The Tauranga Moana Biosecurity Capital (TMBC) Spotlight on Biosecurity week will get underway Monday 21 October, with a range of local activities celebrating biosecurity awareness and the role everyone in the community plays in protecting our local environment and economy from biosecurity threats.

There will be a symposium celebrating the first anniversary of the initiative on the Tuesday. The event will bring together iwi, business and community groups as well as environmental and biosecurity/biodiversity leaders to showcase how biosecurity capability is being built across the region and the gains that have been made in the last 12 months.

There are two other key activities during the week KVH is heavily involved in – one is the Kiwifruit Grower Biosecurity Day on the Wednesday which will include an exclusive session with Professor Acelino Alfenas from Clonar / University of Vicosa, Brazil who will discuss research into Brazilian Wilt, a soil-borne disease of concern, and the importance of traceability. Presentations will also cover BMSB preparedness and on-orchard management, plus latest news and lessons from research initiatives (this event is a sellout but you can waitlist).

The other is the Port of Tauranga Biosecurity Excellence programme, which as per previous years involves the Port, KVH and Biosecurity New Zealand working with Port staff and contractors during the week to raise awareness of the importance of best-practice when it comes to biosecurity vigilance, what pests to be on the lookout for, and how to report unusual finds.

Learn more about TMBC’s pioneering approach to biosecurity in this One News video.