At a glance

More than 10 people each day are trying to take explosives on to New Zealand planes.

And 21 people in this post-9/11 world tried to get stun guns on to a plane. Those are the ones who were caught. The Aviation Security Service (Avsec) has revealed details of confiscated items that it took off passengers boarding New Zealand flights between January 1 and November 25, this year.

Of prohibited items, ‘‘sharps’’ – such as knives and scissors – were worst offenders with 39,294 confiscated. That is a rate of about 130 a day.

Explosives – fireworks, flares, and the like – were remarkably commonly confiscated. And with about 1000 of the 3278 explosive confiscations taking place in Queenstown, it seems the southern tourist hot spot has a particular problem.

That is a rate of more than 10 a day nationwide.

Around New Zealand, 636 guns were taken off passengers, working out at a rate of about two per day. Those figures also included toy guns.

Prohibited items:

■ Sharps: 39,294

■ Blunt: 547

■ Tools: 7004

■ Explosives: 3278

■ Guns (including toy guns): 636

■ Stunning: 21

Dangerous goods:

■ Aerosols: 11,171

■ Batteries: 44,051

■ Gas cylinders: 2022

■ Lighters/matches/fire starters: 64,795

■ Liquids/substances: 2067

And 21 ‘‘stunning’’ instruments such as tasers were removed from passengers.

At Wellington Airport, Avsec team leader Anna Dudley revealed some of the more unusual items taken including hand grenades (likely fake), toy guns, a BB gun, fireworks, a hunting knife, flares, and knuckle dusters. Box cutters – the weapon of choice for the 9/11 terror attackers – were an almost daily find, she said.

Most people tried to take items on planes without nefarious intent and were usually compliant when they were removed. But it was not unheard of for police to be called.