PLANT IMPORTS

Government and industry consider plants as the highest biosecurity risk and new regulations are added every year, which increases the cost and reduces access to plant varieties.

New Zealand relies on access to high-health plant varieties from overseas and global plant breeding programmes for most of the vegetable, fruit and cereal crops that we consume. New plants are vital to the ongoing competitiveness of our export industries, and the challenges of climate change and sustainable production systems.

NZ Plant Producers takes a lead role in advocating for a strong plant imports system that works for plant producers. We have built good relationships with the Ministry for Primary Industries and the Environmental Protection Authority.

We advocate for:

  • safe importation pathways, effective risk management and quarantine practices
  • access to clean, high-health plant material from the world’s best breeding programmes and suppliers
  • efficient permitting and border processes
  • more affordable access to quarantine facilities
  • timely review and development of import health standards
  • opportunities to make existing regulation more effective, easier to understand, and easier and less costly to comply with.
Groundbreaking EPA application approval in 2023 

NZPPI's EPA application to import and release 12 houseplant species across seven genera without controls was approved in March 2023, marking the first approval of its kind. This success supports NZPPI's mission to clarify existing species' status and introduce new, safe plant species. Despite the approval, importation still requires Biosecurity Act assessment and import health standards. NZPPI now seeks further improvements to streamline the import process.


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