New Zealand’s Department of Primary Industries opened consultation on the suspension of unused or out-of-date nursery stock import pathways and the reformat of the nursery stock import health standard.
BGANZ recognises the importance of reviewing the biosecurity risks associated with the importation of nursery stock into New Zealand.
However, the blanket approach proposed to suspend import pathways that are not used and/or are out of date would see an extensive list of taxa suspended from import. This would inhibit the vital conservation work being undertaken by botanic gardens in New Zealand.
Accordingly, BGANZ submitted feedback on the proposed policy change, reiterating the value botanic gardens play in plant conservation and advocated for the removal of threatened and near-threatened species from the list, consideration of a conservation/research versus commercial import list and/or exemptions made for botanic gardens to ensure Aotearoa remains relevant in a global context of plant conservation.
Read the full submission here.
Representatives from New Zealand recently attended a follow up workshop in March 2025 and BGANZ will continue to work with Biosecurity New Zealand, Ministry for Primary Industries to find a suitable solution.
