July 29, 1999
A year ago today a vital piece of legislation was passed that drew a line in the sand for the New Zealand environment.
On July 29, 1998 the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act (HSNO) came into effect, placing strict controls on what sorts of plants and animals people can bring into New Zealand.
Importers of any ‘new organism' - a new plant or animal species coming here for the first time - now need approval from the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA New Zealand) - an independent agency set up by Government. The Act also covers the separate issue of genetically modified organisms.
The aim of the new regime is to put a stop to the biological invasions that have overrun the New Zealand landscape over the past 150 years. Many of these alien organisms, from wild ginger to possums, are choking the life out of native species, creating a legacy that costs hundreds of millions of dollars every year in pest and weed control.
For the first time, a comprehensive regime is in place to assess the impact of new organisms before they are brought in. The role of the Authority is to decide if they represent a threat to the environment, or to public health and safety. The emphasis is on assessing the risks of introduction – and then weighing up the costs and benefits to the environment, the economy and society.
ERMA New Zealand Chief Executive Dr Bas Walker said the Authority's first year in dealing with new organisms had been a busy and satisfying one. The Authority's focus in the second year would be to raise the level of awareness of the new regime among plant and animal importers.
"Importers are used to dealing with MAF and other border agencies and some still don't seem to realise that they also need to talk to us before they bring things in."
Dr Walker said he was aware of a few concerns that applications under HSNO took time and money.
"The Authority is taking a pragmatic and common sense approach. We are doing everything we can to avoid bureaucratic hold-ups with applications. Our aim is to assess the risks and to focus only on those things that have potentially significant effects. For many importers, there will be minimal risks to consider and the process will be quite simple, " he said.
"However, for those proposals that pose a potential threat to the environment, there is now a public process to go through and this will mean providing information and talking it through. It is in the interests of all of us to effectively evaluate new species before we let them go into the New Zealand environment."