NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith announces new 1080 rules

Nicholas Jones
By Nicholas Jones
Investigative Reporter·NZ Herald·
26 Feb, 2017 12:06 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The use of poisons including 1080 and brodifacoum will be subject to new rules after concern about inconsistency between different regional rules.

The use of poisons including 1080 and brodifacoum will be subject to new rules after concern about inconsistency between different regional rules.

The use of poisons including 1080 and brodifacoum will be subject to new rules after concern about inconsistency between different regional rules.

Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith made the announcement while visiting Tiritiri Matangi Sanctuary in the Hauraki Gulf.

"I know there is opposition to poisons like 1080 and brodifacoum but they are essential tools to saving New Zealand's natural heritage.

"The change will not increase any of the risks around the use of these poisons...It is expected to save $11 million over the next 20 years, enabling more pests to be controlled and more species saved."

The new national regulations will start from April 1, and are approved under the Resource Management Act.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Smith said the new approach would standardise the rules for using poisons like 1080.

Currently there are different rules according to what region the poison is used in.

The change was advocated for by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, who expressed concern about the duplication and inconsistency between regional rules.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The Government has recently tightened up regulations around 1080, after a blackmail scare that cost the country millions of dollars.

Jeremy Hamish Kerr was jailed last July after admitting two counts of blackmail over the 1080 scandal, which made global headlines.

In November 2014, Kerr mixed highly concentrated amounts of the poison with baby milk formula and posted them to the dairy co-op and to Federated Farmers, with a letter demanding the country stop using 1080 or he would release poisoned infant milk powder into the Chinese market and one unspecified market.

The Ministry of Primary Industries moved to secure the safety of the dairy supply chain, testing 150,000 samples, and the blackmail letters triggered an unprecedented police investigation. The blackmail case cost the country more than $37 million.

In response the government introduced new controls for all workplaces and laboratories using sodium fluoroacetate (1080), including a requirement for holders of 1080 to notify the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the quantity and supplier.

Any new imports require an import certificate from the EPA before it can be collected from the New Zealand Customs Service. Laboratory managers must also ensure that 1080 is securely locked up when not in use.

In announcing the Government's target for New Zealand to be predator-free by 2050 last July, Conservation Minister Maggie Barry said 1080 poison would continue to play a key role.

"It is always going to be the weapon of choice in the battle to get rid of these vermin in the very steep country," she said.

1080 has been widely used in New Zealand against pests such as rats, stoats and opossum, and has faced fierce opposition from some, partly because pest-baiting campaigns in the past have killed non-target species such as dogs, cattle and deer.

A majority of scientists support the use of 1080 in pest control, and their work has been important in devising more effective ways to spread 1080 baits and to reduce the amount of actual poison in pellets laced with the substance.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In June 2011 Commissioner for the Environment Dr Jan Wright issued perhaps the most significant study on the use of 1080 in New Zealand. It was released at a time supporters and opponents of 1080 were at loggerheads with calls for a moratorium on its use. Her conclusions significantly pushed the debate towards continued use of the pesticide, though she stressed the need for its safe application.

Dr Wright said New Zealand did not have an alternative method of effectively killing possums, rats and stoats.

What is 1080?
Sodium monofluoroacetate, commonly known as 1080, is a fine white powder. It has a slight odour and taste and is said to dissolve easily in water.

While manufactured 1080 is a highly lethal poison to many species, the active ingredient, fluoroacetate, is identical to a substance that occurs naturally in many poisonous plants. These plants are found in Brazil, Africa, and Australia.

1080 comes in several forms, usually in small dyed green pellets, but also sprayed carrot baits, pastes and gels.

How long has it been used here?
1080 has been used in New Zealand for pest control since the mid-1950s and is the only poison registered for aerial drops. It is also used in Australia, the united States, Mexico and Israel. New Zealand uses about 80 per cent of the world's production of manufactured 1080.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

How does it work?
Whether laid on the ground, or dropped from the sky in large remote areas, the 1080 is eaten by the animal.

If enough is ingested, the poison disrupts the process of breaking down food to provide energy for cells to function. Once the animal has run out of energy, it dies from heart or respiratory failure.

Herbivores like possums become lethargic, and usually die within 6-18 hours from cardiac failure. Carnivores experience problems with their central nervous systems and may suffer convulsions before dying.

What are the risks?
1080 is extremely toxic to many animals, and dogs are particularly sensitive.

In 2007, West Coast man Ryan Fitzmaurice's pet Labrador, Tigger, died after eating a possum that had 1080 in its system.

The possum had been poisoned by a drop near his home. Fitzmaurice was offered undisclosed compensation by the pest control company. Humans are also at risk if they ingest 1080.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

What measures are taken to keep the public and their animals safe?
DoC must meet strict Ministry of Health conditions before getting a permit for a 1080 operation.

DoC must also talk to communities where 1080 operations are planned, let the public know an operation is going ahead and put up signs to show areas where poisoning has taken place.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

Sport

Black Sox looking for eighth win at Softball World Cup

13 Jul 08:11 AM
CrimeUpdated

Man jailed after forcing children to witness horrific animal cruelty

13 Jul 08:00 AM
New Zealand

One person dead after two-car crash in Canterbury town

13 Jul 06:30 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Black Sox looking for eighth win at Softball World Cup

Black Sox looking for eighth win at Softball World Cup

13 Jul 08:11 AM

New Zealand will face Venezuela in a rematch of the 2013 championship.

Man jailed after forcing children to witness horrific animal cruelty

Man jailed after forcing children to witness horrific animal cruelty

13 Jul 08:00 AM
One person dead after two-car crash in Canterbury town

One person dead after two-car crash in Canterbury town

13 Jul 06:30 AM
'Our energy market is broken': Letter from industry bodies asks PM for urgent reforms

'Our energy market is broken': Letter from industry bodies asks PM for urgent reforms

13 Jul 06:00 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP