Andrew Hoggard: Biosecurity Minister on the first case of H5N1 bird flu found in New Zealand, efforts to mitigate the impact

Preparations to protect our native wildlife against bird flu are said to be well in hand. 

A seabird found on Wellington's Petone Beach last week tested positive for the H5N1 strain. 

There's no evidence of widespread transmission, but it's considered inevitable New Zealand will have to learn to live with it. 

New Zealand's one of the last countries the disease has reached. 

Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard told Mike Hosking officials have been building protections, as it could be here to stay if it doesn't die out.   

He says DOC has been vaccinating some critical breeding populations so if they were hit, they should stay safe. 

Hoggard says the key response for most Kiwis is reporting when they see dead birds, as it helps them build a picture of where the disease is.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So bird flu's arrived. We've got the H five strain
detected in a seabird Patoni beach. No evidence had spread
this point to poultry or beyond. Andrew Hoggart as the
Minister of Biosecurity and in charge of it all these
with us. Morning, Good morning, Wake. So I've been watching
this over the last couple of weeks in Australia. The
dead bird turns up in Wa. I'm thinking this will
move west to eastern sure enough eventually to us, that's
how it's happened. Have we been able to do anything

(00:21):
or is this just a fhato Compley.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Earth Fatocompley. We've been saying for a while this is
a when not f story. You know, we can't do
anything to stop migratory birds showing up on our shorelines
and every wee were the last sort of country in
the world to get this disease and now we've got it.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
So what do we do now? Nothing?

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Well, we keep monitoring. We've been doing a hell of
a lot of preparation work with the poultry sector to
make sure that they are able to keep their flocks
secure as it were, and prevent the disease from getting
into their barns. There's been study tours over to the
States and other places I'm sorry, the UK and other
places understanding how they're farmers over there live with it

(01:02):
and so guys have had, you know, some good preparation
and time to get systems in place to make sure
they're prepared.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
Glad to hear that, because that's exactly what the Australian said,
In other words, there is no excuse for this going
pear shaped. We are doing all we humanly can.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
Yep, pretty much, and we will be you know. The
key thing is people keep reporting in if they see
dead birds on the shoreline, helps us build a picture
of where it is, and particularly if it starts moving
into our domestic wildlife, then we're able to sort of
track where it is and make sure that those poultry

(01:41):
farmers are as prepared as they possibly can.

Speaker 1 (01:42):
But part poultry aside, is there anything we're going to
do if it reaches the hints land and some of
the native species and all that sort of stuff we
worried about that? Is there anything we can do about that?
Is it here forever?

Speaker 2 (01:55):
Look, it's likely here forever, or until the disease dies
out of its own accord, but I don't know if
that will happen. The doc have been vaccinating some critical
breeding populations and making sure that they're safe and secure,
so if it was to hit some of those breeding
populations then they're pretty well safe.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
I've already got the conspiratorial text this morning telling me
to wake up. It's a pandemic. Wake up as the saying,
So do I need to wake up Andrew or not?

Speaker 2 (02:27):
No more people need to spend time off Facebook. Quite frankly, no,
we don't want to control you. There will be no
pandem podium of troph there won't be QR codes, there
won't be mandatory lockdowns. Keep came and carry on. Basically,
good on it.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
Nice to talk by Security Minister Andrew Hoggarded.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
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