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. Biosecurity New Zealand maintains registers and lists of species that are invasive, potentially invasive, or a threat to agriculture or biodiversity.[6] 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.[7]

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. ^ "Registers and lists for pests and diseases". Biosecurity New Zealand. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference NIPR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).