Biosecurity Awareness is free online biosecurity awareness training for New Zealand workplaces that handle imported goods. New Zealand's economy and environment depend on people at the border spotting what does not belong, and most of those people work in freight, warehousing and Transitional Facilities, not laboratories. This short course gives your team the knowledge to recognise a risk and the confidence to act on it, in under an hour, on any device.
Who is this course for?
It is for Transitional Facility staff, contractors, drivers, and anyone in freight, logistics, ports or warehousing who handles imported cargo, packaging or containers. It suits new starters at induction and whole sites completing their annual biosecurity refresher. No prior knowledge is needed.
Shared responsibility
Biosecurity is everyone's job on site
Keeping unwanted organisms out of New Zealand is a shared duty of care between the site operator, every worker, and the Ministry for Primary Industries. The course makes that duty clear and practical, so each person on your site knows what they are looking for and who to tell.
Know what to look for
Spot the signs of a biosecurity risk
Unwanted organisms hitch a ride on cargo, pallets, packaging and inside containers. Tap each card to see the signs your team learns to notice.
Tap or select a card to flip it.
What the course covers
Two short, focused modules take your team from why biosecurity matters to exactly what to do on the floor:
- Core Biosecurity KnowledgeWhy it matters, key unwanted organisms, and the signs to spot
- Transitional Facility GuidanceYour duties on a TF site and the steps when something is found
Why it matters
New Zealand's border is not just the airport and the wharf. It is every container opened and every pallet unwrapped on your site.
A single missed pest can cost the country billions and change our environment for good. The people most likely to catch it are the ones handling the freight.
Act with confidence
What to do if you find something
The course gives your team a simple, repeatable response so no one freezes or guesses:
- Stop: do not touch, move or disturb it.
- Contain: secure the area or item if you safely can.
- Record: note what you saw and where, a photo helps.
- Report: tell your site operator straight away, who notifies MPI.
Does it meet our audit requirement?
Documented for your Transitional Facility audit: this course is designed to meet the annual biosecurity training requirement set out in most Transitional Facility Operating Manuals. Every completion is recorded, so you have clear, documented evidence to show your verifier at audit. It is awareness training that supports your compliance, not a replacement for your site's own TF Operating Manual procedures.
Enrol your team, free
Free to enrol, NZD
Enrol one worker or your whole site at no cost. Access is immediate, the two modules are self-paced, and every completion is recorded for your audit file.
Start the free courseFree · under an hour · works on any phone, tablet or laptop
Common questions
Is it really free?
Yes. Biosecurity Awareness is free to enrol, for one worker or a whole site, and completion is recorded so you have documented evidence for your Transitional Facility audit.
How long does it take?
Most people finish in well under an hour. It is two short online modules, self-paced, and works on any phone, tablet or laptop.
What do I do if I find an unwanted pest?
Do not disturb it, contain the area if you safely can, record what you saw, and report it straight away to your site operator, who notifies the Ministry for Primary Industries. The course walks through these steps.
Does it cover our Transitional Facility duties?
Yes. The second module is Transitional Facility Guidance, covering your duties on a TF site and the correct response when something is found, aligned to what your Operating Manual expects.