Statement of Intent
Outcome: People
Intermediate Outcome 2.1 – Prevention and reduction of harm to human health and wellbeing from pests and diseases and their management (see also the discussion of Intermediate Outcome 1.4)
What are we seeking to achieve?
That harmful or potentially harmful pests and diseases (associated with human health) do not cross New Zealand’s borders and impact negatively on human health.
There is improved early detection and identification of serious pests and diseases across the biosecurity spectrum and the damage caused by harmful organisms that have, or attempt to, become established in New Zealand is effectively managed.
There are negligible negative health effects for New Zealanders from biosecurity response programmes and their management.
Why is this a priority?
Domestic and exotic biosecurity pests and diseases have the potential to impact on the health and lifestyles of New Zealanders. MAF’s biosecurity activities are aimed at limiting these negative impacts. However, the choice of method to manage a biosecurity incursion can also have a potentially negative impact on human health and wellbeing (for example, pesticide spray-drift). In discharging its biosecurity responsibilities, MAF has to factor in the potential impact that biosecurity activities can have on people’s health and lifestyles. In addition, biosecurity decisions need to recognise the cultural value people attach to certain organisms – for example, cats and dogs as pets, and certain valued garden species, and recognise clear access to land and other natural resources.
What will we do to achieve this?
See relevant discussion under Intermediate Outcome 1.4.
How will we demonstrate our success?
MAF continually monitors its border control and biosecurity systems to determine whether interventions have been successful in detecting all potentially harmful pests and diseases. System or “pathway” detection failures are recorded as slippage – meaning the proportion of potentially harmful pests and diseases not detected by MAF interventions.
As such, positive outcomes or success will be evident if:
• there is a decrease in the extent of slippage of potentially harmful exotic pests and diseases at the border (or other identified detection “pathways”);
• there is a decrease in the number of notified exotic vector-borne diseases in New Zealand;
• there is effective and efficient post-border management of pests with the potential to harm human health and wellbeing (as demonstrated by fit-for-purpose monitoring and evaluation findings);
• the impact of biosecurity management activities on human health and wellbeing is minimised and falls within predetermined tolerance parameters.
Also see relevant discussion under Intermediate Outcome 1.4.
Intermediate Outcome 2.2 – New Zealanders are informed and involved participants in MAF’s regulatory systems
What are we seeking to achieve?
New Zealanders (a) are confident in our biosecurity, indigenous forestry, animal welfare and environmental sustainability regulatory systems, (b) have a widespread understanding of the reasons and need for rules and regulations, (c) actively report suspected biosecurity pests, (d) voluntarily declare risk items at the border and, (e) are aware of the complexity, trade-offs and ethical issues concerning animal welfare.
Why is this a priority?
Government is not in a position to police or control all aspects of the biosecurity and animal welfare systems. It is increasingly recognised that in order to achieve a range of public policy objectives, citizens will have to willingly change their behaviour and become co-producers of desired policy outcomes.
What will we do to achieve this?
MAF uses social marketing activities to influence New Zealanders’ awareness of biosecurity and animal welfare systems, and of the penalties/likelihood of being caught for non-compliance. MAF also promotes and develops standards for the humane treatment of animals appropriate to society’s expectations.
How will we demonstrate our success?
MAF uses (a) non-compliance rates among discrete target groups as proxies to gauge its success in generating awareness of the biosecurity system, and (b) the scope of existing codes of animal welfare in New Zealand (including progress towards full coverage).
As such, positive outcomes or success will be evident if there is:
• a decrease in seizures of undeclared risk items at the border;
• a decrease in the number of border infringements by air passengers;
• no cases associated with breaching international trade and SPS rules brought and upheld against New Zealand entities;
• a long-term increase in the level of compliance with aspects of New Zealand’s indigenous forestry rules and regulations;
• an increase in the sustainable use of natural resources in agriculture, forestry and food production;
• an increased awareness and uptake of schemes or initiatives aimed at reducing GHG-emissions in the agriculture, food and forestry sectors;
• an increase in New Zealanders’ awareness of what constitutes animal cruelty as well as the rules and regulations governing the humane and ethical treatment of animals.
Intermediate Outcome 2.3 – Connected and resilient rural communities
What are we seeking to achieve?
Rural communities have workable access to essential services and effective and efficient connections to the world.
Why is this a priority?
The rural business and social environment2 is changing as a result of the consolidation of the retail sector and other parts of the post-harvest value chain, the expansion of corporate farming, and the influence of lifestyle and offshore investment in land ownership. A range of social, demographic and economic issues is impacting on the viability of rural communities. These factors, combined with the lack of collective representation and the high marginal cost of providing public and infrastructural services to rural communities, make it difficult for rural communities to influence policy decisions and/or access services.
What will we do to achieve this?
MAF’s activities are focused on ensuring that current and/or emerging/future issues with the potential to impact on those New Zealanders living and working in rural communities are given appropriate consideration during policy-making.
MAF approaches its rural affairs activities from a whole-of-government perspective. Through its Regional and Rural Policy activities, MAF actively maintains relationships with rural communities to learn first-hand what the current and emerging issues are that impact on communities. This includes, but is not limited to, aspects of essential social services, telecommunications infrastructure, labour force participation, rural access and civil emergency or disaster relief.
Staying in touch with what is happening in communities ought to ensure MAF’s mandated and other policy activities are relevant and reflective of reality. In doing so, MAF aims to “rural proof” communities against unexpected changes in their social (as opposed to business) environments.
How will we demonstrate our success?
MAF measures success in achieving this outcome by monitoring and reporting on issues that are likely to, or do, affect the availability and quality of rural connectedness and essential services. These include telecommunications infrastructure, rural services and infrastructure, and the geographic coverage of structured rural response capability for adverse events.
As such, positive outcomes or success will be evident if there is:
• effective rural civil emergency relief response planning, co-ordination and implementation;
• an increase in the geographical coverage of areas with structured rural response capability for adverse events response activities;
• an increase in the availability and quality of telecommunications infrastructure in discrete rural sub-population cohorts.
Future reporting will include further data on a range of speed profiles (kbps) for each of Statistics New Zealand’s four Rural Profiles. It is important that information on speed profiles is collected because the new generation of wired broadband (ADSL2) has a much shorter reach3. Future reporting will also cover investment in wired infrastructure in rural New Zealand, and rural/urban price deferentials for voice and broadband services.
3 Distance of customer from nearest telecom mini-exchange (“cabinet”).
Contact for Enquiries
Strategy and Performance Group
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Pastoral House
25 The Terrace
PO Box 2526, Wellington
Tel: +64 4 894 0100
Fax: +64 4 894 0738
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