June 23, 2000
The Environmental Risk Management Authority wants to talk to people bringing new plants into New Zealand, to check that they understand the rules for new organisms imports.
The Authority is holding a workshop as part of its conference in Christchurch next week, to highlight the environmental risks of new organisms, particularly plants. New organisms need approval from the Authority, under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act, which came into effect in July 1998.
ERMA New Zealand Communications Manager, Karen Cronin, said that the workshop is aimed at increasing awareness of the effects of new plants on New Zealand's agriculture and ecosystems.
"People are slowly getting the message that you can't simply bring in a plant just because you fancy it in your garden or you think it might make an interesting new commercial venture. Our past experience in New Zealand is full of examples of introduced species that have turned out to be disastrous. And it now costs us millions annually to keep them under control."
The role of the Authority was to assess the potential risks of new organisms before they are brought in. If the risks are low or can be managed, the organism could be approved.
ERMA New Zealand has a national database of affected organizations and has sent out a lot of information on this issue over the last two years, as well as holding meetings and giving talks. Recent media coverage had also helped to highlight the issue. Despite this, there are still a large number of illegal plant imports being intercepted by MAF at the border.
"There is also evidence of people bringing in plant material and seeds through the mail. A lot of people see plants in overseas catalogues or on the internet and think they'd like to grow them here. Part of the problem is that many people, including home gardeners, plant fanciers, gardening clubs and nurserymen are still unaware of the HSNO Act and what it means for them. We are actively marketing the conference to these groups as part of our public awareness campaign for new plant imports."
However, there are also some issues for importers, such as the cost and complexity of the HSNO process, and these need to be addressed as well.
The detailed conference programme is available.
For further information contact:
Karen Cronin
Communications Manager
Ph (04) 473-8426