News and Events

The Department of Conservation is preparing for a potential outbreak of bird flu, also known as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). We are sharing some important information with you, so we can all be prepared and know how to act to help protect our native wildlife.

What you need to know?

HPAI or bird flu is a highly contagious virus that can infect, and be fatal, for all species of birds, seals and sea lions. At the moment, the virus is spreading around the world, but as far as we know it has not reached New Zealand. To help detect the arrival of the virus and minimise the risk of spreading, we all need to look out for the signs of the disease.

• three or more sick/dead wild birds or marine mammals in a group or
• signs of weakness, tremors, paralysis, blindness, lack of coordination, difficulty breathing or diarrhoea

please report it immediately to the Biosecurity New Zealand Hotline 0800 80 99 66. If you are in an area with no reception, please note the GPS coordinates or precise location. Take photos of the animals and count the healthy, sick and/or dead ones.

Where a significant outbreak occurs, access to the sites may be restricted or, as a last resort, it may be closed while the outbreak is managed. This is to reduce stress on wildlife and the likelihood of humans (and their pets) from catching and spreading the disease.

DOC expects this would be more likely to happen at breeding colony sites, ponds and waterways with high bird populations where the area is accessed easily by a significant number of people. HPAI is less likely to greatly affect forest birds.

• Keep your pets away from wildlife.
• Stay away from nesting birds on rivers and in coastal areas.
• Keep your shoes and gear clean when visiting the backcountry or agricultural areas.
• Don’t touch, handle or collect dead or dying birds.

While Biosecurity New Zealand is coordinating the response on a national level, DOC is preparing response plans for all regions to reduce the spread of the virus and to protect native species. This might include vaccination of certain bird species, breeding programmes, predator control, providing undisturbed habitats for birds and following strong biosecurity measures.

While mammal infections with the virus are possible, human infections have been rare.

We encourage you to share this information with your family and friends and save Biosecurity’s Hotline number on your phone.

For more information about avian influenza, please visit the Department of Conservation or Ministry for Primary Industries web pages.