean Fruit fly - Ceratitis capitata

Page last updated: 30 April 2012