Celebrating excellence at the Port of Tauranga

As the kiwifruit industry knows, pests and diseases from offshore can cause serious harm to New Zealand's unique environment and primary industries; and the Port of Tauranga is one of many potential gateways.

This week, to coincide with the grower biosecurity day and nursery forum, activities at the Port have highlighted the importance of biosecurity and the role that everyone in the Bay of Plenty can play in managing unwanted biosecurity risks.

The activities are part of the biosecurity excellence partnership between the Port of Tauranga, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), KVH, NZ Avocado, Dairy NZ, Forestry Owners Association, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, and research organisations. The award-winning partnership aims to build a port community committed to biosecurity excellence, with an ambitious goal of no biosecurity incursions coming through the Port of Tauranga.

Since Monday, KVH and initiative partners have been talking to people who work on and around the port frontlines about biosecurity and the fact it is an important issue that affects everyone. There have been visits to all staffrooms and portacoms at both the Mount Maunganui and Sulphur Point sides of the Port, with education materials and pest samples to increase awareness and commitment to biosecurity.

KVH is also taking part in pre-cruise season security and biosecurity briefings within the Port, as well as meeting all coach drivers before they begin cruise ship tours across the Bay of Plenty region. We’ve done this in previous years and look forward to starting again after Covid-19.