Stopping pets becoming pests Much like the pest plant accord, MPI is now developing a pest pet accord for high-risk species legally held as pets in New Zealand. This may lead to bans on breeding, selling or trading, but will not lead to MPI taking away existing pets (though I consider a breeding ban the same as possession ban in the long run). I think fire-bellied newts (especially in light of the idiots who released alpine newts into the Coromandel), red-eared sliders, rainbow lorikeets and Indian ringnecks would be especially vulnerable to breeding bans, though I hope breeding bans on such species (apart from maybe red-eared sliders) don't happen (especially not newts, which I plan on keeping and eventually breeding as a hobby as they're easier to house and care for than lizards). MPI says they will work with the pet industry before making such decision, which is good but I'm not sure exactly how much import they would have.
The breeding of Red-eared Slider and Cumberland Slider is to be banned in Auckland from the 1st of September 2022. Red-eared slider.
