TMBC Online Connect & Protect Series | May 2026 - An update on the yellow-legged hornet response
Description
Join us for a Yellow-legged hornet response update
As part of our Connect & Protect Series (previously Partners Forums), TMBC will be hosting an online session on Thursday 21 May at 1pm (NZT) focused on the ongoing response to the discovery of the yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina) in New Zealand.
Speaker Lineup:
Mike Inglis |Commissioner, North - Biosecurity New Zealand
Professor Amanda Black | Director - Bioprotection Aotearoa Centre of Research Excellence
Shaun Bennett | Senior Advisor Plant Health Surveillance - Biosecurity New Zealand
The Connect & Protect Series brings together partners, experts, and industry voices to share knowledge, strengthen collaboration, and support collective action to protect Aotearoa’s environment and economy from pests and diseases.
Event details
What: TMBC Connect & Protect Series | Yellow-legged hornet response update
When: Thursday 21 May, 1:00pm (NZT)
Where: Online via Microsoft Teams (access link will be included in your confirmation email)
We look forward to seeing you online.
Lineup
Mike Inglis | Commissioner, North - Biosecurity New Zealand
Mike Inglis moved from Scotland to New Zealand in 2014 after two decades with the Scottish Prison Service, where he held senior leadership roles including Governor in Charge and Assistant Director of Prisons HQ. He went on to become the first Director of Kohuora Auckland South Corrections Facility before joining MPI in 2019 as Northern Regional Commissioner for Biosecurity New Zealand. Today, Mike oversees border clearance services, the national Detector Dog Programme, and major projects such as the new Auckland Processing Centre. He is passionate about collaboration, safety, and protecting New Zealand’s primary industries from invasive pests and diseases.
Professor Amanda Black | Director - Bioprotection Aotearoa Centre of Research Excellence
Dr Amanda Black (Tūhoe, Whakatōhea, and Whānau-ā-Apanui) is a Professor at Lincoln University, specialising in soil chemistry, biochemistry and microbiology with a focus on ecosystem resilience and Indigenous knowledge. She is the Director Bioprotection Aotearoa, a national Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) that leads innovative Bioprotection research framed by Māori values. The Centre partners with 7 organisations to develop scalable, science-based solutions for biosecurity and ecosystem protection, supporting both environmental sustainability and the Māori economy.
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