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Demonstrate knowledge of global biosecurity awareness and the New
Zealand response
Level
4
Credits
5
Purpose
People credited with this unit standard are able to demonstrate knowledge of
global biosecurity concepts and agreements, biosecurity threats to New
Zealand and their potential impacts, biosecurity organisation and
management in New Zealand, biosecurity applications at the New Zealand
border, and post-border biosecurity surveillance and response.
This unit standard is designed for people who are, or wish to become,
Quarantine Officers of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF).
Subfield
Biosecurity
Domain
Border Quarantine
Status
Registered
Status date
19 April 2002
Date version published
26 January 2007
Planned review date
31 December 2011
Entry information
Open.
Accreditation
Evaluation of documentation and visit by NZQA and
industry.
Standard setting body (SSB)
Competenz
Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP) reference
0173
This AMAP can be accessed at http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/framework/search/index.do.
Special notes
1
Import Health Standards are issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and
are available through the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry website at
http://www.maf.govt.nz.
2
Legislation relating to this unit standard includes the Biosecurity Act 1993, Health Act
1956, the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996, and their
subsequent amendments.
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3
International documents relating to this unit standard are: the WTO Agreement on the
Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement); the
International Plant Protection Convention 1997, the FOA Glossary of Phytosanitary
Terms 1990.
4
The International Plant Protection Convention 1997 and the FAO Glossary of
Phytosanitary Terms 1990 are available through Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Quarantine Service (MAFQS) offices, and from Competenz, PO Box 9005,
Newmarket, Auckland 1149. The other documents are available through MAFQS
offices.
5
The reference text for this unit standard is Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Global
Biosecurity and the New Zealand Response (Auckland, 1999). It is available through
the MAFQS offices, and from Competenz, PO Box 9005, Newmarket, Auckland
1149.
Elements and performance criteria
Element 1
Demonstrate knowledge of global biosecurity concepts and agreements.
Performance criteria
1.1
Biosecurity terminology is explained in accordance with the Biosecurity Act
1993, the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), and the FAO
Glossary of Phytosanitary Terms.
Range
1.2
The biosecurity continuum is explained in accordance with the reference text.
Range
1.3
includes but is not limited to – biosecurity, biosecurity clearance,
border, Chief Technical Officer, contaminant, craft, disinsection,
emergency response, hazardous substance, hitch-hiker, Import
Health Standards, Minister, new organism, pest, pest
management strategy, risk assessment, risk goods, risk pathways,
surveillance, transitional facility, treatment, uncleared goods,
unwanted organism, vector.
Import Health Standards, offshore treatment, offshore inspection,
offshore certification, inspection, treatment on arrival, post arrival
treatments, biosecurity clearance, surveillance, eradication.
Organisations and Agreements pertaining to sanitary and phytosanitary
measures are explained in terms of export market access and import
requirements in relation to biosecurity.
Range
Codex Alimentarius Commission, Food and Agriculture
Organisation (FAO), International Plant Protection Convention
(IPPC), Office International des Epizooties (OIE), Sanitary and
Phytosanitary Agreement (SPS), World Trade Organisation
(WTO), World Health Organisation (WHO).
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1.4
Overseas biosecurity-related organisations are described in accordance with
the reference text.
Range
includes but not limited to: Australian Quarantine and Inspection
Service (AQIS), Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs, United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
Element 2
Demonstrate knowledge of biosecurity threats to New Zealand and their potential impacts.
Performance criteria
2.1
The potential impacts of pest, disease and unwanted organism incursions are
described in accordance with the reference text.
Range
2.2
International examples of harmful impacts of organisms on indigenous
environments, ecosystems, or human health, are described in accordance with
the reference text.
Range
2.3
biodiversity protection, climate, overseas market access, global
isolation, tourism, unique native flora and fauna.
The impacts of exotic pests and diseases established in New Zealand are
described in accordance with the reference text.
Range
2.5
may include but is not limited to – brown tree snake (Boiga
irregularis), giant African snail (Achatina fulica), malaria, rabies,
zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha).
New Zealand’s vulnerability is explained in accordance with the reference text.
