increase font size
A passenger arriving at Wellington airport has had to give up his lucky charms due to their potential biosecurity risk.
The charms, made from snake parts (including fangs from Thailand) and horsehair, are thought to be lucky in the search for gold. The passenger arrived from Australia and said the charms were usually attached to his metal detector when he went looking for gold.
He declared the items to Ministry for Primary Industries staff on his way into New Zealand, but staff considered the risk too great to allow the charms through.
"There was no way we were going to allow the passenger to keep the animal parts with him during his stay in New Zealand, as they could
have been carrying pests or diseases," says MPI team manager Tony Owen.
"As he was planning to leave New Zealand by the same airport, he had the options of having MPI destroy the charms or hold them until his departure," says Owen.
The passenger chose for MPI to hold the items and collected them on his way home five days later.
"We didn't think the charms were particularly lucky when you consider the potential harmful effects to industry or New Zealand's native species," says Owens.
Testing confirms H5 bird flu in a single northern giant petrel, found dead on a remote Cape Palliser beach in the Wairarapa, says Dr Mary van Andel, the Ministry for Primary Industries' (MPI) Chief Veterinary Officer.
Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) is sometimes viewed as a dairy industry issue, but the reality is that the disease can have serious consequences for beef breeding herds as well.
Four years since it was first detected in New Zealand, researchers and growers now know much more about management of maize pest fall armyworm (FAW).
The apple sector is working with the Government to unlock access to two key markets that could bring millions in revenue for apple growers.
OPINION: Dairy farmers know better than anyone that change is constant.
An Auckland gelato shop and an established New Zealand ice cream maker have both been named Supreme Champions at the NZ Ice Cream & Gelato Awards 2026.
As the cost-of-living crisis continues to put pressure on household grocery budgets, new figures show pork remains one of the most affordable fresh meat options for New Zealand families.
OPINION: In politics, credibility is and should be big. It must surely rank higher than charisma, which is quite trite and superficial. Yet, voters nowadays are often wooed and influenced by how someone looks or talks at a superficial level. TV plays a huge role in this.
Farmers can spend less time on paperwork, thanks to a new data sharing agreement between DairyNZ’s DairyBase and LIC’s MINDA software.
Kaikōura families affected by July's severe storm have found a practical solution to a problem that's kept some children away from regular schooling for weeks: a washed-out section of Inland Kaikōura Road, which has stopped the local school bus from running its usual route.
Rural New Zealand is welcoming the Government’s recent package of rural healthcare initiatives.
