Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia and Pacific island nations are the only countries that remain free of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
The deadly bird flu virus was first detected in the southern hemisphere in 2023 and spread through South America to the sub-Antarctic islands and the Antarctic peninsula. It has devastated wild bird populations globally, with millions of dead birds recorded at more than 2,600 separate clusters, according to reports by the World Organisation for Animal Health.
