Biosecurity Act 1993

Surveillance and prevention

48: Power to require information

You could also call this:

"Authorities can ask you for information about certain organisms or materials to help keep New Zealand safe."

A chief technical officer can ask you to give them information if you are in charge of a place where organisms or organic material are investigated, or if you work in a biological science field. You might be asked to supply information about certain organisms, such as where they are found or how common they are. You might also be asked to let the chief technical officer or someone they authorise look at, test, or take samples of organisms or organic material.

If you have expertise in a biological science area, a chief technical officer can also ask you to give them information about certain organisms. The chief technical officer will ask you in writing and you will be told what information you need to give them.

If you give information to a chief technical officer because they asked you to, you might get reimbursed for any reasonable expenses you had to pay to give them that information, using money that Parliament has set aside for this purpose.

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This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM315353.


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"Goods that might harm New Zealand when brought in from other countries"


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49: Use of information, or

"Sharing information about animal and plant health and pests"

Part 4Surveillance and prevention

48Power to require information

  1. A chief technical officer may, by notice in writing, require the person in charge of premises used for investigating organisms or organic material, or any person employed in a professional or technical capacity in any area of biological science, to—

  2. supply the chief technical officer with information held by that person on the incidence, prevalence, or distribution of specified organisms; or
    1. permit the chief technical officer, or a person authorised in writing by that officer, to have access to, inspect, and test or sample specimens of any organism or tissues or parts of an organism or organic material held by that person or on those premises.
      1. A chief technical officer may, by notice in writing, require any person who has expertise or knowledge in an area of biological science to supply the chief technical officer with information held by that person on the incidence, prevalence, or distribution of specified organisms.

      2. Except in relation to circumstances concerning which a regulation makes contrary provision, the reasonable expenses of a person who supplies information to a chief technical officer in response to a requirement under this section will be reimbursed out of money appropriated by Parliament for the purpose if those expenses would not have been incurred but for the requirement.

      Notes
      • Section 48(1): replaced, on , by section 25 of the Biosecurity Amendment Act 1997 (1997 No 89).
      • Section 48(1A): inserted, on , by section 25 of the Biosecurity Amendment Act 1997 (1997 No 89).