An Auckland scientist has been sentenced to four months community detention and 120 hours community service for misleading bio-security officials over the importation of a predatory insect.

Terril Marais, a director of Pukekohe company Zonda Resources, lied to MAF workers about the origin of a mirid bug found on Zonda property and what she planned to do with it.

Ms Marais claimed she discovered the specimen in the Auckland Botanical Gardens, but was found to have illegally imported and bred the insect to control the tomato pest whitefly.

MAF Bio-security New Zealand Response Manager David Hayes says the sentence shows how seriously deliberate breaches are taken.

“It is disappointing around the circumstances that this occurred, but pleasingly from our point of view, the judge sent a really strong message that this kind of action is unacceptable."

Ms Marais had intended to sell the mirid bugs to commercial greenhouses, Mr Hayes says the case is disappointing given her scientific background.

"We were particularly disappointed that we were deliberately deceived.

"It meant that not only were we wasting our time, we weren’t able to make the earlier decisions that normally we would be able to make.”

Another horticultural company, Great Lake Tomatoes of Reporoa, was fined $30,000 for its part in the importation and distribution of the bug.