Chloe Thompson (left), 15, of Taieri Mouth, and Karen Taylor, of Ashburton, judge a bird at the show in Oamaru yesterday. PHOTO: NIC DUFF As bird flu fears ramp up in New Zealand, organisers of Oamaru’s long-standing poultry show say they fear future events could be affected. The Oamaru Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Society is holding its annual show this weekend, days after the deadly H5N1 virus was found in New Zealand. An infected brown skua was found at Petone Beach on Wednesday, and yesterday Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard and Conservation Minister Tama Potaka confirmed a second bird, a swamp harrier hawk (kāhu) was found to have had the virus in the Wairarapa. There had been no detection in poultry, Mr Hoggard said yesterday. And no preventive measures were put in place for Oamaru’s poultry show which began yesterday in the Oamaru Drill Hall. While the H5N1 strain of bird flu had not affected this year’s show, it could in the future, club president Lavinia Patching said. ‘‘It’s something we’re going to have to review later on if it takes a hold and look at different measures and how we could prevent it so that we could still show. ‘‘Everybody is in the mindset of prepare for the worst and hope for the best.’’ The confirmation bird flu arrived on our shores had ‘‘popped a question mark over things’’ club secretary Trevor Hill said. ‘‘Who knows in 12 months’ time what the situation might be? ‘‘If it really takes hold, it’ll be the end of poultry shows for a period [of time] anyway.’’ He was concerned it could isolate some in the poultry community. ‘‘Bird people, they visit one another, so if mine get the bird flu I’m not going to be welcome anywhere and if yours get the bird flu you’re not going to be welcome at my place.’’ This year’s show was the 141st in the club’s history. Oamaru Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Society secretary Trevor Hill and president Lavinia Patching pictured with her splash orpington cockerel Steve at the club's 141st annual show yesterday. Photo: Nic Duff The hall was open to the public yesterday with today expected to be much busier. While the entries were down slightly from 2025, there was still a good turnout from exhibitors, he said. ‘‘The fact that we’re only 35 down, I’m pretty happy about.’’ The heavy breed poultry section even saw an increase in entries. Mr Hill called those ‘‘the big chooks’’. ‘‘They’re very popular at the moment.’’ Along with the exhibited birds, there were also a selection for sale as well. University of Otago in Wellington epidemiology professor Michael Baker said bird flu was more a concern for wildlife than poultry at this early stage. ‘‘What we know about the transmission of this virus so far is that it’s primarily, at this point, a threat to our wild bird population, particularly seabirds.’’ He referred questions about poultry shows to the Ministry for Primary Industries. The ministry did not respond to questions before deadline.
