{"id":588093,"date":"2026-09-02T16:04:19","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T16:04:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/588093\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T16:04:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T16:04:19","slug":"preparing-before-the-emergency-new-zealands-approach-to-hpai-woah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/588093\/","title":{"rendered":"Preparing before the emergency: New Zealand\u2019s approach to HPAI\u00a0 – WOAH"},"content":{"rendered":"

When high pathogenicity\u00a0avian influenza<\/a> (HPAI) H5N1 began spreading across the world, New Zealand found itself in an unusual position.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

For several years, the country remained free from the strain, even as it caused unprecedented\u00a0impacts\u00a0across several continents including\u00a0mortality\u00a0events\u00a0among wild birds, outbreaks in poultry and infections in mammals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Being free from the disease did not mean being free from\u00a0threat.\u00a0Rather than waiting for H5N1 to arrive, New Zealand used this window to prepare.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Government agencies, the poultry sector,\u00a0wildlife specialists,\u00a0laboratories and other partners worked together to strengthen surveillance, improve biosecurity, develop response\u00a0plans\u00a0and explore ways of protecting some of the country\u2019s most vulnerable native species.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In July 2026, when H5N1 was detected for the first time in New Zealand in a\u00a0pelagic\u00a0seabird, that preparation was put to the test.\u00a0The country\u2019s experience illustrates a fundamental principle of emergency management:\u00a0a successful response is built on\u00a0time spent preparing.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Preparing for a threat that had not yet arrived\u00a0<\/p>\n

New Zealand had good reason to prepare. The global H5N1 panzootic has demonstrated that the consequences of the virus can extend far beyond poultry production. Wild birds have experienced severe mortality events, while infections have also been reported in an increasing number of mammalian species.<\/p>\n

For New Zealand, the potential impact on biodiversity was a concern. The country is home to unique native birds found nowhere else in the world, including species with populations numbering only in the hundreds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Recognising these interconnected risks, New Zealand developed its preparedness through a One Health approach<\/a>,\u00a0bringing together the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), the Department of Conservation (DOC), the Ministry of Health and Health New Zealand |\u00a0Te\u00a0Whatu Ora, alongside industry, iwi\u00a0(M\u0101ori tribal groups), conservation partners and other stakeholders.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Their planning recognised from the outset that H5N1 could not be addressed as an animal health issue alone. An incursion could simultaneously affect wildlife conservation, poultry production,\u00a0trade\u00a0and potentially public health.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Preparedness means\u00a0building systems, relationships, and capabilities\u00a0before a disease arrives. HPAI has shown internationally how an animal health event can affect wildlife, food\u00a0production\u00a0and\u00a0even\u00a0human health.\u00a0By\u00a0bringing\u00a0the\u00a0relevant sectors together\u00a0early,\u00a0we have been able to\u00a0understand the risks and\u00a0ensure we are ready to\u00a0respond quickly when needed.<\/p>\n

Dr Mary van Andel, Chief Veterinary Officer and WOAH Delegate of New Zealand.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Protecting species before they are exposed\u00a0<\/p>\n

