Next in our series of team member introductions is Kerry O’Neil, our Monitoring & Compliance Officer.

We started this series late last year 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’ve been with KVH since December 2021 and day-to-day you’ll see me working with various people and groups across the industry to keep raising the bar and improve our biosecurity practices, organising various monitoring programmes, developing protocols, and ensuring compliance standards are met, so that we all continue managing biosecurity risks.

I also audit pack-houses, kiwifruit processors, budwood suppliers, and pollen mills, and try to streamline these processes to keep them as quick and easy as possible for you.

I quite enjoy helping nurseries wanting to join the Kiwifruit Plant Certification Scheme (KPCS) – especially working on their manuals, and organising sampling, testing, and external auditing.

Before joining KVH, I worked at the Tauranga City Council in regulation and compliance, specifically with food and health registrations and alcohol licensing.

Outside of work, I find it hard to say no to a round of golf. I travel a lot so next time I’m in your region I’d love to hear any local recommendations.