52411 (2025). Hon Jo Luxton to the Minister for Biosecurity

52411 (2025). Hon Jo Luxton to the Minister for Biosecurity: What assessments, if any, has he or his agency made regarding the geographic spread and reproductive rate of the yellow-legged hornet, particularly in terms of its ability to rapidly spread across regions in New Zealand?

Hon Andrew Hoggard: A Technical Advisory Group, comprising New Zealand and international scientists, has been convened to guide the response strategy. An initial Technical Report and the Technical Advisory Group both indicate that we would get one generation a year in New Zealand. Long-distance spread is nearly always human-mediated. Experience in the United Kingdom indicates that natural spread (yearly advance via the spread of over-wintered queens founding new colonies) is not more than ten kilometres. As at 11 November, no yellow-legged hornets have been discovered outside of Auckland. Biosecurity New Zealand are working to eradicate the hornet.