Originally Posted by
docbert
There's still some facts missing here.
NZ requires one arrival card per person. Your claim that you don't know what happened to yours makes no sense - you would not have been able to go through immigration (which happened AFTER you picked up the fruit) without it.
When you were exiting the baggage area, did you go to the Green ("Nothing to Declare") or Red ("Goods to Declare") line? I'm guessing you went to the green line, and if so why did you do that when you've already claimed that you apparently ticket that you do have food to declare on your form?
NZ MAF/customs can and do give out warnings rather than fines to first-time offenders - but only if they can get a consistent story and believe that the incident was accidental. Given that we're now numerous posts into this thread and it's still not clear what actually happened, I'm not surprised you didn't get a warning...
Ohh.. and Rule #1 of dealing with immigration staff - especially in a foreign country - never ever say things like "listen your brain is not working correctly go put cold water on your face and come back". If that was the attitude you were actually taking with them, you're very lucky that you walked away with a NZ$400 fine - it could have been much, much worse.
To refresh your memory,
this is the form - it even asks about fruit twice.
I'm not sure what is immigration customs area , or green red lines.
I got off the plane walked all the way to the end to the right a little door you go thru they scan stuff walk up a few stairs there are duty free shops there I went into the business lounge. I took the pears and went back down stairs to where they scan the stuff and told them my wife is coming I want to meet her. He escorted me back thru near to where there is a little currency exchange desk I sat waited they arrived. I then went thru a opening with a wooden border tribal I guess along the moving escalators around to the left one guy sitting on a small high chair and tiny desk . My wife spoke to him I saw the belts and emptied everything on to them.
The officers weren't understand weren't helpful . You treat me bad well back at ya.