Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard has revealed what is already known in some circles, that New Zealand is “well prepared” for a possible bird-flu outbreak.
It comes as Australian authorities claim the illness has been found in a migratory bird in far-north Western Australia. “New Zealand’s geographical isolation has protected us and given us time to prepare. While we can’t prevent wild birds bringing this virus here, we can work together to limit its impact,” Hoggard said.
Back in May, RCR spoke with citizen journalist Clare Swinney about her investigation into New Zealand’s bird-flu pandemic planning. She highlighted the scale of coordination already underway across government and councils, modelled on Covid-era response frameworks. NZDSOS shared Swinney’s concerns at the time, questioning the extent of the planning in the absence of any previous outbreak in New Zealand. Watch RCR’s interview with Clare Swinney, or read more at RNZ, MPI.govt.nz, NZDSOS and Clare Swinney on WordPress.
This article was originally published by RCR Bites and republished by DTNZ.
