School gardens help keep bugs away

KVH is a proud supporter of the refreshed sentinel gardens programme, encouraging the next generation of biosecurity champions to look out for unwanted pests and diseases.

The gardens are progressively going into Mt Maunganui/Papamoa primary schools thanks to a new partnership between Tauranga Moana Biosecurity Capital and People & Plants in Schools (PIPS).

Consisting of a variety of host plants that might provide early warning of invasive insect species and pathogens, students monitor the gardens regularly for any signs of the pests and diseases that we want to keep out of the Bay of Plenty – and they report anything unusual to Biosecurity New Zealand so that it can be looked into if needs be. So, not only are the gardens hands-on and fun, they’re also a great way to build biosecurity awareness and surveillance skills amongst the younger members of our community.

A huge thank you too to Trevelyan’s for the kiwifruit bins that are used to house the gardens!