Hon Jim Anderton

Member of Parliament for Wigram
Progressive Leader

10 September 2009
Media Statement

Cuts to biosecurity staff based on silly assumptions

The government is cutting 54 frontline jobs in biosecurity because it assumes a recent decline in trade in New Zealand is permanent, and numbers of passengers arriving will continue to decline, says Jim Anderton.

Biosecurity staff prevent diseases and pests which could destroy farming and horticulture industries from entering New Zealand.

“The government’s justification for getting rid of these staff is that trade and passenger numbers are in decline. It’s true that there has been a decline in the last quarter, but the long term trend over ten years, is definitely up.”

The value of imports per quarter in 1999 for example was just over $6 billion. Now, even with the recent decline, it is about $11 billion. Total monthly arrivals were approximately 240,000 in 1999 and with the recent decline, still remain at about 360,000 per month.

“When our imports increase again - which they will - the government has left the border vulnerable. All it takes is one businessman to bring in an apple with fruit fly, and our fruit industry is threatened. It’s already a hard enough job without cutting trained staff.”

“What will the government do when trade increases? Re-employ the 54 staff it has just made redundant on contract?”

“Opua in the North, for example has now lost their one biosecurity staff member, even though between 400 and 500 boats from Asia and the Pacific enter New Zealand via Opua every year. The number of vessels arriving hasn’t declined; just our capacity to check them has been cut. And those boats can be a breeding ground for diseases and pests.”

“Prevention is better than cure. Keep the money and the jobs in biosecurity to stop pests getting in rather than spend more money on trying to eliminate them once they’re here.”

ENDS

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