Policy, Laws and Agreements
A Biosecurity Law Reform Bill has been introduced to update the Biosecurity Act and allow the biosecurity system to respond to an increasingly challenging environment.
Page last updated: 20 December 2010
MAF administers the Biosecurity Act. It provides a legal basis for excluding, eradicating and effectively managing pests and unwanted organisms, and its powers can be variously used by MAF Biosecurity New Zealand, other government agencies, regional councils and pest management agencies. It is an enabling tool that provides a range of functions, powers and options for the management of risk organisms.
Management options under the Biosecurity Act are:
- import and border controls aimed at effective management of risks associated with the importation of risk goods, including treatment of contaminated goods and craft;
- access to Part VI powers for organisms declared unwanted organisms;
- exigency actions where other options are not adequate or available;
- national pest management strategies that provide access to powers and rules by any organisation that is declared a pest management agency. Any response must be undertaken within those powers or rules, unless the strategy is subsequently amended or revoked in accordance with the Biosecurity Act;
- regional pest management strategies (mainly administered by regional councils);
- access by regional councils to powers in the Biosecurity Act for small-scale management programmes under section 100 of the Act without needing to have a pest management strategy; and
- enforcement of section 52 and 53 prohibitions (which make it an offence to sell, propagate, breed, release or display an unwanted organism or pest)
Where possible voluntary support for response actions will be sought, however response actions may invoke use of powers under the Biosecurity Act where needed.
Page last updated: 28 May 2008
Biosecurity activities are guided and influenced by domestic law and international agreements and standards to which New Zealand is a signatory nation.
Page last updated: 18 January 2010
MAF’s policy on compensation under the Biosecurity Act
The Biosecurity Act establishes a compensation scheme to provide incentives for early reporting of risk organisms and fairly
Page last updated: 15 June 2011
Balance in Trade 
(1468 KB)
December 2003
Understanding how the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement helps protect New Zealand’s people, economy and environment while improving trade opportunities.
New Zealand SPS Seminar - Opening address (16 KB)
March 1999
Page last updated: 30 April 2008
Biosecurity Act 1993
Public Act 1993 No 95
Date of assent 26 August 1993
(RS Vol 38, p 139)*
Note:This Act is specified as being an Act under which consents may be granted and the Ministry for the Environment has the function to provide the Government, its agencies, and other public authorities with advice on the application, operation and effectiveness of this Act in relation to the achievement of the objectives of the Environment Act 1986. See 1986 No 127, s2, s31(c)(i) and Schedule.
The act is accesible from the Website of New Zealand Legislation 
under the Public Access to Legislation Project.
Page last updated: 30 April 2008
The Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement (SPS) is the World Trade Organisation’s agreed rules on how countries can protect the health of their people, animals and plants, while facilitating trade.
SPS New Zealand is responsible for fulfilling New Zealand's transparency obligations under the SPS agreement. It is the combination of the New Zealand SPS Notification Authority and National Enquiry Point.
View SPS-related documents:
- An overview of the SPS agreement, what it covers, how it affects importers, exporters and the Government.
- Notifications, of New Zealand SPS measures.
- A brief guide to the government agencies in New Zealand responsible for generating SPS measures. It includes links to adopted SPS measures such as import health standards.
- SPS Policies, Procedures and Resources - includes procedural manual/handbooks, policy statements and WTO notification templates.
Page last updated: 15 December 2008
World Trade Organisation
RESTRICTED
G/SPS/W/3
5 April 1995
(95-0817)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
Original: English
Page last updated: 30 April 2008
Please note that your submission is public information. Submissions may be the subject of requests for information under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA).
Page last updated: 21 September 2011
