271,000 passengers avoid x-rays

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 8:21a.m.

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3 News can reveal that hundreds of thousands of people have been let into the country without their bags being x-rayed.

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05 Oct 2011 11:46a.m.

charles wrote:

@ Mollie - You are wrong and so is John Key. Bags are not pre-screened in Australia. Privacy laws in Australia prohibit any transfer of images. Passengers can enter NZ without any screening of their luggage.

05 Oct 2011 11:29a.m.

jan.. wrote:

Amazing what the travellers brought inside their luggage are cannabis to cockrouches from Australia, and what about the terrorist and cannibis, how did they sneaked in to this country?..'Its not time saving' but a lack of hiring more staff, and passengers must be fully checked before leaving the Checkout Point.. Seemed like the cannabis is taken all our tax payers money on an on going year after year week after week in searching for the druglords and the growers to drug addicts..

04 Oct 2011 03:07p.m.

Longtack wrote:

Hello Katrina. Last time I entered NZ after a short holiday in a "source" country I had nothing to declare to either MAF or Customs, and wasn't detained. Either agency could have detained me at any time. There is no magic formula to identify smugglers, but randomness and intuition are effective.

04 Oct 2011 03:03p.m.

Susie wrote:

Step on it Craig Hughes you have the job and the pay and the resposibility because you are the man to get the job done. Not the man to find an excuse because the job is not being done. You also have staff who work,for you I just don't get it. Resorces a weekly paycheck and a manager. If you carn't find a solution then you are part of the problem. Watch this space...I have had enough!

04 Oct 2011 02:52p.m.

Mollie wrote:

What we must remember is that all passengers are screen leaving Australia and bags are x-rayed that end. Also the dogs do the sniff test for not just drugs, they can also locate plant material.

04 Oct 2011 12:14p.m.

Rex McGrath wrote:

Hi, I have been watching you news on bio security and thought it was a bit rich that the Kiwi fruit growers are complaining about it. The truth is that they were to tight to pay the beekeepers to pollinate the Kiwi fruit and brought in pollen from overseas and with it the PSA problem. I believe within 2 years the PSA will wipe out all of the Kiwi fruit in NZ. Would make a good story of gread over common sence Cheers Rex

04 Oct 2011 12:01p.m.

George wrote:

You're right Chris and I feel really sorry for the MAF staff themselves who always seem to bare the brunt of all our (the publics') comments berating the system. The whole biosecurity system was put in place because of the $100 million+ costs of dealing with the Painted Apple Moth and yet our short sighted Govt barely a decade later keep telling MAF to cut costs, trim staff and "streamline the process". "Trimming the fat" my rrrs. Our economy would collapse overnight if our ag/hort/forestry industries went t1ts up from any number of exotic pests or diseases but those who call the shots don't seem to twig that saving a few million $ now could cost the country hundreds or thousands of times that, tomorrow.

04 Oct 2011 11:48a.m.

Manz wrote:

Hi 5 to the GOVT, way to beef up the security through out aiports! NOT ... oh well when there's an unknown outbreak of a virus or a more lethal drug to kill people off .. we'll send the GOVT and massive THANK YOU card for destorying our country (idiots)

04 Oct 2011 11:14a.m.

katrina wrote:

Why let people through if they aren't declaring anything? drug smugglers or people bringing in dodgey stuff are hardly going to declare it are they?

04 Oct 2011 10:09a.m.

Longtack wrote:

I was a Customs Officer in the 70s, and when two jumbo aircraft arrived in a short space of time it was not unusual to take three hours to process all passengers. It's all about what's reasonable, and what the public are prepared to suffer to retain what we have. Just think about the organisms contained in bilge water discharged into NZ waters, and proven to harm to our coastal seafood and environment? Should we no longer allow cargo vessels into NZ? Should we strip-search all passengers without cause? After-all, people do smuggle in infected plant material by concealing it on their bodies.