New Zealand Equine Disease Report

The import and export of horses in New Zealand contributes to a significant portion of the GDP produced by the NZ equine industry. We also have a very healthy horse population and an ideal border situation to maintain that health so biosecurity at the border and post-border readiness are a high priority.

As you can imagine other countries we trade with are also interested in the health of our horses just as we are with theirs, which leads us to this current update from MPI concerning the equine disease status of New Zealand for the period 1 April 2023 - 31 March 2024. This report is indicative of equine disease reporting to the World Organisation for Animal Health, so it does not include all equine infectious diseases but those we perceive to be the highest risk in our situation.

It is great to see that we are maintaining a strong border but it is also a timely reminder when we look back to a recent incursion of Equine Piroplasmosis in 2020. Fortunately, we were able to quickly respond, eradicate and declare the country's freedom from that disease once again, but this was still at a significant cost to our industry and shows us we must always remain vigilant and be as prepared as possible for a potential disease response.