IAQs: Mosquito-borne diseases more likely to reach New Zealand

It’s a familiar New Zealand story, the havoc wrecked by all the pest species we’ve brought in. But in the case of mosquitoes, the worst might be yet to come. There were 12 mostly bird-nibbling mosquito species in pre-European times. Since our arrival, three new species have become permanently established here. We’ve stopped dozens more at our ports, and eradicated one. Climate change will make that border control more difficult, says University of Auckland Senior Research Fellow José Derraik. And if new species arrive, an outbreak of mosquito-borne disease in New Zealand becomes ever more likely.