Who’s who

There are many people and organisations involved in Biosecurity. Some are mandated under legislation, some volunteer to help, some are philanthropic and others see it as a business.

This section will explain the various types and give some examples.

Government Agencies

First among these is the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) as it is the one agency tasked under the Biosecurity Act (1993) to provide pest management leadership across the sector at a national level.

Other key players are the Department of Conservation (DOC) and Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), both of whom are major managers of public land and waterways, the NZ Defence Force (NZDF) who again administer and manage large areas of land, the EPA who must approve the importation of new organisms or pest and disease treatments and NIWA who provide a marine monitoring role. OSPRI provide operational services such as possum control, their key driver is to prevent the spread of TB among cattle, deer and of course, ultimately to people.

Local Government

Just as MPI is tasked with managing biosecurity at a national level, so local government is accountable within their own jurisdiction. Local government establishes regional pest management plans according to the risks in their area. Parts of these are executed by land owners, others may be managed by one or more councils. The councils work closely with the other government agencies to ensure a joined-up approach.

Non-Government Organisations

A lot of valuable work is done by these NGO’s who typically take two forms. Either they advocate for action in a specific region or category, like Predator Free New Zealand whose name says it all, or they are philanthropic organisations such as the Next Foundation providing funding to worthwhile projects. Some NGO's such as Fish and Game go further and operate at a practical level with interventions of their own.

Research Organisations

The science sector comprising universities, Crown Research Institutes (CRI's) and independent research bodies is at the forefront of understanding pests and diseases and of creating tools, or in other words baits, traps and poisons with which to manage them. Without input from the science sector the operational organisations would be lacking the techniques to effectively manage threats.

Families, Community Groups and Schools

Sometimes a group of neighbours or other related people come together to deal with a local biosecurity problem. These groups are often self-funded, receive grants or may raise funds via sausage sizzles or similar. More determined ones may approach philanthropic funders for support. School pest management projects can be highly educational and a good way of getting children out of the classroom and into the outdoors on field trips. BioNet provides tools to help these groups to collaborate and tools to help you discover which groups are active in your region. At the smallest level individual people or family groups may choose to take an interest in protecting New Zealand from unwanted pests and diseases. This website contains some advice for how to do this effectively.