Next in our series of team member introductions, is Senior Biosecurity Advisor, Erin Lane.

We started this series to share more about the roles we have, and how each of us interact with you, our readers and growers, in our day-to-day activities.

I joined KVH in February 2019, coming from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) where I worked as a Quarantine Officer in Auckland and later in Wellington on regulation and developing response and readiness plans.

My primary role here at KVH is to work with both growers and the wider kiwifruit industry to raise awareness about biosecurity threats and to support the industry in managing any risks that do arise.

One of the biggest threats to kiwifruit – and many other fruit and vegetable industries in New Zealand - is the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB). An interesting fact about me and my travels is that I’ve worked closely with the Japanese vehicle and machinery industry to ensure their supply chains are biosecurity robust and that vehicles and machines arriving in New Zealand are free of these bugs. This involved spending six weeks working out of the New Zealand Embassy in Tokyo, traveling across Japan to meet with manufacturers, inspect factories, storage facilities, and ports to assess risks.

I’m probably most well-known for my role in reviewing the most unwanted threat list for the kiwifruit industry, drawing on my knowledge and experience of import pathways and treatments. The most unwanted list is what we use to produce a lot of the resources we create for the industry.

I really enjoy being part of the kiwifruit industry and raising my young family here in the Bay of Plenty. I look forward to continuing KVH’s important work with you all.