On one hand, probably yes, on the other hand, if that's the way it's been done for 200+ years as this guy says, then it's not sound to be running a business without a plan for that until things are changed.
Is it needlessly? I didn't see anything in the article that said it was needless. The remediation practices seem to be roughly in line with other countries.
Vaccination isn't an alternative to an already infected hive. The vaccine was the first in the world and was only approved for the first time last year. That's not a feasible alternative at this time.
The heat treatment they talk about is performed in the US too. You generally still need to burn your frames. You are allowed to char the inside of your hive body. It's not a meaningful difference as the frames are the more valuable part. It wouldn't surprise me if New Zealand allows charring the inside of the hive bodies and the farm decided against it due to labor concerns with the volume of equipment.
AFB vaccination is less than two years old and is not available worldwide. The majority of beekeepers expect to burn or absolutely sterilize any equipment that contacts it.
The EU requires equipment to be destroyed if it contacts AFB.
