A local man was sentenced Friday in the Auckland District Court for the illegal possession of a type of frog rarely
found in New Zealand and must pay investigation and court costs totalling $10,000.00.
Haisley Pace, a collector and breeder of frogs and lizards, was convicted under the Biosecurity Act 1993 after Ministry
of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) officials received information from a member of the public that suspected White’s Tree
Frogs were being advertised for sale online.
A MAF investigation confirmed the identity of the frogs and a search warrant was issued at Mr Pace’s home to locate the
frogs and find out more about their importation. Investigators found an adult pair of White’s Tree Frogs onsite, a
number of juvenile frogs, and confirmed that none had been sold or ever left the property.
When interviewed, the defendant admitted he had suspected the frogs were unathorised goods and couldn’t provide any
detail about their importation. To date, MAF has not been able to specifically determine their source.
White’s Tree Frogs is a species commonly found in Australia and was introduced to New Zealand in the late 19th century
but there was never evidence any survived. Although the frogs are known to sometimes reach New Zealand they have never
been able to naturalise and there are no known wild populations of the frog.
MAF Enforcement Director Jockey Jensen said the result sends a clear message about how seriously New Zealand takes
biosecurity.
“Importing and illegally possessing risk goods like this increase New Zealand’s exposure to potential impacts on our
environment, health and biodiversity”.
“If we are going to protect this country’s unique biodiversity we must all be vigilant about preventing unwelcome
imports that may carry a risk of introducing a pest or disease into the country and ensuring we report anything
unusual.”
All imports of pests and animals must be cleared by MAF. Clearance is necessary to protect against the introduction of
unwanted pests and diseases that could seriously affect New Zealand’s environment. Exotic animals may contain dangerous
diseases and many viral diseases are transmittable through the movement of exotic pets.
ENDS