Biosecurity

As Kaitiaki Kai, our people share a deep responsibility to do the right thing for food and the environments it comes from. We do this through collaboration with others, sharing knowledge, resources and skills so that everyone benefits – not just in the immediate future but for generations to come.

We partner with government, industry and communities to implement operational solutions to issues affecting food security, economy and the environment. We have a legacy of working in partnership with the Ministry for Primary Industries to protect Aotearoa from the impact of pests and diseases.

We are ready to manage, develop and deliver operational solutions for:

Ongoing surveillance and rapid response services to biosecurity incidents
Response to and managing exotic pest disease incursions and emergency situations
We have a dedicated pest laboratory that can help with the diagnosis of invertebrate pests (insects, mites, spiders, nematodes, food contaminants, etc.).

See All of Our Biosecurity Services

Find Answers to Common Questions

What is biosecurity?

Biosecurity is the protection of the natural environment from pests and diseases that may arrive in New Zealand from overseas or be sent overseas from New Zealand.

We support the local and central government, industry groups, and other customers with many different programmes of work in the biosecurity space.

Some examples of this work include the National Invasive Ant Surveillance Programme, the Myrtle Rust Programme, and many more.

This work is predominantly centred around managing and minimising risks. We can also provide documentation that verifies a business’s freedom from pests and diseases to help you maintain trade or market access.

Our decades of experience have put us in a unique position to work in partnerships with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), Regional Councils, Local Councils, and other customers, to assist with pest management, and ecological restoration

Our staff members are experts in both native and invasive species, and we utilise environmentally-friendly control methods where possible.

Our large nationwide team of experts is available for services such as:

Why is biosecurity important to New Zealand?

Aotearoa, being an island nation, has a unique environment that is well worth protecting. Our Biosecurity team is dedicated to supporting our partners in protecting this special place, the way we live, our culture, and what we do.

With international trade increasing in volume, the chance of new pests and diseases arriving in New Zealand is also increasing.

It is, therefore more important than ever to have a strong biosecurity system as some pests and diseases could have a devastating impact on our production systems, our environment, or even on our way of life.

What is a biosecurity response?

Despite best efforts sometimes, pests or diseases get through New Zealand's border. Once they get into the country, they are either picked up in the surveillance programmes or reported via the public.

Responses to these incursions aim to minimise harm to the country. This is done by implementing actions to appropriately manage, and in many cases, eradicate the new pest or disease.

We maintain a level of response capability where we aim to have experienced staff available to immediately launch into action should the need arise.

This supports our primary industries to keep producing some of the world’s best products, as well as helping protect the New Zealand environment, native species, waterways and wetlands from invasive pest and diseases.

Whilst our focus is on the primary industries and the environment, we also provide response services to food-related incidents or responses.

What is biosecurity surveillance?

At AsureQuality Biosecurity surveillance is precautionary monitoring, designed to find and protect against new or existing threats after the biosecurity response was implemented.

Some of these programmes are species-specific, whereas others may be a general search for anything that is out of the ordinary.

We can provide a broad range of surveillance services, including:

National surveys for exotic ants
Monitoring for new pests that have hitched a ride into New Zealand on imported goods
Trapping as an early warning of any possible incursions of fruit fly
Testing for controlled animal diseases, monitoring programmes to facilitate international trade
Export certification for access into some overseas markets (e.g., fresh produce, cut flowers, honey-bees)
And more

What is Pest Management and Ecological Restoration?

We provide effective and collaborative management planning and sustainable, best practice control of invasive terrestrial and aquatic plant species to reduce competition with our native species.

Similarly, we control invasive invertebrates and other animal species safely and humanely, to help the survival of our native species.

We assess ecology, species distribution, and habitat, and combine this with industry best practices to design and plan ongoing animal and plant control programs to deliver long-term, stable ecological and environmental improvements.

To complement the control and eradication of invasive plants and animals, we provide restoration and ongoing maintenance of existing natural areas to support the health and sustainability of the environment and regeneration of native species of flora and fauna.

We look at sites in strategic locations, including key waterways and wetlands, and restore the natural habitat using eco-sourced plant species.

These newly revegetated zones help to create safe spaces that support breeding, pollination, and food sources, all while maintaining the integrity of the region.