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Quarantine controls for ships entering New Zealand ports have been tightened to ensure international guidelines are met.
Border health protection senior adviser John Gardiner said old regulations were concerned with cholera, plague and yellow fever but the new regulations had fresher targets.
"The new ones cover emerging threats like SARs, pandemic influenza, drug resistant tuberculosis, ionising radiation and chemical contamination," he said.
"There is the potential for these and other emerging threats to public health to be spread rapidly around the world. Globalisation and the free movements of goods and people has increased this risk."
The new rules require health officials to inspect and certify international vessels to ensure they are not risks to public health.
Mr Gardiner said the fishing vessel FV Paerangi was inspected by Otago health officers on Friday under the new regulations and given an all-clear.
He said there was likely to be some initial teething problems but health authorities and the shipping industry were working together to iron out any potential difficulties.
The new inspections are in line with World Health Organisation international controls.
- NZPA
