Stink bugs aren't a big problem for us: Turners

Turners Automotive Group says there will be "minimal impact" to its business from cargo ships contaminated with stink bugs being turned away from Kiwi ports.

Turners said that while it has a small number of vehicles of affected ships, the majority of its supply comes from within the New Zealand market.

Turners is New Zealand's largest second-hand vehicle retailer and owns Turners Cars and Buy Right Cars.

Turners boss Todd Hunter said the company is supported the of actions by the Ministry of Primary Industries

"It seems that all the right people are involved in creating a long-term solution as quickly as possible," he said.

"Getting an effective solution on the supplier side has to be a critical part of the solution. Pleasingly, many of our Japanese suppliers have already started taking preventative actions to ensure stock is fumigated and bug-free before being loaded onto ships", Hunter said"

Vehicle Importers Association chief executive David Vinsen said earlier this month that
Vinsen says a disruption like this, even of one to two weeks, has enormous consequences and he's worried about the jobs of tens of thousands of people who process and sell those vehicles.

The brown marmorated stink bug

• The pest is a voracious eater of horticulture produce including apples, grapes and tomatoes

• A wide range of crops would be unmarketable if damaged by the bug. In the US some growers have reported crop losses of up to 95 per cent

• It is resistant to many insecticides, making it difficult and expensive to control

• When it gets cold, the stink bug bunches up in dark spaces in homes making it a major public nuisance