KVH recently attended the 2026 Plant Biosecurity Research Symposium in Melbourne, which brought together researchers, industry, and government partners from across Australia and New Zealand.

The event coincided with the United Nations International Day of Plant Health and focused on the theme Plant Biosecurity for Food Security and showcased the latest research and thinking across key areas, including early warning and risk, diagnostics and surveillance, resilient crop protection systems, and readiness and recovery. Research aimed at better understanding emerging risks was highlighted, including the impacts of climate change, as well as the development of tools to support industry-led risk assessment. There was a strong focus on improving diagnostic capability, with new tools in development to enable faster, more effective identification of unwanted organisms at the border and post-border, supporting more rapid response times.

Importantly, the symposium reinforced the value of connections across the Tasman. Building relationships with Australian counterparts is highly beneficial, as both countries face many of the same biosecurity threats, often with pests and diseases establishing in Australia first. These connections support shared learning, early awareness, and stronger collaboration to protect New Zealand’s kiwifruit industry.