Preparations to protect our native wildlife against bird flu are said to be well in hand. 

A seabird found on Wellington's Petone Beach last week tested positive for the H5N1 strain. 

There's no evidence of widespread transmission, but it's considered inevitable New Zealand will have to learn to live with it. 

New Zealand's one of the last countries the disease has reached. 

Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard told Mike Hosking officials have been building protections, as it could be here to stay if it doesn't die out.   

He says DOC has been vaccinating some critical breeding populations so if they were hit, they should stay safe. 

Hoggard says the key response for most Kiwis is reporting when they see dead birds, as it helps them build a picture of where the disease is.  

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