House of Science NZ and the Microbiological Society of NZ invite you to attend a celebration of their latest resource kit; ‘Mighty Microbes’, with guest of honour, Dr Siouxsie Wiles. Learn more and RSVP here!

Detector dog teams have been available for duty in Auckland Airport since the Trans-Tasman travel bubble opened on 19 April, and Biosecurity New Zealand have plans to have dog teams in regional airports shortly. 

It’s been a while since most of us have travelled internationally, so if you’re going overseas, don’t forget to clean your shoes and check your bags for fruit or other biosecurity risk items when you return back to New Zealand, or you could be hit with a $400 fine!

In honour of the 10 year anniversary of the first Psa outbreak, KVH have released a keepsake booklet which captures some of the stories from the early days of Psa, to share the knowledge and lessons learnt, to improves our preparedness for future incursions.

Bay Conservation Alliance are into their second intake of Tauira Mahi for 2021, training their next 10 cadets on predator control, map and app creation, water quality monitoring, and species ID, in order to grow our region’s capabilities to care for our natural environment.

That’s the staggering figure of how much invasive species have cost the world, at the absolution minimum, since 1970. Experts say the cost of managing and responding to biosecurity threats is rising rapidly.

We need everyone to keep and eye out for alligator weed and let the BOP Regional Council know of any possible sightings of the pest plant. Learn more about what you can do to prevent its spread here.

The BOP Regional Council’s new surveillance program will target high risk areas and encourage citizen reporting in order to detect new pests as early as possible when the chances of eradication are highest.

Recent wild weather and king tides have taken a toll on sand dunes throughout the BOP, our natural buffer against coastal flooding and erosion. Rising sea levels and climate change mean this could be a regular occurrence.

The BOP Regional Council are surveilling a small population of Dama wallabies found near Rocky Cutting Road, Welcome Bay, with the intent to eradicate them as soon as possible. Locals are asked to report any sightings of the invasive pests.

Taking any kind of plants, animals, fish, or shellfish from these three areas around Motiti Island will be prohibited from 11 August 2021, in order to protect indigenous biodiversity and preserve the cultural values of the area. Learn more here.

We look forward to working closely with Leanne Stewart, the recently appointed Chief Executive for Kiwifruit Vine Health. Read more and get to know Leanne, here.