81797 (2024). Hon Jo Luxton to the Minister for Biosecurity

81797 (2024). Hon Jo Luxton to the Minister for Biosecurity: How many scientists did Biosecurity NZ employ at the discovery of the H7N6 bird flu incursion and how many of these roles did MPI employ as at 14 October 2023?

Hon Andrew Hoggard: I am informed that, as at 14 October 2023, Biosecurity New Zealand had 49 permanent scientist FTE, and 49 permanent scientist FTE as at 1 December 2024, when a farm tested positive for H7N6 avian influenza. In addition, some Biosecurity New Zealand staff are trained as scientists but are not in a dedicated scientist position.