This hugely popular houseplant joins dozens of other plant species caught in the zone between 'present in NZ' and 'approved in NZ' under the HSNO Act 1996.
NZPPI applied for approval under HSNO's Rapid Assessment pathway in 2020, but the EPA felt it didn't meet the criteria for this pathway.
Last year NZPPI tried to get it 'renewed' through an Order in Council process, which was not approved. This process is run every 2-3 years for organisms that have become established and cannot be eradicated from New Zealand, with applications to determine them as "not new" for the HSNO Act 1996.
Now the Full Release application pathway is the only remaining option for P. peperomioides under the HSNO Act. NZPPI has been working on a Full Release application for 11 other houseplant species since June 2021, and NZPPI has now included P. peperomioides in this application. The application now spans 134 pages with hundreds of pdf references.
It's the first Full Release application since HSNO came into force over 24 years ago. NZPPI is hopeful applications will go out for public submissions before the end of September, with a decision notified early next year.
NZPPI has learned a lot going through this process, and they hope that it sets a precedent for more applications for non-invasive, new plant species in the future.
For more information:
New Zealand Plant Producers Incorporated
nzppi.co.nz