May 17, 2004 - Wellington
Common border with Oz could mean snakes in your garden
Forest and Bird is warning that a common border between New Zealand and Australia could result in more pest invasions
unless biosecurity measures remain tight. Business leaders have called for a common border and a seamless trans-Tasman
business environment at last weekend's ANZ Australia-New Zealand Leadership Forum.
"New Zealand has paid millions to eradicate painted apple moth and is struggling to eradicate southern salt marsh
mosquito. As a country, we have given up eradicating gum leaf skeletoniser. Poisonous redback spiders and white-tailed
spiders are already well established. Do we really need more Australian pests?" asked Forest and Bird's Biosecurity
Awareness Officer Geoff Keey.
Unless biosecurity standards are maintained, a free flow of people and products between New Zealand and Australia could
mean:
-Queensland fruit fly ruining crops
-Termites in our houses
-Snakes in your back yard
-Painted apple moth destroying native forests
-Large Australian spiders in the laundry
-New diseases being spread by mosquitoes
-Cane toads and banjo frogs killing wildlife
-Major eradication programmes in all towns that have ports
"Taking away the border controls between New Zealand and Australia would be simply nutty. Australian pests could not
only devastate New Zealand's forests, but they could do severe damage to our economy and health as well," he said. "One
of the biggest lessons from developing the Biosecurity Strategy was that New Zealand's biosecurity system needed to be
better at keeping pests out. We should be careful to not lay out the welcome mat for Australian pests," he said.
"The European Union should not be seen as a model for New Zealand because it is continent where pests can travel freely
without the aid of people. New Zealand's environment, economy and health is protected by a large moat called the Tasman
Sea - that is a massive advantage for New Zealand that we should never give away," he said.
ENDS