A new economic report says if the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) established in New Zealand it would dramatically impact New Zealand’s gross domestic product (GDP) as well as export revenues from horticulture.

Prepared by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER), Quantifying the economic impacts of a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug incursion in New Zealand, shows GDP falling between $1.8 billion and $3.6 billion by 2038, and horticulture export value falling between $2 billion and $4.2 billion by 2038.

Super pests like the BMSB present a significant threat to the New Zealand kiwifruit industry and are considered one of our greatest risks. For our industry alone, the establishment of such a pest could result in production impacts in the order of hundreds of millions of dollars.

The report was commissioned by the Samurai Wasp Steering Group and funded by Horticulture New Zealand alongside KVH and several other horticultural industry groups. The steering group is looking at introduction of a biocontrol, the Samurai Wasp, to combat BMSB if it establishes in New Zealand. Read more about this work on the KVH website.

Read the media release about the report and its key findings here.