It makes sense that the kiwifruit industry is involved, Ombler says.
"We could potentially have more traps placed in orchards and could have orchardists or post-harvest pest monitoring centres clearing those traps.
However, it would have to stack up for its trading partners.
"They would have to be comfortable with the programme's integrity and that we could do it properly.
"However, I have no doubt we can and it's just another part in the joint responsibility puzzle."
Queensland fruit fly is the biggest threat to the industry at the moment.
"There have been a couple of recent finds in Whangarei so there certainly appears to an emerging greater risk on the eastern seaboard of Australia."
Tougher penalties at the border and New Zealanders understanding biosecurity risks were other issues.
"The penalties are probably not enough ... it would be good to get biosecurity into that same space where you know the penalties are tough enough to keep people focused and also why we are doing it, to really understand that the consequences of getting it wrong are immense."
MPI surveillance and incursion investigation manager Brendan Gould says the kiwifruit industry recently signed a deed of agreement under the Government Industry Agreement (GIA) programme to work together on readiness and response for priority pests and diseases -- such as fruit fly -- and on managing them if an incursion occurs.
It was yet to finalise the detail around what joint preparedness activity would be undertaken, he said.
"Development of an operational agreement for fruit fly readiness and response is currently under way with relevant horticultural industries, including kiwifruit, pipfruit, citrus, summer fruit, avocados, wine grapes, and tomatoes.
"The benefits of working in partnership with industry during a response includes more efficient and effective responses, and better use and prioritisation of skills and resources within MPI and industry."
There are about 7500 traps in the National Fruit Fly Surveillance Programme, with about 355 in the Bay of Plenty.
Fruit fly traps were concentrated in populated areas serving as centres for tourism and or trade, areas of significant horticultural activity and areas specified as being climatically conducive to the establishment of fruit flies.
Their placement was constantly reviewed according to those criteria, Gould says.
Various species of fruit fly, including the Mediterranean and Queensland fruit flies, cause extensive damage to horticultural crops, and are considered a significant quarantine pest worldwide.
An incursion in key fruit-growing regions would have a significant effect on the New Zealand economy, with potential job losses and eradication costing millions.
A single Queensland fruit fly was detected in Whangarei in April.
The last detection of Mediterranean fruit fly was in Auckland in 1996.
That resulted in nations such as China banning New Zealand fruit for a year.
