Insecticide and miticide resistance in New Zealand

The New Zealand Insecticide and Miticide Resistance Task Force was set up in 1987 and consisted of scientists from government, universities and chemical companies. They collated information on cases of insecticide and miticide resistance within New Zealand and formulated strategies for managing and avoiding insecticide and miticide resistance problems. The first resistance management strategies were published in 1989. A second task force was established in the early 1990s and revised or new strategies were published in 1996.

In 2002-2003, a more informal process was adopted to update existing strategies and add new ones. A member of the NZ Plant Protection Society, Nicholas Martin, coordinated the updating of the strategies by the original or new authors and chemical companies commented on the draft strategies before they were finalised. The authors of the new or revised strategies are shown at the beginning of each strategy, and other significant contributors are acknowledged.

An international body, the "Insecticide Resistance Action Committee" was formed in 1984 to coordinate and facilitate the development and implementation of insecticide resistance management strategies. One of their activities is to make available the classification of insecticide groups, which is used in New Zealand strategies.

New Zealand insecticide and miticide resistance management strategies are currently available for the specific pests,

Lightbrown apple moth
Lightbrown apple moth
Epiphyas postivittana
populations in Nelson
have developed resistance
to organophosphate and
carbamate insecticides.

and for the general groups,