Swank's fruit fine

Hilary Swank has been fined $163 for bringing fruit into New Zealand from abroad.

The 'Million Dollar Baby' star, who commands a reported $5 million fee per movie, was hit with the penalty in January after customs officers at New Zealand's Auckland airport discovered an apple and an orange in her hand luggage.

However, Swank refused to accept the punishment and sent a letter to the country's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry seeking a court hearing to have her fine expunged.

In the letter, she wrote: "After my 20-hour flight I simply forgot I had one orange and one apple. I do apologise sincerely."

But yesterday (31.03.05), the Manukau District Court rejected her appeal and ruled that Swank must pay the full sum.

The 30-year-old actress is not the first person to fall foul of the island's strict import rules - many tourists have been hit with on-the-spot fines in a bid to protect the country's delicate eco-system from pests and diseases.

William Minchin from the Ministry of Agriculture said: "The only thing that's unusual in this case is its Hilary Swank and she's famous.

"It's a pretty standard practice. Thousands of visitors are fined for not declaring products like fruit, which cannot be imported into New Zealand, and hundreds contest them."