The Biosecurity System

The biosecurity system is more than just border protection… it’s multiple layers of protection.

And it’s bigger than just one government agency… it’s a joint effort involving central government, regional councils, industry, community groups, and of course 4 million pairs of eyes.

To most people, biosecurity operations are associated with highly visible activities such as the specially trained beagles that are used at Auckland International Airport to detect biosecurity risk goods, or high-profile incursion responses such as the aerial spraying for exotic moths over Auckland and Hamilton. However, these are just the visible tip of the biosecurity ‘iceberg’.

A lot more effort is put in behind the scenes to ensure that biosecurity risks are reduced, managed or eliminated long before – and in some cases after – unwanted pests and diseases reach our shores.

Biosecurity Risks

So far, we are free from snakes, most disease-carrying mosquitoes, and serious animal diseases such as rabies, scrapie, foot and mouth disease, and BSE.

However, pests and diseases such as these pose serious threats to our economy, environment, health and cultural identity.

• The Reserve Bank estimated that a foot and mouth outbreak could cost the economy $10 billion. Thousands of jobs would be put at risk, and the economy would take years to recover.
• New Zealand depends on healthy oceans and marine environments (for fishing, tourism, recreation, and native species), but we are just beginning to understand this part of our environment.
• Many of the worst weeds and animals that seemed perfectly soft, furry and innocuous in other countries are causing us great damage.

Given the potential impacts of a serious biosecurity incursion, it's easy to see why biosecurity is critical for New Zealand.

Who is Responsible for Biosecurity?

While the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry holds overall responsibility for biosecurity, it is just one part of New Zealand’s biosecurity system.

Central Government

The central government is responsible for border management, national-scale events, agency co-ordination, and the legislative framework.

The four main biosecurity agencies are:

• the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF)
• the Department of Conservation (DOC)
• the Ministry of Fisheries (MFish)
• the Ministry of Health (MOH)

These agencies have a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that sets out how they work together on biosecurity matters.

Another agency with biosecurity interests is the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA), which makes decisions on applications to introduce hazardous substances or new organisms, including genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF)

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry leads and co-ordinates the Government’s biosecurity programme. It develops import standards, manages biosecurity risks at the border, attempts to eradicate or contain certain pests, and provides export certification. Its main legislation is the Biosecurity Act 1993, and it is also responsible for enforcing the new organism provisions of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996.

On 2003, Cabinet agreed that the accountability arrangements for biosecurity be reorganised to give the Director-General of MAF accountability for end-to-end management of the biosecurity system. In 2004, the biosecurity functions performed by the Ministry of Fisheries transferred to MAF.

For pest management, Cabinet noted that MAF's role will not include the existing pest management responsibilities of agencies such as DOC, but that rather it will involve such things as ensuring roles are clear, that pests are being managed at the appropriate (national or regional) level, and that legislative tools are appropriate. Some programmes transferred from DOC to MAF on 1 July 2005.

The Department of Conservation (DOC)

The Department of Conservation is responsible for the conservation of New Zealand’s natural and historic heritage. The department manages animal pests, weeds and wildlife diseases across terrestrial, marine and freshwater environments. It does this on public conservation lands (one third of New Zealand’s land area), on lands of other tenure where this supports the protection of public conservation lands, and in marine reserves. DOC also has broader marine protection responsibilities for the foreshore and seabed, and marine mammals.

The department’s key functions as set out in the Conservation Act are to:

• manage land and other natural and historic resources
• preserve as far as practicable all indigenous freshwater fisheries
• protect recreational fisheries and freshwater habitats
• advocate conservation of natural and historic resources
• promote the benefits of conservation (including in Antarctica and internationally)
• provide conservation information
• foster recreation and allow tourism, to the extent that use is not inconsistent with the conservation of any natural or historic resource.

The Ministry of Health (MOH)

The Ministry of Health maintains a significant role in managing biosecurity health risks. Exotic pests and diseases may cause direct harm to human health – such as injuries caused by biting or stinging pests – or indirect harm – such as the transmission of diseases carried by exotic mosquitoes. Nuisance pests and organisms could become a major drain on the health system if they become established.

The Ministry of Health is accountable for:

• border health protection to meet international health obligations, sea and airport sanitation, surveillance for, and exclusion of rats and mosquitoes at international ports of entry 
• the current southern salt marsh mosquito eradication programme. (This is transferring to MAF in July 2006) 
• post-border surveillance of saltmarsh habitats for new incusions of mosquitoes that pose healthe risks
• managing nuisance pests under the Health Act.

The ministry also oversees international health regulations, and has responsibilities for assessing and approving medicines, including those containing new organisms, before they enter the New Zealand market under the Medicines Act 1981.

The Ministry of Fisheries (MFish)

While the Ministry of Fisheries is no longer accountable for delivering biosecurity services, they contribute to the formulation of strategic goals for the marine biosecurity system, and provide advice on biosecurity risks to their interests.

The ministry’s primary purpose is to ensure that fisheries are sustainably used within a healthy aquatic ecosystem. Therefore, they have an interest in any organism that can harm the sustainable use of fisheries – for instance, any harmful exotic species that could slip into New Zealand waters through the discharge of ballast water (carried in the base of ships for stability) or as fouling on vessel hulls.

Marine biosecurity accountabilities and functions are carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Regional Government

Regional governments have roles as both regulators and deliverers of biosecurity services. The Biosecurity Act 1993 allows regional councils to control pests by developing pest management strategies. These set out the objectives of the strategy, the pests to be managed or eradicated, and the methods of management.

Councils can also consider biosecurity needs during the planning processes under the Resource Management Act 1991 and Local Government Act 2002.