These handicrafts are often bought by tourists as a cultural memento of the Pacific Country they visited.
Irrespective of size, woven mats and tapa cloths are permitted into New Zealand. However, up until recently, a requirement for these goods to be accompanied by a Phytosanitary Certificate verifying the absence of live insects and other materials of quarantine concern. This requirement attracts additional costs which have discouraged tourists from purchasing these handicrafts.
