Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Melons, cucumbers and courgettes off the menu (briefly) after Aussie suspension

NZ Herald
28 Aug, 2018 10:53 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Imports of Australian melons were temporarily suspended after the cucumber green mottle mosaic virus was found in a consignment of watermelon. Photo / file

Imports of Australian melons were temporarily suspended after the cucumber green mottle mosaic virus was found in a consignment of watermelon. Photo / file

Melons, cucumbers and courgettes might be off the menu following a brief suspension of imports from Australia.

The Ministry for Primary Industries suspended Australian imports on fruit and vegetables of the cucurbit family, after the cucumber green mottle mosaic virus was detected on a consignment of Australian watermelon on August 15.

That suspension was lifted on August 27, when new import requirements were put in place to manage the risk of CGMMV on host fruit arriving at the New Zealand border.

The virus is a destructive disease of cucurbits, such as squash, pumpkin, cucumber and melon, and can cause severe yield losses. It only infects plants, so is not a concern for animal or human health.

Some supermarkets have put up signs around the country warning of potential shortages following the temporary suspension.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Cucumber are part of the cucurbit family. Photo / file
Cucumber are part of the cucurbit family. Photo / file

A spokeswoman for Foodstuffs - which operates New World, Pak'nSave and Four Square supermarkets - said while there were having a few issues with Australian courgettes and melons, any shortages were likely to be shortlived.

Following MPI's investigation and new processes in place, shipments of Australian rockmelon, honeydew and courgettes were likely to recommence shortly.

Local courgettes were just coming into season and volume would increase over the coming weeks and months, she said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Australian growers/exporters would have to meet these new import requirements if they want to import host fruit and vegetables to New Zealand, the MPI spokeswoman said.

Australian authorities will also have to provide an assurance that host fruit and vegetables exported to New Zealand have been sourced from an area free from CGMMV.

These fruits and vegetables were still able to be imported from other countries, provided they met the import health standard.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

11 Jul 12:26 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

10 Jul 10:57 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

11 Jul 12:26 AM

One man is charged with manslaughter and the other with being an accessory after the fact.

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM
Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

10 Jul 10:57 PM
Light truck rolls on SH36, one seriously injured

Light truck rolls on SH36, one seriously injured

10 Jul 10:45 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP