Report a pest or disease
Be part of New Zealand's biosecurity system and help protect our environment and economy.
Pest-and-disease hotline – 0800 80 99 66
Everyday New Zealanders
Whether you live here or are visiting our country, call 0800 80 99 66 if you suspect you've seen any of these, on land or in water:
- an animal pest
- a plant pest
- signs of plant or animal disease.
Scientists
Call 0800 80 99 66 or use these forms to submit a formal report:
- Animal diseases (specimen submission) [PDF, 271 KB]
- Plant pests or diseases [PDF, 164 KB]
Vets and farmers – TSE surveillance
Incentives are available for vets and farmers who take part in New Zealand's transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) surveillance programme. Submit samples to help support our TSE-free status.
Cargo and baggage handlers
Keep watch for signs of infestations when dealing with shipments from overseas. If you see something – contain it, then report it by calling 0800 80 99 66.
See, Contain, Report – what to do if you see signs of pests or contaminants [PDF, 2.9 MB]
Legal obligations
New Zealanders are expected to report unusual organisms to MPI. Unusual organisms are those that appear to be something not normally seen in New Zealand.
Notifiable organisms are those that could seriously harm New Zealand's primary production or our trade and market access. If you spot a notifiable organism, you have a legal obligation under the Biosecurity Act 1993 to tell MPI. If you think you've spotted one, call the pests-and-diseases hotline on 0800 80 99 66.
- Refer to section 46 of the Biosecurity Act – NZ Legislation website
- Search the unwanted organisms database for notifiable organisms
Tips for spotting pests
You can use these resources to help confirm a pest sighting but it's not required. An MPI expert can do the identification for you.
Weeds and bugs
These online databases can help identify pests affecting farms and native environments.
- Weeds and pests affecting New Zealand pastures – Agpest website
- Key to the weed species of New Zealand – Landcare Research website
Animal pests
The National Pest Control Agency's (NPCA) websites have guidelines for identifying vertebrate pests and controlling them.
- Identify the presence of pest animals – NPCA's Pest Detective website
- Best practice guides for controlling vertebrate pests – NPCA website
Marine pests and diseases
References to help you identify marine pests and discover where they've been found so far.
- New Zealand's marine pest identification guide [PDF, 1.7 MB]