Following yesterday’s confirmed detection of H5 bird flu in a northern giant petrel at a remote beach at Cape Palliser in the Wairarapa, the Ministry for Primary Industries has staff on the ground today carrying out precautionary checks along the Wairarapa coastline.
There have now been 3 confirmed positive detections of H5 bird flu in New Zealand, all in the Wellington region. The detections have been individual wild birds and there have been no mass mortality events or any detections in poultry.
We continue to ask all New Zealanders to be alert and use good habits to limit the impact of H5 bird flu.
- Keep your distance. Stay away from sick or dead wildlife. Keep pets away too.
- Keep clean. Wash your hands and clean your gear after being outdoors.
- Know when to report. If you see 3 or more sick or dead wild birds in a group, report it immediately to the exotic pest and disease hotline on 0800 80 99 66 or online at report.mpi.govt.nz
More information about H5 bird flu and the work MPI is doing with its partners to prepare and respond is available on our website.
Situation updates are available on this page: