Invasive species in New Zealand

A number of introduced species, some of which have become invasive species, have been added to New Zealand's native flora and fauna. Both deliberate and accidental introductions have been made from the time of the first human settlement, with several waves of Polynesian[1] people at some time before the year 1300,[2] followed by Europeans after 1769.[3]

Almost without exception,[4][5] the introduced species have been detrimental to the native flora and fauna, but some, such as farmed sheep and cows and the clover upon which they feed, now form a large part of the economy of New Zealand. Possibility of introduced herbivores (deer) to serve as ecological proxies for extinct moa has been questioned.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

Biosecurity New Zealand maintains registers and lists of species that are invasive, potentially invasive, or a threat to agriculture or biodiversity.[13] They also manage a small number of species under the National Interest Pest Responses (NIPR) programme. The rainbow lorikeet is the one animal that has been covered by the NIPR, and was eradicated in 2014. All the other species covered by the NIPR, past or present, are weeds.[14]

Clematis vitalba (old man's beard) smothering a cabbage tree (Cordyline australis) in the Port Hills of Christchurch
  1. ^ Howe, K. R. (2003). The Quest for Origins. p. 179. ISBN 0-14-301857-4.
  2. ^ Rat remains help date New Zealand's colonisation. New Scientist. 4 June 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2008.
  3. ^ Abel Tasman did not land, so is unlikely to have introduced anything.
  4. ^ Hutching, Gerard. "Swamp harrier". Te Ara. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  5. ^ Seaton, R. "Swamp harrier". New Zealand Birds Online. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  6. ^ David M. Forsyth, Janet M. Wilmshurst, Robert B. Allen, David A. Coomes, 2010, Impacts of introduced deer and extinct moa on New Zealand ecosystems
  7. ^ Kate Guthrie, April 25, 2019, Moa vs Deer – are they so different?, Predator Free NZ Trust
  8. ^ Beth Daley, October 19, 2022, Despite the myth, deer are not an ecological substitute for moa and should be part of NZ’s predator-free plan, The Conversation
  9. ^ Hannah Rae, February 6, 2022, NZ Hunter - Deer Vs Moa, Everand
  10. ^ Farah Hancock, April 14, 2019, Deer are not like moa, Newsroom
  11. ^ Rebekah White, Too much browsing, New Zealand Geographic
  12. ^ Adrian Currie, April 3, 2017, Much Ado About Niches, Extinct
  13. ^ "Registers and lists for pests and diseases". Biosecurity New Zealand. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference NIPR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).