{"id":530206,"date":"2026-07-17T06:03:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T06:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/530206\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T06:03:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T06:03:09","slug":"second-bird-flu-case-confirmed-as-government-ramps-up-response","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/530206\/","title":{"rendered":"Second bird flu case confirmed as Government ramps up response"},"content":{"rendered":"

Extra checking of birds at selected sites in the Wairarapa over coming days.Alongside industry, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) will offer one-on-one support and advice to poultry and egg operations in Wellington and the Wairarapa.\u00a0Establishing a technical advisory group of expert scientists to supplement advice from MPI\u2019s internationally recognised experts.The Department of Conservation (DoC) continues its\u00a0vaccination programme\u00a0for 300 core breeding birds from five of our most endangered birds \u2013 k\u0101k\u0101p\u014d, takah\u0113, t\u016bturuatu (shore plover), kak\u012b (black stilt) and k\u0101k\u0101riki karaka (orange-fronted parakeet).<\/p>\n

Hoggard said k\u0101hu and other hawks can get infected while hunting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis hawk can go out to the coast \u2013 especially in winter to hunt. Hawks can get bird flu by hunting, eating or scavenging infected birds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AA k\u0101hu or swamp Harrier Hawk.<\/p>\n

He said authorities will continue to support and advice the egg and poultry industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important we continue to work closely with the egg and poultry industry as we have over the past several years preparing for bird flu\u2019s arrival. On-site biosecurity plans and measures are very important for chicken and egg producers, and we will up our work alongside sector groups to provide support and advice.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile it\u2019s an individual decision for businesses, we support free-range farmers taking precautionary action to protect their birds by temporarily housing them while we continue to gather more information about the spread of H5 bird flu.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will have to learn to live with bird flu as it cannot be eradicated, and overseas experience shows strong biosecurity measures on-farm help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoggard said chicken and eggs remain safe to eat, and bird flu is a very low risk to human health.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost countries do not have a surveillance programme like ours and its value has been highlighted in the past week. We will continue to test birds so we can closely monitor what is happening and keep people updated.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thank the public who have responded well to our call for notifications in the past week, and I remind New Zealanders to be alert and follow advice about reporting sick or dead birds. It is vital that people do not touch or handle unwell birds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BiosecurityBiosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard. Photo \/ NZME<\/p>\n

DoC\u2019s wildlife response already activated<\/p>\n

Potaka said DoC activated its wildlife response \u2013 working alongside MPI, iwi, conservation partners and wildlife facilities \u2013 as soon as the first case of H5N1 was detected in Australia.<\/p>\n

\u201cDOC has been preparing for the arrival of bird flu for several years, with a focus on minimising the impact to wildlife populations on public conservation land through strong biosecurity practices, surveillance and action to support the health and resilience of threatened native birds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe vaccination programme for some of our most endangered birds is progressing well. So far, 67 birds from six species or populations have received their first vaccination, with further vaccinations and booster doses continuing over the coming weeks. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs of last night, MPI\u2019s chief veterinary officer approved the second tranche of DoC\u2019s vaccination response. This approval gives DoC the ability to extend vaccination to further priority species and populations where it will provide the greatest protection.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"ConservationConservation Minister Tama Potaka. Photo \/ Sylvie Whinray<\/p>\n

Potaka added that \u201ca final list of species has deliberately not been fixed\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis gives DoC the flexibility to respond to new detections, emerging risks and what our experts are seeing on the ground as we build a clearer understanding of how the virus may affect New Zealand\u2019s wildlife. <\/p>\n

\u201cVaccination is one part of DoC\u2019s wider response. Staff are continuing surveillance, strengthening biosecurity measures, supporting wildlife facilities, working with iwi and conservation partners, and preparing to act quickly if further cases are identified. <\/p>\n

\u201cDoC teams will continue working hard to protect our most vulnerable native species and support the wider MPI-led response.\u201d <\/p>\n

What people can do<\/p>\n

If you see three or more sick or dead wild birds in a group, report it immediately to the exotic pest and disease hotline on 0800 80 99 66 or online at report.mpi.govt.nz<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you report online, select the \u201cdead or dying wild birds\u201d option from the dropdown list and then the type of bird you have found.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t handle or move the birds.<\/p>\n

Provide as much detail as you can, including:<\/p>\n

Common name or species of sick or dead bird if known.How many are sick or freshly dead, and the total number of birds present.A GPS reading or other precise location information.Photographs and videos of sick and dead birds.<\/p>\n

MPI will contact notifiers if more information is required.<\/p>\n

Go to mpi.govt.nz\/bird-flu<\/a> to find out more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Extra checking of birds at selected sites in the Wairarapa over coming days.Alongside industry, the Ministry for Primary…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":530207,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[74,9092,806,35875,1121,2223,7191,1379,266,42,43,27217,84772,5034,312,8466,40,38,41,39,810,5143,1533,80],"class_list":["post-530206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-after","tag-against","tag-as","tag-bird","tag-case","tag-confirmed","tag-disease","tag-flu","tag-government","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-ramp","tag-ramps","tag-response","tag-says","tag-second","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-up","tag-viral","tag-will","tag-zealand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=530206"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530206\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/530207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=530206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=530206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=530206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}