How This Remarkable Sea Bird Became the Harbinger of Bad News

How this remarkable sea bird became the harbinger of bad news

The brown skua arrived, unexpectedly, in Western Australia and Wellington -- marking the arrival of a deadly bird flu to Australasia.

Hundreds of thousands of free-range hens locked down after bird flu found in NZ

New Zealand’s largest egg supplier is putting hundreds of thousands of free-range chickens into lockdown after the deadly bird flu virus was detected in the country for the first time.

On-farm biosecurity strengthened for NZ poultry

The first detection of H5 bird flu (H5N1 avian influenza clade 2.3.4.4b) in New Zealand was confirmed on 15 July 2026. There have been no detections in local farm poultry to date. Chicken and eggs remain safe to eat, and bird flu is a very low risk to human health. New Zealand is well prepared to respond quickly to H5 bird flu. Response and surveillance work continues to step up in close coordination with industry partners and other agencies. MP…