#19,302
It has been just over a month since New Zealand reported their second H5N1 detection in a local bird (a swamp harrier hawk) found in the sparsely populated Wairarapa region on the north island (see map above).
Today, New Zealand has confirmed a 3rd detection - this time in a northern giant petrel, found dead on a remote Cape Palliser beach (also in the Wairarapa).
While it is likely there are other, as-yet undetected cases in New Zealand, they don't appear to have seen the same level of influx that Australia has had to deal with. How long that will last is anyone's guess.
First the NZ announcement, then a brief update on Australia's numbers.
Situation update: 21 August 2026
New Zealand has 3 confirmed detections of H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza (H5 bird flu).
New Zealand’s third case of H5 bird flu was confirmed on 21 August in a northern giant petrel, found dead on a remote Cape Palliser beach in the Wairarapa.
There is no evidence of any mass mortality in wildlife. There has been no detection in poultry.
Chicken and eggs remain safe to eat and bird flu is a very low risk to human health.
New Zealand is well prepared to respond to H5 bird flu and is working to protect poultry production and reduce impacts on wildlife and communities. Response and surveillance work has intensified in close coordination with industry partners and other agencies.
The Department of Conservation is implementing a vaccination programme for 300 core breeding birds from 5 of our most endangered birds – kākāpō, takahē, tūturuatu/shore plover, kakī/black stilt, and kākāriki karaka/orange-fronted parakeet.
Be alert and use good habits to limit the impact of bird flu
Keep your distance. Stay away from sick or dead wildlife. Keep pets away too.
Keep clean. Wash your hands and clean your gear after being outdoors.
Know when to report. If you see 3 or more sick or dead wild birds in a group, report it immediately to the exotic pest and disease hotline on 0800 80 99 66 or online at report.mpi.govt.nz
If you report online, select the ‘dead or dying wild birds’ option from the dropdown list and then the type of bird you have found. Don’t handle or move the birds.
Meanwhile, in Australia, the flow of information continues to be a bit confusing.
Depending on which DAFF (Department of Agriculture) page you land on (here or here), the last updated national bird flu numbers (as of this writing) are listed as being either 27 or 51 hours old (see double screenshot below).
The last avian flu update from Australia's Chief Veterinary Officer was on August 14th, and - while reporting formats are not uniform across the individual states - a quick perusal suggests that the national tallies are lagging a day or two behind local reporting.
With the number of hotline reports of dead or sick birds now approaching 25,000 - far exceeding their ability to investigate and test - these sorts of delays are not unexpected.
The DAFF bird flu site offers the following caveats:
Data disclaimer
Data reflects information provided by state and territory governments to the Australian Government as at 17:00 AEST daily. The Australian Government publishes this information for national reporting purposes. Responsibility for the accuracy, completeness and currency of the data remains with the relevant state or territory government. Due to differences in reporting timing, information on the national dashboard may differ from information published on state or territory government websites.
Approach to reporting
From 12 August 2026, we have changed how we report on H5 bird flu detections.
Reporting is now based on events, rather than individual bird detections.
An event may involve one or more birds. The new number of positive events captures all previously reported individual confirmed detections.
Definitions
Investigation: An event where one or more wild birds or wild mammals showing signs of H5 bird flu have been reported to state or territory authorities and samples have been collected for laboratory testing.
Positive event: An investigation where H5 bird flu has been confirmed through laboratory testing.
Hotline report: A report to relevant state or territory authorities through the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline or other official sources.
While continued surveillance is important to track the geographic spread - and increasing host-range - of H5N1 in Australia, the numbers posted each day become less significant over time.
A reminder of how quickly an unprecedented event - like the first arrival of HPAI H5 to Oceania 2 months ago - can become the `new normal'.
