ORIENTAL FRUIT FLY RESTRICTIONS – SCHOOL AND PACKED LUNCHES

ORIENTAL FRUIT FLY RESTRICTIONS – SCHOOL AND PACKED LUNCHES

The situation
Legal controls are in place on the movement of fruit and vegetables in Papatoetoe as part of the response to the discovery of a single male Oriental fruit fly in early 2025.

It’s anticipated the restrictions will remain in place until mid-February.  You can read more at http://www.mpi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/66975-Oriental-fruit-fly-what-you-need-to-know

Our school is in Zone B of the controlled area for the Oriental fruit fly

What are the controls?
The restrictions prohibit the movement of some fruit and vegetables out of the specified control area around where the fruit fly was found.

You can see the full map at https://www.mpi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/66981-Traffic-Oriental-Fruit-Fly-January-2025-Zones-Aerial

What do the rules mean for school and packed lunches?
If you live in Zone A and are going outside of Zone A, you can’t put any whole fruit or vegetables in your packed lunch, or the school lunches of children. (Leafy greens like lettuce or root vegetables such as carrots are ok.)

If you live in Zone B and are staying inside Zone B, you can include any fruit and vegetables in packed or school lunches.  But we ask that you do the following:

• Dispose of any uneaten fruit or vegetables in special biosecurity produce bins that are now in place at our school or take the produce home for disposal.

What happens if you live outside the controlled area?
It’s possible your workplace or child’s school is inside the controlled area, but your home is not.  If that’s the case, Biosecurity New Zealand would prefer no fruit or vegetables leave Zone B. That means:

• Either you, your children or your whanau should eat any fruit or vegetables taken into Zone B, or dispose of them in Biosecurity New Zealand produce bins. There are bins at our school.
• It’s recommended you only pack what’s likely to be eaten.

No fruit or vegetables grown in Zone B can be moved out of the controlled area.

If you find larvae in fruit or believe you have seen a fruit fly, call 0800 80 99 66

More information about the response is available at https://www.mpi.govt.nz/biosecurity/exotic-pests-and-disease-in-new-zealand/active-biosecurity-response-to-pests-and-disease/oriental-fruit-fly-detection/