CBRN event in New Zealand on Wed 20th May 2026

About 100 birds have died following a suspected poisoning event at a Nelson community garden. Sally Rees, coordinator for the Waimarama Community Gardens, said a member of the public was walking through the gardens and saw “a few dead birds”, and contacted them about it at the weekend. Rees and garden volunteers arrived at the gardens to find about 100 birds either dead, or close to it, she said. Birds had dropped everywhere, Rees said, falling across the garden, into the neighbour’s property, and falling into buckets that horses fed out of. Seven bird nests had also fallen out of trees, and had been found on the ground. She suspected someone had poked them out.