Stakeholder Working Groups - Terms of Reference

A Biosecurity Strategy for New Zealand

New Zealand's biosecurity systems are under pressure. Liberalisation in the international trading environment, the increasing number of people travelling between countries, and changing climatic conditions are all contributing factors. The scope of biosecurity is also expanding rapidly from its traditional focus on terrestrial primary production, to include human health and indigenous land, freshwater and marine ecosystems.

The Government has agreed to fund the development of a comprehensive Biosecurity Strategy for New Zealand by December 2002. The purpose of the strategy is to obtain agreement on the goals, objectives and measurable targets for New Zealand's biosecurity programmes. The Biosecurity Council is co-ordinating the strategy's development, and a strategy development team is managing the process on the Council's behalf. Stakeholder Working Groups will have an important part to play in the early stages of the process.

The Biosecurity Strategy will be developed in an open and inclusive manner. Input will be sought from a wide range of stakeholders and the general public. Participants in the process will be encouraged to focus on those biosecurity issues they believe will be important in the future. Once completed, the strategy will provide direction and guidance to all parties involved with biosecurity in New Zealand. The process of developing the strategy will also help to raise general biosecurity awareness.

Identification of biosecurity issues

Identifying important biosecurity issues is a critical first step in the strategy development process. Central government agencies, local government bodies, industry groups, Maori and other stakeholders will all be involved in this phase of the project. External stakeholders will be encouraged to participate primarily through stakeholder working groups. Central government agencies will identify issues in a parallel process. The issues identified by the stakeholder working groups and central government agencies will form the basis of an Issues Paper for public consultation.

Stakeholder working groups

Ten stakeholder working groups will be established during April and May 2001. These working groups will be based on related sectors/areas of common interest¹, and will operate until 30 June 2001. Participation in these working groups provides a valuable early opportunity for stakeholders to explore the biosecurity issues of importance to them and to identify the strategic aspects these issues highlight. Further opportunities for stakeholder input will also occur later in the strategy development process.

Membership

Each working group will have 8-12 members, selected from persons nominated by organisations in the sectors/interest areas concerned. The number of members in each group will partly depend on the nature and diversity of the sector/interest area, and the likely number and complexity of issues. Networking undertaken by the group members will ensure the effective size of working groups is much larger.

Tasks

The main tasks of the stakeholder working groups are to:

• identify biosecurity issues specific to the sector;
• identify 'generic' issues that may also apply to other sectors;
• inform and communicate with all interested parties within the 'sector network' to ensure that all views are sought and issues identified;
• document issues and present them to the strategy development team by 30 June 2001.

Operating procedures

There are no hard and fast rules about how stakeholder working groups should operate. Each group should work in the way it considers most appropriate to meet the needs of its sector(s) or interest area(s) and the dynamics of its members.

The strategy development team suggests that, at the earliest opportunity, each group should:

• appoint a chairperson (who will also be the principal contact person);
• determine the need for meetings and/or workshops;
• develop specific group operating guidelines;
• develop networking mechanisms for 'issues' identification.

Information resources

Stakeholder working groups will be provided with a document entitled Strategy Vision Framework. This document is intended to encourage working group members to focus on the future and to think strategically. It also provides basic information about the strategy development process; current biosecurity structures, processes and programmes; and government's expectations for the strategy. The Strategy Vision Framework should be used by stakeholder working groups as a guide to, not a prescription for, their involvement in the strategy's development.

The strategy development team will also make available a documented workshop process that stakeholder working groups might like to use to facilitate issues identification and reporting.

A recent report to Parliament prepared by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment entitled New Zealand Under Siege: A Review of the Management of Biosecurity Risks to the Environment will also be provided to each stakeholder working group.

Other information on specific topics will be provided on request.

Strategy development team

The strategy development team will assist working groups by:

• providing a liaison person for each group;
• facilitating communication and interaction with other working groups and government agencies;
• assisting with meetings and/or workshop facilitation as required;
• assisting with general administrative tasks associated with working group activities as required.

Fees and expenses

In accordance with the government's intended 'partnership' approach for developing the Biosecurity Strategy, organisations are asked to contribute the time of working group members' without charging fees. The strategy development team will consider paying fees to working group members who are not being paid by other organisations.

Organisations are also requested to consider meeting some of the direct expenses of their nominated members where their contribution to the working groups may reasonably be regarded as part of, or associated with, the organisations' normal business activities. All other direct expenses incurred by working group members may be reimbursed upon application to the biosecurity strategy development team.

Results from stakeholder working group activities

The 'issues report' prepared by each of the stakeholder working groups (and the parallel reports prepared by government agencies) will form the basis of an 'issues paper' for wider public consultation. The accumulation of all identified 'issues' will ultimately be used to prepare the Biosecurity Strategy.

Strategy development process and timeline

The following table sets out the overall strategy development process and key dates:

identification of biosecurity issues	April - June 2001
preparation of a biosecurity 'Issues Paper'	June - August 2001
public consultation on the 'Issues Paper'	Oct - Dec 2001
preparation of a draft Biosecurity Strategy	Jan - April 2002
public consultation on the draft Biosecurity Strategy	May - July 2002
preparation of the final Biosecurity Strategy	August 2002
approval of final Biosecurity Strategy by Biosecurity Council and the Cabinet	Sept - Oct 2002
launch of Biosecurity Strategy	December 2002
implement Biosecurity Strategy	from 2003

¹ The sector/area groupings are: primary production; marine production; public health; Maori; environment; science & research; local government; tourism; transport/import; and commercial biosecurity goods/services.

Page last updated: 16 October 2008