This review, with 40 references, discusses the biological and economic effects of Vespula gernwnica and V. vulgaris in New Zealand. Aspects covered include: arrival and spread of the wasps in New Zealand; life cycle; abundance; problems caused by the wasps in relation to beekeeping, the native ecology and other human activities; chemical control, including poison baits; biological control with the ichneumonid Sphecophaga vesparum; other possibilities for biological control. It is concluded that biological control has the potential to restrict the numbers of wasps to a level where problems to beekeepers and the general public would be reduced, and there would also be benefits to native wildlife. none