Seen something unusual?   MAKE A REPORT

Login/Register
Wild kiwifruit

Wild kiwifruit

KVH works collaboratively with regional councils and landowners to manage wild kiwifruit populations and unmanaged orchards to reduce biosecurity risk to the New Zealand kiwifruit industry. 

Latest news
Close

Wild kiwifruit

In October 2020, KVH and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council (BOPRC) signed an agreement to continue to work together to manage this pest plant over the next 10 years. Under the new agreement, KVH will manage the administration involved in the running of the programme while also contributing $150,000 annually towards control costs and surveillance costs. BOPRC will contribute $100,000 per annum and support KVH in gathering landowner contributions.

KVH has also partnered with Zespri and the Kiwifruit Breeding Centre. Through their significant contributions, the programme has been able to expand and control wild kiwifruit infestations previously left unchecked.

If you know the location of any unrecorded wild kiwifruit infestations, contact your local regional council or unitary authority with details so the infestation can be assessed and programmed for control.

Why control the wild population? The reason wild kiwifruit vines are a biosecurity risk to New Zealand’s kiwifruit industry is that they act as a vector for Psa and other kiwifruit pests and diseases. The wild population can act as a reservoir for biosecurity threats, undermining eradication, and control efforts on commercially productive vines.

They are also a threat to our environment. Wild kiwifruit vines are vigorous climbers, and if left uncontrolled, it can form dense heavy blankets of vines that strangle trees, causing them to die or collapse. Vines can also smother forestry plantations and New Zealand’s native bush.


How to prevent wild kiwifruit establishing

GROWERS

Remove unpicked fruit from vines and mulch as soon as possible. This prevents mass feeding by birds and allows the fruit to compost as quickly as possible.

POST-HARVEST OPERATORS

Cover bins of reject fruit to prevent birds feeding on ripening fruit.

FARMERS

Cover stockpiles of fruit with shade cloth, windbreak netting or something similar to prevent birds from getting to any fruit. Feed out only what will be eaten by stock at one time to prevent birds from eating leftovers.

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

Be very careful with the disposal of kiwifruit, particularly while out in the bush.

KILL WILD KIWIFRUIT PLANTS

Cut vines at ground level. Apply Vigilant Gel® herbicide to the top and sides of the cut stump or any exposed roots. Ring-bark stumps or large roots with a machete or pruning saw to assist absorption of the herbicide gel. Carefully trace all vine stems to find where they may have taken root. Cut any rooted stems at ground level and apply Vigilant Gel®. Never apply Vigilant Gel to stumps within a kiwifruit orchard. For controlling kiwifruit stumps within an orchard, please refer here.

SEEN SOMETHING UNUSUAL?

KVH investigates reports of unusual symptoms to identify and manage any biosecurity risks.

Make A report

LATEST NEWS

23 Apr 2025

Stopping our most unwanted

A reminder the latest fruit fly and Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) risk updates are always available on the KVH website. These updates include the latest detection and surveillance information, including our industry-led activities, and are produced every month.

Read more

23 Apr 2025

Listen to the latest news

We have a new Snapshot podcast online, where we chat with Ryan, Chief Quarantine Officer for the Ministry for Primary Industries, about the work his teams do across biosecurity. Ryan manages the Tauranga, Hamilton, and Northland regions – there are biosecurity teams in all three regions – and in the chat we focus on the way they manage cruise ships, transitional facilities, and various partnerships that they have with KVH and the kiwifruit industry. The Snapshot podcasts are free and available now on SoundCloud and Apple iTunes.

Read more

23 Apr 2025

Interactive surveillance maps: finding pests and diseases early

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is always looking for pests and diseases that might have arrived from overseas. Finding them early is vital for successful biosecurity responses. The online and interactive Atlas of biosecurity surveillance explains more about the what, where and why of our nation’s surveillance programmes, including fruit flies, one of our industry’s “most unwanted”. There are 13 targeted programmes, focusing on specific pests, diseases and biosecurity risks. You can interact with such tools as surveillance maps, showing locations of trap sites, and see latest data for investigations by MPI teams, by region. General surveillance is also important - that is harnessing those who are out on our orchards, to contribute to gathering and reporting information around the presence of potentially new and unwanted threats. If you’ve seen an unusual pest or disease symptom, make a report by filling in our online form and we will be in touch.

Read more
View all

USE THE WEATHER & DISEASE PORTAL

The KVH portal is now the Zespri Weather & Disease Portal. Access all the weather tools you're familiar with.

Open now