Hi,
We brought a tent, a motorhome awning, lawnmower, bikes and an outdoor trampoline over from the UK recently without any problems. I think the key is to be very diligent and well prepared....
Two chaps from MAF came to inspect our stuff once we'd unloaded the container. I gave them a list of all our outdoor things and explained how I'd cleaned each item before it was packed. They liked that, so we got off to a good start!
You don't need to use a cleaning company - I did it all myself. It took me ages, but I knew that it was done properly.
I cleaned the tent poles and pegs with disinfectant and hot water. Actually, I put the pegs through the dishwasher, but don't tell the people who bought our house! I wiped the material on the tent and awning with spray disinfectant and used a vacuum cleaner inside the tent to suck up any debris (insects, grass, leaves etc).
The MAF guys popped the wheel trims on my lawnmower and turned it upside down to check for trapped grass. Again, I'd scrubbed it down with disinfectant and the jet washer, so didn't have any problems.
The bikes got a good going over, especially under the seats and other bits where mud gets trapped. Again, a good scrub with disinfectant and the jet washer were good enough to get them through.
I was worried about the trampoline because it had been outside in the garden for over a year. I spent ages scrubbing the metal frame with disinfectant and spraying the jet-wash down the tubing to flush out any creepy crawlies. Again, it all passed with no problems.
If you can clean everything, you'll be fine. If you can't, then sell it and buy replacements when you get to NZ. Anyone who has been for a paddle in a river infected with didymo (horrible green slime) will know just how important those bio-checks are. I can't say about other places, but the MAF guys in Christchurch were really helpful and polite. They explained what they were looking for, were careful with our stuff and gave the kids loads of stickers and pens. Only trouble is that I've got a gang of eco-warriors on my hands now
