The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is testing how well prepared New Zealand is for an outbreak of foot and mouth disease.
It is running a desktop simulation exercise from Monday for four days and will explain how staff would respond to a number of different scenarios involving an outbreak.
The last time MAF did a large-scale test was in 2005 following a foot and mouth hoax on Waiheke Island.
MAF deputy director general of compliance and response Andrew Coleman says an outbreak of the disease could cost New Zealand $10 billion, and result in the loss of millions of stock.
He says the exercise is being run to test and update current response protocols after a number of changes to the ministry.
Mr Coleman says MAF has to ensure it is able to respond in the way that would be expected because foot and mouth would drive deep into the heart of the agriculture sector in New Zealand.
A report on the test will be released in a couple of months, he says.
