[Bozeman]

We wl relocate to Christchurch in Jun...can we bring dried foods,coconut powder,rice,curry pastes and asian sauce in to NZ.

Thanks

[migratory birds]

No beans, grains, seeds - or anything that can sprout, grow and invade the islands or provide Kiwis with better quality homemade Mexican refrieds or hummus. Canned goods and unopened bottles okay. Not sure about ground spices. Definitely no honey.

Check MAF website FMI (sorry, can't find link right now but perhaps someone else can)

[Kiwi-In-Texas]

This site may be helpful..

http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/personal-travel-belongings-and-mail/bringing-things-into-nz/other-things

Cheers,

Suzanne.

[Pip]

agree with all of the above, - but just wanted to let you know that there are some fantastic asian food warehouse/supermarkets.. I'm amazed at the wide variety of spices/noodles/condiments you get can ...

also sealed packets of spice o.k - i.e commercially ones which haven't been opened.

nothing with meat in though...and I'm fairly sure rice is not allowed here, - but no shortage of it here!

[Bozeman]

From the real Bozeman (as opposed to the "wife of Bozeman" who posted above): Thanks for the input. I called MAF today and they pretty much just confirmed what it says on their website (the link above). The helpful lady did advise that any and all food products will be subject to inspection. If shipped in, the inspection will incur a cost (she would not quote a figure); if carried in, no charge. So it seems that we will have an extra suitcase filled with packets of curry powder, etc.

[Nick88]

Why? You can buy all of that sort of thing here.

[dilanium]

I'm bringing real Hungarian Paprika (sweet and spicy) and my husband's favourite seasoned salt as we can only find it in one place in the US so I don't think it will be in NZ.

[kanatakiwi]

From the real Bozeman (as opposed to the "wife of Bozeman" who posted above): Thanks for the input. I called MAF today and they pretty much just confirmed what it says on their website (the link above). The helpful lady did advise that any and all food products will be subject to inspection. If shipped in, the inspection will incur a cost (she would not quote a figure); if carried in, no charge. So it seems that we will have an extra suitcase filled with packets of curry powder, etc.

As NZ is much closer to Asia, I have always found the Indian and Asian food and seasonings available here to be excellent. However if you are a fan of Mexican or Greek food for instance, you will find slim pickings here and difficult to get the quality ingredients you need to make these dishes. (As far as I know there is not one "real" Greek restaurant in Auckland, after the one in St. Heliers closed a year or two ago. (I don't count kebab shops and middle eastern food as Greek)

[Bozeman]

Why? You can buy all of that sort of thing here.

Two reasons:

1. We have the stuff - why toss it out if we don't need to?
2. Mrs. Bozeman is particular about brands. We have scouted out what is available in Christchurch (our destination) - some of our desired items are available, some are not.

[Potato]

No beans, grains, seeds - or anything that can sprout, grow and invade the islands or provide Kiwis with better quality homemade Mexican refrieds or hummus. Canned goods and unopened bottles okay. Not sure about ground spices. Definitely no honey.

Check MAF website FMI (sorry, can't find link right now but perhaps someone else can)

Astonishingly, I walked through biosecurity in January with a generic plastic container labelled "honey" (with a post-it note). I did declare it....and yet they let me through without a problem.

[Familyofmonkeys]

We brought all of our spices/herbs. The only ones MAF told us not to bring were whole nutmeg, cardamon pods, and a few un-ground seeds.

If there is anything you are not sure about...contact MAF directly with a list of items. It is the easiest way to get it right. Print off any reply you get and show it to shipping company so that they don't tell you some items can't be packed and taken....they are usually over cautious.