Perhaps the\u00a0most distinctive part of New Zealand\u2019s preparedness has been its work on vaccination of endangered native birds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beginning before H5N1 was present in the country, DOC carried out a year-long vaccination trial involving up to 10 birds from each of five threatened species: k\u0101k\u0101p\u014d, takah\u0113,\u00a0kak\u012b\/black stilt,\u00a0tch\u016briwat\/t\u016bturuatu\/shore\u00a0plover\u00a0and\u00a0k\u0101k\u0101riki\u00a0\/\u00a0parakeet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The\u00a0objective\u00a0was not to vaccinate wildlife at scale. For a disease circulating among free-ranging wild birds, this would be neither practical nor sufficient. Instead, authorities wanted to know whether vaccination could provide an\u00a0additional\u00a0layer of protection for small, intensively managed populations for which a major outbreak could threaten the survival of the species.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The trial provided crucial evidence before the emergency occurred. All five species developed\u00a0an initial\u00a0antibody\u00a0response\u00a0and no adverse reactions were\u00a0observed. Four\u00a0maintained\u00a0a strong response for at least six months in most individuals, while\u00a0kak\u012b\u00a0antibody levels dropped at three months,\u00a0showing\u00a0the need for\u00a0a different vaccination regime.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew it had been successfully used in overseas zoos, but we didn\u2019t know how effective it would be on New Zealand\u2019s unique native birds which are found nowhere else in the world,\u201d explained Dr Kate McInnes, DOC Senior Science Advisor and wildlife veterinarian, following the trial.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That evidence could then be translated into action.\u00a0Following the detection of\u00a0H5N1 in migratory seabirds in Australia in 2026, New Zealand activated plans to vaccinate around 300 core breeding birds from some of its most endangered species. The programme began before H5N1 was first detected in New Zealand.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Vaccination was never intended as a stand-alone solution. It complemented biosecurity, surveillance, breeding programmes, predator\u00a0control\u00a0and\u00a0other\u00a0measures to strengthen the overall resilience of threatened populations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Readiness also depends on partnerships<\/p>\n

New Zealand\u2019s poultry industry and government had been working together to strengthen farm-level biosecurity and emergency response arrangements. Resources developed by the Poultry Industry Association of New Zealand and the Egg Producers Federation give producers practical guidance covering the entire emergency cycle, from preventing disease entering a farm to preparing response plans and knowing what to do during an outbreak.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2025, the government and poultry sector also formalised an operational agreement covering HPAI and other exotic poultry diseases. It\u00a0established\u00a0joint decision-making arrangements and\u00a0confirmed\u00a0how readiness and response costs would be shared.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While such arrangements may appear administrative, they\u00a0help\u00a0answer critical questions before an emergency begins: Who\u00a0is responsible for\u00a0what? How will decisions be taken? How will response activities be financed? And what incentives encourage rapid reporting?\u00a0<\/p>\n

New Zealand had already\u00a0demonstrated\u00a0the value of rapid detection and cooperation during a separate HPAI H7N6 outbreak at a commercial egg farm in Otago in\u00a0December 2024. Movement restrictions,\u00a0testing\u00a0and rapid\u00a0response\u00a0contained\u00a0that outbreak to\u00a0a single property.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

From preparedness to response\u00a0<\/p>\n

On 15 July 2026, New Zealand confirmed its first detection of H5N1 in a\u00a0brown\u00a0skua\u00a0seabird.\u00a0The detection changed the epidemiological situation, but it did not mark the beginning of New Zealand\u2019s work on HPAI.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Surveillance systems were\u00a0well established. Agencies had mechanisms for working together. Poultry producers had been preparing their biosecurity plans. Wildlife teams had spent\u00a0time\u00a0assessing risks to native species. The vaccination programme for threatened birds was already underway.\u00a0New Zealand\u00a0had\u00a0a strong foundation, and\u00a0was able to intensify, rather than begin,\u00a0most\u00a0readiness\u00a0and response activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is precisely why preparedness matters.\u00a0WOAH\u2019s international standards emphasise that rapid and effective responses to animal health emergencies depend on the level of preparedness\u00a0established\u00a0beforehand. This includes risk analysis, contingency planning, surveillance and early-warning systems, training, simulation exercises, clear responsibilities and collaboration among the authorities and stakeholders who will need to act during an emergency.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The experience of New Zealand\u00a0helps to show what\u00a0those principles can look like in practice.\u00a0Preparedness cannot prevent every pathogen from crossing a border, particularly when wild animal movements are involved. Nor can it remove all uncertainty surrounding an emerging animal health threat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What it can do is ensure that when the threat arrives, countries are not starting from zero.\u00a0For HPAI, and for the animal health emergencies of the future, that time gained can make a critical difference.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When high pathogenicity\u00a0avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 began spreading across the world, New Zealand found itself in an unusual…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":588094,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[111,43,139,69],"class_list":["post-588093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588093","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=588093"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588093\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/588094"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=588093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=588093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=588093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}