Attorney-General v Strathboss Kiwifruit Ltd - [2020] 3 NZLR 247

Tort — Crown liability — Whether liability can be direct — Effect of employee’s immunities on the Crown’s liability — Public Sector Act s 104.

Tort — Statutory immunities given to employees — Whether immunities covering employee’s actions — Meaning of “without reasonable cause” — Crown Proceedings Act 1950 ss 3(2)(b), 6(1)(b), 6(1)(c), 6(2), 6(4A).

Tort — Negligence — Kiwifruit industry — Psa3 virus — Biosecurity systems — Border control — Import of pollen — Milled and unmilled pollen — Commercial pollination by spraying — Growers and post-harvest operators — Pest and disease hazards — Import Health Standards — Risk assessment — Hazard identification — Post-entry quarantine — Phytosanitary certificates — Spread of disease — Failure to inspect — Biosecurity Act 1993 ss 22, 22A, 27(a), 27(b), 27(c), 27(d), 27(e), 103(8), 163.

Tort — Negligence — Duty of care — Justiciability — Foreseeability — Proximity — Policy and operational decisions — Grant of import permit a downstream step — Property rights in kiwifruit vines or crops — Policy considerations — Breach — Standard of care — Reasonable skill and knowledge — Causation — Pre-border conduct — Conduct at border.