Range
2.4
may include but not limited to – associated costs, biodiversity,
employment, health, land use, primary industries, pollution,
recreation, trade, tourism.
may include but is not limited to – cabbage white butterfly (Pieris
rapae), dothistroma needle blight (Dothistroma pini), German
wasp (Vespula germanica), gorse (Ulex europaeus), house borer
(Anobium punctatum), possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), water
hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes).
The experience and case histories of overseas pest and disease incursions into
New Zealand are described in accordance with the reference text.
Range
may include but is not limited to – bovine brucellosis (Brucella
abortus), Dutch elm disease (Ophiostoma novo-ulmi),
Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata), southern saltmarsh
mosquito (Ochlerotatus camptorhynchus), tussock moth (Orgyia
thyellina).
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2.6
Pests, diseases, and unwanted organisms which pose a potential biosecurity
threat to New Zealand are identified in accordance with the reference text.
Range
2.7
may include but is not limited to – blue tongue virus and vector
organism, citrus canker (Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri),
dengue fever and vector organism, foot and mouth disease
(Picornaviridae), fruit flies (Tephritidae), moths (Lymantriid),
malaria and vector organism, pine pitch canker (Fusarium
circinatum), Ross River virus and vector organism, snakes
(Suborder serpentes);
evidence is required for one plant pest, one animal pest, and one
disease of humans.
Pests, diseases, and unwanted organisms of New Zealand origin that have
become established in overseas countries and/or which may cause concern to
trading partners are identified in accordance with the reference text.
Range
may include but not limited to – cabbage tree (Cordyline australis),
fire blight (Erwina amylovora), grass grub (Costelytra zealandica),
New Zealand flatworm (Artioposphia triangulata), ngaio
(Myoporum laetum), pohutakawa, (Metrosideros excelsa), weevils
(Euophryum confine and E. rufum).
Element 3
Demonstrate knowledge of biosecurity organisation and management in New Zealand.
Performance criteria
3.1
New Zealand legislative safeguards are described in terms of the administering
body, and area of coverage.
Range
Biosecurity Act 1993, Health Act 1956, Hazardous Substances
and New Organisms Act 1996.
3.2
The composition, role, and responsibilities of the Biosecurity Ministerial Advisory
Committee are explained in accordance with the reference text.
3.3
Biosecurity roles and responsibilities of Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry are
explained in accordance with the reference text.
Range
3.4
Biosecurity New Zealand, MAFQS.
Interrelationships of other New Zealand Government organisations with a role in
biosecurity are explained in accordance with the reference text.
Range
includes but is not limited to – Crown Research Institutes,
Department of Conservation, Environmental Risk Management
Authority of New Zealand (ERMA), Ministry of Fisheries, Ministry
of Health, New Zealand Customs Service.
Element 4
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Demonstrate knowledge of biosecurity applications at the New Zealand border.
Performance criteria
4.1
Principles of border quarantine are explained in accordance with the reference
text.
Range
prevention, detection, eradication, control.
4.2
Biosecurity risk pathways into New Zealand are described in terms of hosts,
vectors, non-hosts, inanimate objects, and natural spread via wind and water.
4.3
The functions of Import Health Standards are described in accordance with the
reference text.
Range
4.4
Methods of detection of imported risk goods are explained in accordance with
the reference text.
Range
4.5
pre-entry, entry, post-entry.
declaration cards, detector dogs, inspections, risk assessment,
sampling, x-ray.
Treatment types and options for non-complying imported risk goods are
described in accordance with the reference text.
Range
treatment, re-shipment, destruction.
Element 5
Demonstrate knowledge of post-border biosecurity surveillance and response.
Performance criteria
5.1
Post-border surveillance activities and emergency response principles are
described in accordance with the reference text.
Please note
Providers must be accredited by the Qualifications Authority, or an inter-institutional body
with delegated authority for quality assurance, before they can report credits from
assessment against unit standards or deliver courses of study leading to that assessment.
Industry Training Organisations must be accredited by the Qualifications Authority before
they can register credits from assessment against unit standards.
Accredited providers and Industry Training Organisations assessing against unit standards
must engage with the moderation system that applies to those standards.
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Accreditation requirements and an outline of the moderation system that applies to this
standard are outlined in the Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP). The
AMAP also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations
wishing to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for
tutors and assessors, and special resource requirements.
Comments on this unit standard
Please contact the Competenz at info@competenz.org.nz if you wish to suggest changes
to the content of this unit standard.
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016