Hornet Funds Expire – What Now?

Despite the government’s major funding support for the yellow-legged hornet incursion in Auckland expiring on June 30, and further backing yet to be announced, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) say they have the resources to conduct present activities. Things could change in spring though, as the government department seeks to understand the success level of the response so far.

Tracking hornets through radio frequency tracking is just one of a wide range of activities that a $12million government fund has helped pay for between December 2025 and June 2026.

With no hornets found since early April, as they undertake a winter recession period which only the queen hornets survive, hopes are that it is not just this ‘hibernation’ hiding the pests, but actual eradication.

It will take years to confirm the latter though and, if there are more queen hornets waiting to establish nests in spring, it will be another major undertaking to reach eradication. The first season in response, spring 2025 through autumn 2026, was boosted by a $12million government fund which expired on June 30.

Biosecurity New Zealand acting commissioner north Angus McKay says the total cost of the response to June 30 will be closer to $14million though, and that they are currently working through the process of getting government approval to fund more of a response in spring.

“Although we have scaled back the intensive field work, several activities will continue over winter, including monitoring over 1,200 traps, self-monitoring of hives by beekeepers, and continued use of AI cameras,” McKay explains. 

“Our focus now is planning for spring when more extensive field ops will resume. While we have made great progress, we must be ready for the possibility that some queens have survived. Even if we detect no hornets in spring, we will need ongoing surveillance with no detections before we can confirm eradication.”

There are no funding issues for the current winter activities MPI says, “and we have no concerns about future funding”.

The $12million fund was announced by Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard in December 2025 and helped provide extensive trapping and surveillance, access to both local and international experts, and a public awareness campaign. In total 77 queens and 132 yellow-legged hornet nests were found between October and April.