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Legal controls on the movement of fruit and vegetables are now in place in the Auckland suburb of Birkdale and nearby areas on the North Shore following the detection of a single male Oriental fruit fly. The horticulture pest was found in one of Biosecurity New Zealand’s national surveillance traps which are placed in fruit trees in residential back yards. Other traps in the area checked in recent days have showed no signs of other flies and initial investigations have found no other signs to date. Biosecurity New Zealand staff have been busy in the area today laying more traps and giving out information to households. Around 100 additional traps which specifically target oriental fruit fly are being placed within a 1500m area of the original find. You can find a detailed map of the controlled area and a full description of the boundaries and rules in place here. The controlled area has two zones – A and B. Zone A is a 200m zone. Zone B covers a 1500m area. No whole fresh fruit and vegetables, except for leafy vegetables and soil free root vegetables, can be moved outside Zone A. This applies to all produce, regardless of whether it was bought or grown. All fruit and vegetables grown within Zone B cannot be moved out of the controlled area. These legal controls are an important precaution. Should there be any more flies out there, this will help prevent their spread out of the area. It is likely the restrictions will be in place for at least two weeks. KVH is working closely with Biosecurity New Zealand and other horticultural Government Industry Agreement (GIA) partners on these actions to minimise the risk to kiwifruit growers. While it's disappointing to detect another Oriental fruit fly so soon after closing the previous response in Papatoetoe, the latest find highlights the value of trapping and surveillance efforts, which members of the kiwifruit growing community fully support. Biosecurity New Zealand website for detailed movement restriction information and fact sheets. KVH Oriental fruit fly fact sheet. KVH Oriental fruit fly identification guide.

A biosecurity operation is under way and extra field teams are today in the suburb of Birkdale, on Auckland’s North Shore, after the find of a single male Oriental fruit fly in a surveillance trap in a suburban backyard. This is the same species of fruit fly that we responded to in Papatoetoe recently, but it is too early to say whether the two finds are linked. Further DNA analysis of the fly will take place over the coming days. With this latest detection, activities are moving quickly to look for any other flies and eradicate them. Biosecurity New Zealand are ramping up trapping and inspection, with daily checks in a 200-metre zone from the original find and checks every three days in a second zone out to 1500m. The capture of a single male does not mean we have a breeding population. However, while checks are underway for other fruit flies, the community is being asked to help prevent any possible spread. As a precautionary measure, legal restrictions will be put in place on the movement of fruit and vegetables out of the area where the fruit fly was found. Instructions about these controls and the exact area affected will be issued tomorrow (Friday). Response staff will be out tomorrow providing people with information. KVH is working closely with Biosecurity New Zealand and other horticultural Government Industry Agreement (GIA) partners on these actions to minimise the risk to kiwifruit growers. There have been 13 incursions of different fruit fly in Auckland and Northland since 1996 and all have been successfully eradicated. Read more about Oriental fruit flies here – including images. We will provide further updates and information as our response actions continue.

Controls on the movement of fruit and vegetables in the Auckland suburb of Papatoetoe have been lifted after no further evidence of the Oriental fruit fly was found in the area. The decision to end the operation follows more than a month of intensive fruit fly trapping and inspections of hundreds of kilograms of fruit. Residents and businesses in the affected area have supported the movement controls, keeping an eye out for fruit flies and safely disposing of fruit in provided bins – vital to helping protect the kiwifruit industry and wider horticultural sector. Biosecurity New Zealand quickly placed legal controls on the movement of fruit and vegetables in an area of Papatoetoe on 4 January after a single male Oriental fruit fly was identified from a national surveillance trap. No further adult fruit flies, eggs, larvae, or pupae have been found. With no further detections over six weeks, the response governance group (including Biosecurity New Zealand and KVH, alongside other horticulture industry groups) is confident the Controlled Area Notice restrictions can be lifted and response operations closed. The checking of 7800 fruit fly traps around the country, including some 200 traps in the Papatoetoe/Māngere area, will continue as normal. KVH thanks the great work of our industry partners APAC and Punchbowl for their assistance in response activities - by working together, and responding quickly, we have managed this situation well and limited impacts to our industry and growers. Key figures: More than 1500 visits made to check the 109 fruit fly response traps in Papatoetoe/Māngere. Over 600 biosecurity bins distributed within the community to collect produce waste for safe disposal. More than 470 kilos of fruit cut up and examined for any signs of fruit fly eggs or larvae. More than 150 staff involved throughout the response, and kiwifruit industry personnel from KVH, APAC and Punchbowl. Read more about the detection and activities that lead to this successful outcome on our website here.

It only takes one – one risk item to damage New Zealand, one moment to look up the rules to avoid a $400 fine, one moment to check your luggage... This is the theme of Biosecurity New Zealand’s refreshed border campaign, designed to encourage arriving travellers to comply with biosecurity rules. Based on the latest research into what motivates or discourages compliance, the campaign prompts travellers to think about specific items that pose a biosecurity risk, including food and outdoor equipment such as boots and tents. The campaign uses digital ads to target travellers when they are planning their trip, including when they go online to book flights or accommodation. The ads link to Biosecurity New Zealand’s website, which provides a tool for checking requirements for items. So far, the campaign focuses on trans-Tasman travellers and New Zealanders returning from overseas during the holiday period. This has included new signage at Australian airports. And, for the first time ever, digital signs at New Zealand airports aimed at getting departing Kiwis to think about the rules before they return home. The campaign will shortly also target other nationalities, including India, China, the United States, the Philippines, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The targeting is based on visitor volumes, seizure rates and research showing levels of biosecurity awareness among different travellers.

Last week KVH hosted a third emergency response training session, further upskilling industry personnel in the system used if and when we ever need to activate in an emergency response. This continues the ongoing commitment towards industry readiness for events such as cyclones, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, ensuring various people with various skills and experience are trained and become familiar with the planning and processes that would be put in place within the Coordinated Incident Management System (CIMS) we use should an industry emergency event be triggered. Zespri, KVH and post-harvest were represented and KVH regional coordinators from Whangarei, Wanganui and Hawke's Bay also travelled to this training, representing an important link to growers in the regions. Representatives from NZ Apples and Pears, NZ Wine and NZ Avocados also joined our kiwifruit industry attendees as an opportunity to share learnings across multiple sectors which may be involved simultaneously in a response. Covered over the two days was how to create a strong induction process to support and encourage responders and set a positive tone for the response; tools for building situational awareness of complex emergency events; and the structure and roles of response teams and governance members. Building an understanding of action plans, situation reports and being involved in incident management team meetings gave attendees some powerful engagement experience and built confidence in how they could play a key role in the support of industry response efforts to ensure all growers are well supported in times of need.

We’re all plant lovers around here, and not only of the kiwifruit variety. Combined that with our collective thirst for innovation, and you get this article about the Kratky method. What is it? Hydroponic experts say it's the easiest way to grow plants in water - it's essentially the most low-maintenance DIY hydroponic garden you can create. The Kratky method doesn't require any mechanics, such as the water pumps used in electrical hydroponic systems. Instead, it focuses on the suspension of plants above water, allowing indoor gardeners to grow their own crops without the need for lots of equipment. Here's how to do it at home.