Source: Auckland Council
On 20 February 2025, a single male Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) was found in a backyard surveillance trap in the suburb of Birkdale, Auckland.
Biosecurity New Zealand, which is part of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), has mounted an operation to determine if there are more fruit flies and get rid of any population.
For the most up to date information on this response, visit Biosecurity New Zealand’s website.
Changes to your kerbside collections
This area is divided into two zones, A and B, which have different restrictions. To check if you are in the controlled area and which zone applies to you visit Biosecurity New Zealand’s website.
These restrictions mean some changes to kerbside (particularly food scraps) collections in the area.
Map of Zones A and B – Satellite Birkdale, Auckland February 2025 (source: MPI)
Auckland Council waste collections in Zone A
-
There will be no food scraps collections (the small 23L bin) in this area until further notice.
-
Follow Biosecurity New Zealand’s instructions to dispose of your fruit and vegetable waste.
-
All other food waste e.g. meat, cooked meal scraps, dairy products, rice and pasta etc, should also go into your MPI
-
Rubbish and recycling collections will continue as usual.
-
Do not put food waste into your recycling bins or rubbish bins.
Zone A general restrictions (source: Biosecurity New Zealand)
-
No whole fresh fruit and vegetables, except for leafy vegetables and soil free root vegetables, can be moved outside Zone A. This applies to all produce, regardless of whether it was bought or grown.
-
Compost and green waste from gardens also cannot be moved out of this zone.
-
Do not compost fruit and vegetables.
-
Biosecurity New Zealand is providing all households in Zone A with bins for fruit and vegetable waste, along with other food waste. Please follow all Biosecurity New Zealand’s instructions for disposal of fruit and vegetable waste.
Auckland Council waste collections in Zone B
-
No whole fruit and vegetables grown in the Zone B area can be moved out of the controlled area. You are free to move commercially purchased fruit and vegetables (e.g. fruit and vegetables bought at the supermarket) out of the area.
-
Rubbish, recycling and food scraps collections continue as normal however all homegrown produce waste and garden waste needs to be disposed of in Biosecurity New Zealand bins located in your area.
If in doubt, don’t take it out.
What else you can do
It requires a big effort from all of us to keep these fruit flies out. If you think you’ve found this fruit fly or seen what look like its maggots in fruit:
