Govt working on pandas to NZ plan

Photo / Phil Taylor

The Chinese have not yet agreed to give New Zealand two pandas but officials from at least six government departments and the Wellington Zoo are working on making it possible.

Prime Minister John Key decided he wanted to get two endangered Chinese pandas for a zoo in New Zealand and has floated the idea of trading two kiwi for them.

Zoos in Adelaide and San Diego, which have pandas, have paid US$1 million ($1.4 million) a year to have them for 10 years. At the end of that decade the pandas, and any cubs they might have, return to China.

Mr Key raised the issue again when he was in China last month.

Today he said the Environmental Risk Management Authority, Ministry if Agriculture and Forestry, Biosecurity New Zealand, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Department of Internal Affairs, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing were working with Wellington Zoo to try and meet any possible Chinese requirements and the plethora of local issues.

Bringing the endangered bears to New Zealand involves complex requirements under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms and Biosecurity Acts.

Issues such as funding and possible locations were also being considered, Mr Key said.

"It is unlikely there will be early results, this process has taken several years in other places."

The Government was keen to understand what was involved so it was ready to proceed if the Chinese agree to the request, he said.

Feasibility of offering kiwi in return would be looked at in due course.

It took seven years to get pandas in Australia.

- NZPA