The serious business of bio-security

New Zealand is an isolated island, with unique flora and fauna that the Kiwis wouldn’t want any visitor disturbing. They take their bio security extremely seriously. In flight, a video plays before you land in New Zealand that will warn you about the consequences of not declaring your food. Packaged food are allowed but have to be declared. Fruits and meats are absolute No-Nos.

The security is so strict, backpackers with camping equipment and hiking boots have to declare and show their gear. They do not want foreign soil on their land, lest it contaminate theirs and harm their agriculture industry. If they find your shoes dirty, they don’t just take away your shoes; they will wash the soles and give it back to you.

Biosecurity is not just at border control. What to our eyes looked like beautiful conifer trees on the slopes of the mountains, for them are actually ‘introduced’ non-native trees that are spreading across the landscape and destroying their bio-diversity. See the abundance, below?

On one of the slopes in Queenstown however we saw these dead, silver pines.

We were told they had been injected with herbicides that act as slow poison, eventually killing the tree. Without such harsh measures, these wild pines would not just eat up their agricultural land, but also reduce their ground water levels. That they are taking active measures right now, to avoid the problems of the future, is impressive.

Biosecurity is so important, there is a website dedicated to it. What is also interesting is that they have a page specifically for Indians visiting – https://www.mpi.govt.nz/travel-and-recreation/arriving-in-new-zealand/items-to-declare/items-from-india/.

It suggests what Indian foods may or may not be allowed and even goes ahead to provide a list of Indian supermarkets in New Zealand. I request my readers travelling to NZ, to go through it once, before they pack their bags.