Media reports in Australia that imply imported New Zealand apples have made their way to over the ditch with leaf matter and insects are utterly ridiculous, says New Zealand Pipfruit chief executive Peter Beaven.

Australian broadcaster, ABC, is reporting that imported New Zealand apples have been rejected by Australian quarantine authorities.

However, Mr Beaven says Australian biosecurity officials are on site at Hastings apple exporter, Apollo Apples, and have simply indicated one proposed load of apples cannot leave New Zealand.

"The fruit never left New Zealand and there’s absolutely no risk to Australia and all it tells us is that the protocol is working."

Country99TV reported more than a week ago that one proposed consignment at Apollo Apples had already been knocked back by the Aussie inspectors.

"What actually happened was there’s a pre-clearance programme so there’s an AQIS inspector based in New Zealand. So they take samples and do inspections of the fruit here and if they find actionable pests as per the protocol then the fruit doesn’t go to Australia."

In the latest rejected load, Australian biosecurity officials in Hastings reportedly found a piece of leaf and a dead insect.

New Zealand apple exporters say that the reason they began exporting to Australia out of season in the first place was to get, what they believed would be, pedantic initial inspections out of the way.

Australian biosecurity officials say the find shows that they have the skills to detect pests even at very low levels and that leaf matter, known as trash, will not make it to the country.

New Zealand’s apple exports resumed to Australia just last week after a 90 year hiatus due to Australian fears of being infected with fireblight.

Meanwhile, in just over a month South Australia says it will begin establishing quarantine zones around its apple growing regions to stop people bringing apples into the area.

Quarantine bins and roadside signs will also be set up in the state.