Interview with Michael Alexander

Interview with Mike (Michael) Alexander, born in Napier in 1956. Talks briefly about his family and having moved every three years as his father was a bank manager. Refers to working for Firth Concrete after leaving school until he could start work as a farm cadet. Comments on deciding farming was not the career he wanted and working for 18 months as a driver salesman for General Foods.

Refers to applying for a job as a port agricultural officer in 1975 and his first day in the job in Auckland. Discusses the training he received on the job, and numerous short training courses run by MAF (Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries/Forestry). Describes the uniform, working initially at the post office in Customs parcel post, and his duties there. Comments on being rostered on mail about four weeks a year, the rest of his time being divided between the airport and the port. Talks about procedures with incoming aeroplanes before airbridges. Refers to meeting incoming passengers, and to working in the air cargo section. Discusses duties at the port where the favourite job was vessel clearance, meeting ships before they docked and sealing stores particularly meat. Refers to the process for inspecting a ship's cargo, and searching for pests in cargos of produce. Talks about travelling for a period after working in Auckland for 18 months, and then going to Wellington where the team was smaller. Comments on the number of Japanese and Korean squid vessels and Taiwanese fishing boats using Wellington port and the language difficulties. Describes becoming a Quarantine Timber Preservation Inspector in Napier in 1981, the timber preservation processes in use, and his work inspecting the packing materials and dunnage with imported sawn timber. Talks about visiting a pulp mill, joineries and picture framers to give export certification. Comments on returning to Wellington after four years as an Agricultural Quarantine Officer. Mentions the MAF fumigation stations at all major ports and how the work is now contracted out. Talks about using methyl bromide and safety precautions.

Talks about moving to a job at head office in 1991, and working on new standards for sites involved with quarantine in cooperation with the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service. Describes how ballast water became a biosecurity issue, and the slow progress working with the International Maritime Organisation. Refers to his auditing work, one of his first audits being on the system used for pre-export treatment of Australian tomatoes and oranges. Talks about going to Japan to inspect vehicles, and the inspection of grapes in California where weed seeds are a problem. Refers to restructuring in the Quarantine and Biosecurity Services in recent years. Reflects on his colleagues in the service, mentioning Julian Brown, Don Possin, Travis Flint, Charlie Brown, Neil Hyde, Albert Tolliday and Wally Robinson.

Abstracted by - Erin Flanigan

Interviewer(s) - Megan Hutching

Accompanying material - Copy of interviewee's curriculum vitae with abstract

Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHDL-001090

Quantity: 1 digital sound recording(s) digital sound recording(s). 1 Electronic document(s) - abstract. 1 printed abstract(s). 1 interview(s). 2.45 Hours and minutes Duration.

Physical Description: Sound files - wave files; Textual files - Microsoft word

Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHDL-001091, OHA-7296.

Search dates: 1956 - 2008

Original recordings not available for playback. Surrogate copies will be provided.

Alternative form available: Both printed and digital versions of the abstract are available