November 02, 2022
Karaitiana no drone in modern pest control
Gisborne District Council biosecurity team leader Phil Karaitiana was named this year’s biosecurity champion at the New Zealand Biosecurity Awards.
Mr Karaitiana’ career started as a 16-year-old in 1969 working for the East Coast Pest Destruction Board in rabbit control.
More than 50 years later he uses the latest advances in technology including artificial intelligence and drones to manage hundreds of species on land and water.
He says biosecurity is all about our community, our people, our hapū, our iwi.
The supreme biosecurity award went to WilderLab, which has developed tests to find invasive pest species by detecting the genetic material they leave in waterways.
Te Arawa Lakes Trust won the Maori biosecurity award.