No Queensland fruit flies have been found in any of the 173 traps that have been checked for the horticultural pest so far.
Hundreds of traps were set up around Whangarei after a single male fruit fly was found in the front yard of a home near the Town Basin on Tuesday, sparking fears the pest could threaten New Zealand's $4 billion horticulture industry.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) today said no suspect flies had been detected in any of the 83 traps in the controlled zone nearest to the original discovery, or in the 90 lure traps outside the controlled area.
MPI compliance official Andrew Coleman said it was a good early result, but it was important not to get complacent.
"We have still got a number of days to go before we know for sure whether there is a breeding population or not.''