“In New Zealand, snakes of any kind are illegal.”

“1,411 Quite Interesting Facts to Knock You Sideways” John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, and James Harkin

New Zealand is one of the few countries in the world devoid of any snakes, due to its isolated location, and the strict biosecurity laws that are in place that prevent any accidental or intentional introductions. They also have no native scorpions, crocodiles, or large dangerous spiders! However, they do have one native small poisonous spider called katipo. However, they are endangered and located only by the coast so they are rarely seen.

The only snakes in New Zealand are the venomous yellow-bellied sea snake and the brown-lipped and banded sea krait. They occasionally wash ashore during storms, with about 8 snakes reaching the coast each year. They are quickly disposed of humanely.

There is zero tolerance for snakes, and there are no snakes in the zoos or institutions for fear of escape. They are a threat to their ground dwelling birds such as the kiwi, (National Icon),the Kakapo ( only non-flying type of parrot) , weka, (flightless bird) takahe, (once thought extinct until 1948) and the pukeco (type of a wading bird). They also have a bunch of native frogs, other reptiles, such as salamanders, and other types of invertebrates. A lot of geckos. The land has an environment almost free of land based predators. They have a national goal to become a predator free country by the year 2050, including getting rid of invasive weeds. Kiwi;

There is a $100,000 NZD fine, along with imprisonment if caught with or importing or smuggling snakes.

Bio-security Laws

New Zealand adheres to strict biosecurity laws, such as the Hazardous Substances & New Organisms Act of 1996. The law is put in place to “protect the environment and the health and safety of people and communities” by preventing or manage the adverse effects of hazardous substances of new organisms.

“Hazardous Substances: The Act governs the import, manufacture, use, and disposal of substances with intrinsic properties like explosiveness, flammability, toxicity, and ecotoxicity, and they regulate the introduction and use of new organisms, including those from genetic modification, which could pose a risk to the environment.” (https://environment.govt.nz/acts-and-regulations/acts/hsno-act-1996/)

Stowaways

Because snakes can hide easily and sometimes end up in shipping containers, luggage, or under a plane, a few snakes have reached New Zealand.

In 2022, there was a banded sea krait was sighted to be swimming in Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour. A crew that was on a boat reported the snake to the DOC, Department of Conservation, and it was taken care of appropriately.

A snake was found in a pipe on an airplane in 2022 as well.

No snakes or large, dangerous spiders! Sounds pretty good to me!