The New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science (PHF Science, formerly ESR), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), will bring together international experts for a two-day summit and technical exchanges focused on identifying biosecurity threats and understanding their economic implications.
To be held in Wellington from 4-5 August, the summit marks 150 years of scientific collaboration between the United States and New Zealand, and coincides with the fifteenth anniversary of the Bilateral Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement, partnerships that have strengthened both nations’ biosecurity capabilities.
New Zealand maintains a list of almost 15,000 unwanted plant, animal, and marine pests and diseases. Border biosecurity involves coordinated efforts to prevent these pests and diseases from entering the country, safeguarding New Zealand’s environment, public health, and vital primary industries.
PHF Science Chief Executive Dr Ashley Bloomfield says: “Biosecurity is not just a national priority, it’s a global imperative. In an interconnected world, our resilience depends on collaboration, innovation, and vigilance. This summit and technical exchanges are an opportunity to focus on translating science into practical biosecurity protection outcomes, and on identifying new opportunities for collaboration.”
The summit will bring together experts from across New Zealand’s biosecurity sector, such as Biosecurity New Zealand (Ministry for Primary Industries), other government departments, relevant Primary Research Organisations, industry, and key academics.
Additional international partner representatives will include the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Health Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Coastguard, United Nations’s Food and Agriculture Organization, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.
The technical exchanges will continue throughout the week, with the US delegates visiting biosecurity scientists and experts in Wellington, Palmerston North, and Auckland.