1 - INTRODUCTION
The Biosecurity Act (1993) (BSA (1993)) came into force in June 1993. It integrates a number of requirements from previous acts which covered pest control in New Zealand. The BSA (1993) enables Pest Management Strategies (PMSs) to be developed for each of the important pests. These PMSs are to be developed at the regional level (RPMSs) or at the national level (NPMSs), and define the role and responsibilities of pest management agencies in the control of pests, the procedures to be followed, and how pest management is to be funded. The transitional arrangements of the Biosecurity Act allow for residual powers under previous acts to be carried over until PMSs are in place. The BSA (1993) also assigns a number of responsibilities to the responsible Minister in respect of the Act, including a requirement to provide for its co-ordinated implementation.
Currently (May 1997) most Regional Councils have proposed RPMSs, and many of these have proceeded to notification stage. MAF have prepared an internal report2 which identifies the wide range of implementation and funding arrangements which Regional Councils have incorporated in their strategies. It notes the limited extent to which some Regional Councils have quantified the beneficiaries and exacerbators associated with pest control, and the tenuous links between those benefits which have been identified and the rating mechanisms used to collect funds for the pest management strategies3.
The variation in implementation and funding arrangements raises a number of issues for MAF Policy in respect of the Minister's responsibilities. These related issues include determining whether the variation which exists in the implementation of RPMSs is consistent with the intentions of the Act, whether greater co-ordination and uniformity may be achieved by analysis and sharing of information, and ultimately whether there is information which would further assist policy makers in proposing amendments to the BSA 1993.
This project is designed to assist the responsible Minister to meet his responsibilities in respect of the Act, and responds to the project brief prepared by MAF Policy (Annex 1). It aims to provide information regarding the manner in which RPMSs are being implemented and funded, to identify the rationale behind the different approaches to implementation and funding of RPMSs, to report on the practical implications of the variation in arrangements with respect to the intentions of the BSA (1993), and to determine the need for any initiatives by central government, including potential amendments, which would enable the Minister to ensure that the Act is operating effectively.
The report presents an overview of the management of pests in regions, new initiatives
associated with the development of RPMSs, and issues which have arisen. It then discusses
the way in which Councils have chosen pests for inclusion in their strategies, including
the rationale behind their inclusion, and influences on the decision making process
followed by a comparison of these with the principles as set out in the Act. It conducts a
similar analysis of the funding of strategies by Councils, and concludes with a discussion
of central government's role in regional pest management with a series of recommendations
for legislative, facilitative, and research programmes to ensure better implementation of
the Act.
2 Cotton, M. 1996. "Report on Approaches to Rating under the Biosecurity Act 1993". Unpublished internal MAF Policy Report.
3 A key tenet of the new legislation is for the funding of strategies to have regard to the relationship between beneficiaries (and/or exacerbators) and those who pay, consistent with arguments of economic efficiency and resource allocation.
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