New Zealand detects first H5N1 bird flu case, starts vaccination of endangered species
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The case in a brown skua seabird comes after the virus was detected in June in Australia, the last continent to report the virus.
PHOTO: PEXELS
- New Zealand has reported its first case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu in a migratory brown skua near Wellington, marking the virus's arrival in the country.
- The H5N1 virus has spread globally since 2021, affecting wild birds, mammals, poultry farms, and some farmworkers, but no mass wildlife deaths or poultry infections have been found in New Zealand.
- Authorities are preparing with biosecurity plans and have begun vaccinating 300 endangered breeding birds to protect against the virus’s impact on native species.
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WELLINGTON – New Zealand reported its first case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu after a migratory seabird found on a beach near the capital, Wellington, tested positive, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard said on July 15.
The case in a brown skua seabird comes after the virus was detected in June in Australia, the last continent to report the virus.
The virulent H5 strain has spread through wild bird and mammal populations since 2021, killing millions and infecting poultry and dairy farms, as well as some farmworkers.
“There is no evidence of any mass mortality in wildlife or transmission between wild birds in New Zealand. There has been no detection in poultry,” Hoggard said in a statement.
He added that New Zealand may see a similar pattern to cases reported in neighbouring Australia, where there have been 14 confirmed or presumed positive detections of H5 bird flu as of July 15.
New Zealand has been preparing for the arrival of H5N1, working with the poultry industry to develop biosecurity and resilience plans.
“We’re going to be doing more surveillance, more testing, but by and large, it’s carrying on with the same work with the industry we’ve been doing so far,” Hoggard said at a press conference.
New Zealand’s endemic birds are unusually vulnerable because they evolved for millions of years without native land mammals, leaving many species flightless, ground-nesting and poorly equipped to defend themselves against predators.
That isolation made them unique, but also left them highly exposed to habitat loss and introduced pests such as stoats, rats and feral cats.
Many species are already endangered, putting them at great risk of extinction if the virus spreads rapidly.
Health officials have started a vaccination programme for 300 core breeding birds from five of the country’s most endangered species, including flightless takahe and kakapo.
Hoggard said they had trialed the vaccine in 2025 and had seen no adverse side effects but could not be certain how effective it was as the birds had not been exposed to the virus.
Brett Gartrell, professor of wildlife health at Massey University, told Reuters he was worried that bird flu could push some of the country’s critically endangered birds to extinction.
“We are incredibly worried about New Zealand’s biodiversity because our birds have never had to deal with anything like this before,” he said.
“If it spreads quickly in New Zealand, we could be in trouble... those core group of birds that (officials) want to protect with the vaccination won’t be fully immune if it spreads too quickly.” REUTERS
