Before the discovery of antimicrobials in the early 1900s, millions of people died from infections. Antimicrobial resistance is an international problem recognised by the World Health Organisation and the World Bank. Aotearoa, New Zealand has high antimicrobial use in humans compared with other developed countries, increasing our risk profile. Poor communities, Māori and Pasifika, the very young, the very old, immune-compromised, and critically ill patients are most impacted by infections, for which there will no longer be effective treatments, leading in many cases to death. The risk can be mitigated by: reducing unnecessary antimicrobial usage; measures to prevent the spread of AMR organisms; increasing monitoring and surveillance; infection control response systems; and research into how AMR genes enter NZ and are transmitted.