Dear Ministry for Primary Industries,

I would like to know what amounts of the neonicotinoid insecticides Acetamiprid, Clothianidin, Dinotefuran, Imidacloprid, Nitenpyram, Thiacloprid and Thiamethoxam are used annually in New Zealand. I would like amounts for the last 10 years in units of mass or volume as well as the concentration of the active ingredient. If possible I would like the usage broken down into application (foliar spray, seed coating, slow release formula, irrigation water, etc), into the particular crop they are applied to and the regional authority in which they were licensed.

If this is not at all possible I would like to know how these insecticides are licensed for import and what import licenses have been awarded in the last ten years and for how much of each of the seven insecticides listed above.

Yours faithfully,

Chris Pook

Dear Ministry for Primary Industries Ministerials Group,

Thank you for your reply to my FOI request of 5th March, 2013. I was satisfied with the information you provided with regard to the licensing of pesticide products within New Zealand. However, I requested information on the amounts of seven neonicotinoid pesticides used in New Zealand over the last 10 years, broken down into application type. You claim that neither the Ministry for Primary Industries nor the Environmental Protection Authority collect such information.

I would like to ask you if any other government department does as I find it implausible that the government of New Zealand is entirely oblivious to the quantities of hazardous materials entering the country. Surely once a material is licensed for import then that licence must be referenced whenever that material is allowed to cross the country's borders. By your admission this falls under the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act, managed by yourselves. Are you claiming that you do not make any record of the frequency with which a licensed material is imported and in what amount?

If not I would like to know how much of each licensed product containing any of the seven neonicotinoid pesticides listed in my initial request has been imported to New Zealand in the last ten years.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Pook