How do we say no to carrying family gifts we have not checked for New Zealand?

Ravi's mother is tying a bag around several packets of homemade curry powder when he mentions the wooden bowl his aunt has bought. “They're presents,” she says. “You don't need to make it complicated.”

He is finishing a family visit in Sri Lanka before flying home to Auckland. He wants to take something from everyone, but has not checked the ingredients, packaging or requirements for these items. His mother thinks asking for details sounds as though he does not trust what she has made.

[New Zealand's Ministry for Primary Industries says food and relevant plant products, including wooden items, must be declared](https://www.mpi.govt.nz/bring-send-to-nz/bringing-and-posting-items-to-nz/how-to-declare-items-when-arriving-in-nz). Its guidance includes packaged food and cooking ingredients. Declaring an item does not guarantee it will be permitted; the applicable requirements still matter.

Should Ravi decline anything he cannot identify and check before leaving, even if it was made especially for him? He would rather have an awkward conversation at the kitchen table than promise that every gift will reach its intended recipient.