MPI’s front line never gets a day off

Some MPI staff will not get a holiday while the rest of NZ is enjoying summer. (Image: Greg Bowker)

Fri, 03 Jan 2025

When New Zealand goes into the great summer shutdown over Christmas and New Year, some people’s working lives are just starting to get busy. This includes many of the public servants who work at the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), whose front line operates 365 days a year. Airport arrivals begin to ramp up from about the middle of December, and more cruise ships arrive. For biosecurity dog handler Lushea Cooper and her beagle partner Mable, more arrivals equals more things to find. “It’s an exciting time...

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