Snake endorses Nissan Leaf

A snake with a penchant for electric vehicles hit the headlines yesterday, and according to Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association chief executive David Vinsen, that is a good thing.

The snake popped out of the headlight of a Nissan Leaf being stored at a U-Sell yard in Glenfield awaiting compliance. It was soon after caught in the car by Ministry of Primary Industry staff and is to be euthanised.

The Ministry of Primary Industries has told media they are investigating the discovery.

Vinsen says the fact the snake was reported to MPI and caught is positive, and that the industry is ready to react and, importantly, report such issues right through the importation process.

“It is the whole industry’s job to keep New Zealand safe,” Vinsen told AutoTalk. “It starts at pre-inspection, right through shipping and compliance. If you find an animal, infestation, or egg cluster, you report it.”

“It is not like there is one fence, it is a process.”

“It is a concern this was discovered so late in the process, but it is good it came to light.”

MPI manager of cargo operations Stuart Rawnsley shared those sentiments in his comments to the NZ Herald.

“It has already come through a biosecurity process. About 90% of used vehicles from Japan are pre-inspected in Japan by coming through approved systems of which we monitor and audit,” Rawnsley says.

“Obviously, this one has slipped through the system in Japan, but the on-shore component of the system has worked as we’ve found it.”

Images shared by the NZ Herald indicated an inspection tag from JEVIC, but the firm’s NZ chief executive Euan Philpot says they have not yet had confirmation they processed the vehicle.

‘Assuming it is one of the vehicles that has come through our process we will be cooperating fully with MPI,” Philpot says. “We have our own procedure in these kinds of situations.”

Philpot says the company’s inspection processes are ‘extremely thorough.’ He notes vehicles can spend some time waiting on the port to be loaded, but says cars then go through second checks before loading – for high-level risks including Asian Gypsy Moth and stink bugs.