Overview of the pest plant accord
The NPPA is designed to prevent the sale, distribution and propagation of a set list of pest plants (the Accord list) within New Zealand. If allowed to spread further, these pest plants could seriously damage the New Zealand economy and environment.
The NPPA is a cooperative agreement between:
- the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI)
- New Zealand Plant Producers Incorporated (NZPPI)
- unitary and regional councils
- Department of Conservation.
All plants on the Accord list are unwanted organisms under the Biosecurity Act 1993. This means they cannot be distributed or sold in New Zealand. Note, the NPPA is used alongside other pest management strategies.
In the context of the Accord list, a species is considered to include all subspecies, cultivars, varieties, and forms of that species (including genetically modified variants), unless specifically excluded. However, a species is considered to exclude any hybrids of that species with another species, unless otherwise stated.
Pest and disease search (includes all NPPA species)
How the NPPA is different from other pest management strategies [PDF, 54 KB]
MPI's long-term biosecurity management programmes
Accord documents
National Pest Plant Accord manual (February 2020 reprint) [PDF, 11 MB]
Amendments to NPPA manual (February 2020 reprint) [PDF, 145 KB]
You can also order a free printed copy of the NPPA manual from our print suppliers. Look under the 'border security' section of the print portal.
MPI Print Resources Portal (True North)
Sign up to get updates about the NPPA
MPI maintains a consultative list – a group of key stakeholders and parties interested in the NPPA or the Accord list. We update these people when the Accord list changes and send out consultation material. Anyone interested in the NPPA and the Accord list can sign up.
Email: nppa@mpi.govt.nz
Adding and removing species to the NPPA
Anyone can suggest a change to the Accord list. You'll need to fill out a proposal form, then email it to MPI at nppa@mpi.govt.nz
Or post it to:
NPPA Co-ordinator
Ministry for Primary Industries
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140.
Proposal for inclusion or exclusion on the National Pest Plant Accord [PDF, 155 KB]
How decisions are made
Once MPI has enough proposals to justify a review – or if a proposal needs immediate action – the NPPA Technical Advisory Group carries out a risk assessment and works through the decision process. The advisory group then makes a recommendation to the NPPA Steering Group to work out whether the species should be included on the Accord List. They also work out how a ban would impact New Zealand industry.
Evaluation criteria for assessment of candidate species for inclusion in the NPPA [PDF, 224 KB]
The steering group makes the final decision on changing the Accord list, delaying a decision if they need more information.
Any pest plant that's not currently on the Accord list will be taken to an MPI chief technical officer, who will make a decision on whether it should be designated an unwanted organism under the Biosecurity Act 1993 – and then added to the Accord list.
Identifying and collecting plant samples
In some cases, regional councils or local authorities will need to identify a plant to work out whether it's a plant on the Accord list. Then, they'll log a sample of the plant for reference.
Only authorised individuals are able to identify plants and collect samples – they have to work for or be contracted to a regional council. Financial arrangements for identification remain the responsibility of the organisation to which the 'authorised person' belongs.
