Click the links below for tips on searching the PBI
| Search the PBI by plant name |
| Search the PBI by Import Specification Search |
| Search the PBI using the “Seed for Sowing” drop-down menu |
| Search the PBI using the “Nursery Stock” drop-down menu |
The PBI
Immediately prior to the introduction of the HSNO Act, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) developed the Plants Biosecurity Index (PBI) as a list of plants that were either present in New Zealand or considered to be present on the basis of previous permission to import. MAF uses the PBI at the border to check plant species being imported into the country and can be found at the following website: http://www1.maf.govt.nz/cgi-bin/bioindex/bioindex.pl. If the plant species is listed on the PBI, ERMA approval for importation is not required. However, if the plant species is not listed on the PBI, ERMA approval for importation is required.Most people agree that it would be impossible to have a complete list of every plant present in the country; therefore the PBI is not an all-inclusive list of what plant species is present in New Zealand. We have provided tips for searching the PBI, which may help you find different information about a plant(s) of interest.
Search the PBI by Plant name |
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A search of the PBI can be made for all 28,979 plant species currently listed on the PBI by clicking on the “Search Now” box. As indicated above, this may be too much for one’s computer to handle.
A search of the PBI can be made for parts of a name, eg entering in the species box just “oides” will result in a find of all names containing that string of characters.
The PBI can be searched for specific horticultural hybrid groups, eg, Begonia xtuberhybrida. To see if such a grouping exists within a genus, enter the genus name and scroll to the bottom of the found list of species for a particular genus. Alternatively, in the search boxes, enter the genus in the genus box and “x” in the species box.
A few entries (mostly within the orchids) have been made on the PBI for all the cultivars within a genus, eg, Odontioda cultivars. To view all the entries where the name hybrid or cultivar has been used, enter “hybrid” or “cultivar” in the “Text Search” box.
It is not possible to search by family names as this information is not held within this particular database.
Search the PBI by Import Specification |
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A search can be made of all the species that have a status of “Entry Prohibited” (same result whether using the Seeds or Nursery Stock boxes) by choosing this from the small drop down menus.
Search the PBI using the “Seed for Sowing” drop-down menu |
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Choosing “Entry Prohibited” (same result whether using the Seeds or Nursery Stock boxes) will bring up all of the species that are prohibited entry into the country.
Choosing “Requires Assessment” will bring up all the species for which no plant biosecurity conditions have been developed to date. These species can not be imported until these conditions have been determined.
Choosing “Import Health Standard” will bring up only Pinus and Psuedotsuga, which have separate stand alone import health standards.
Choosing “Other” allows searches for all the species within a particular schedule of the Seed for Sowing standard. For example, choosing “other” in the top box then entering “see 155.02.05 under Agropyron” in the lower, “other box” will result in a find of all the species that have the same import requirements as Agropyron seed.
Search the PBI using the “Nursery Stock” drop down menu |
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To see all of the plants listed in the PBI, just press “search now” and a list of the 28,979 plants listed on the PBI will be displayed. Included in this display will be the corresponding Import specifications for nursery stock or seed for sowing documentation.