ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Biosecurity in New Zealand

Biosecurity in New Zealand is like wearing a suit of armour to protect the country from bad pests and diseases that could harm plants, animals and people.

Just like how you wash your hands and cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze, New Zealand has rules to stop bad things from getting into the country. This is because New Zealand is a special place with unique and fragile environments, and we need to protect them.

Some of the rules include making sure that people, animals, and goods coming into the country are checked and approved by special people called biosecurity officers. They look for any bugs, bacteria and other nasty things that could cause harm. These officers also make sure that no one brings any plants or animals that could harm the environment, like weeds or invasive species.

If bad things get into the country, it could cause problems like destroying native forests, making animals sick or ruining crops. New Zealand has had problems with pests and diseases before and it can be very expensive and hard to fix. That's why biosecurity is so important!

So, biosecurity is like a big protective hug to keep New Zealand safe from bad things. It helps to keep the plants growing, the animals happy and healthy and the people safe.