New Zealand’s indigenous and productive ecosystems are highly vulnerable to invasive species: therefore, New Zealand has stringent biosecurity legislation which encompasses the introduction of new biological control agents. To introduce a new agent, an application is made to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). The risk assessment carried out by the applicant is reviewed and a decision is made by an independent committee following public submissions and Māori consultation. An application will be declined if it is likely the new agent will cause significant adverse impacts on any indigenous species within its natural habitat, on natural habitats or on New Zealand’s inherent genetic diversity. Contrasting case studies are presented on two generalist arthropod biological control agents, one for a predatory mirid Macrolophus pygmaeus (Rambur) (Hemiptera: Miridae) where the application was declined, and the other a predatory mite Neomolgus capillatus (Kramer) (Acarina: Bdellidae) which was considered for an application.

新西兰的土著和生产性生态系统极易受到入侵物种的侵害：因此，新西兰制定了严格的生物安全法规，其中包括引入新的生物防治剂。为了引入新的代理，向环境保护局（EPA）提出了申请。审查申请人进行的风险评估，并由独立委员会根据公众意见和毛利人的咨询意见做出决定。如果新药可能对其自然栖息地内的任何土著物种，自然栖息地或新西兰固有的遗传多样性造成重大不利影响，则将拒绝该申请。提出了两种不同的节肢动物生物防治剂的对比案例研究，一种用于掠食性生物申请被拒绝的Macropophus pygmaeus（Rambur）（Hemiptera：Miridae），以及另一只被捕食的螨螨Neomolgus capillatus（Kramer）（Acarina：Bdellidae）被考虑申请。