Taking Pets to New Zealand

Thinking of taking your beloved family pets? There are some major facts you need to know about this. First and foremost, New Zealand ONLY accepts cats and dogs. No other form of animal will be allowed in to the country, so if you have a parrot or pet hamster, unfortunately you will have to find a loving home for it in your home land. All animals have to come through Auckland International Airport and most are subject to quarantine depending on which country they are from. They must have typically spent at least 6 months in their departure country, will require full vaccinations and a subcutaneous identity chip. Pets from most countries will also require a rabies lab test at least three weeks after vaccination, although, this does not apply to animals from Australia and the UK. The rabies lab test results, which identifies the animal by its identity chip number, must be at least 6 months old before the animal will be eligible for importation. This is one of the things that needs to be handled very early on or you may be without your pet for several months. Vaccinations for your pets are:

DOGS:

• Rabies (Except UK and Australia)
• Distemper
• Hepatitis
• Adenovirus 2
• Parainfluenza
• Bordatella
• Leptospirosis
• Parvovirus

CATS:

• Rabies (Except UK and Australia)
• Panleukopnia
• Rhinotrachetis
• Calicivirus

These may sound horrific but your local veterinary surgeon should know what to do! If you need more information on the rules and regulations surrounding pets, you should visit the Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry at:

MAF - http://www.maf.govt.nz

Your pet may also have to undergo a period of quarantine. There is no specific set period for this but can be up to a month or longer. This is a very expensive part of shipping pets and could cost up and over $1000 NZ Dollars, so if you bring them, you must certainly love them!