Apparently staff at various government departments – including MPI, the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) – are discouraged from having plants in the offices -- because they are an earthquake hazard. According to reports, MPI believes pot plants “can attract unwanted bugs and can easily be dislodged in an earthquake, creating a mess, a tripping hazard or may fall on someone”. The Hound suggests MPI has more important things to worry about at present -- like eradicating M.bovis and stopping stink bug getting into the country – than buggering around with head office pot plants.
