Seen something unusual? MAKE A REPORT
Seen something unusual? MAKE A REPORT
There are eight organisms identified as the biggest biosecurity threat to New Zealand's kiwifruit industry.
30/01/2025
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.
Read more30/01/2025
We look forward to seeing you at the upcoming Zespri Grower Roadshows. We’ll be speaking at each location, providing an update on the fruit fly response and industry biosecurity surveillance systems, including recent unusual symptom reports, alongside presentations from Zespri and NZKGI. The roadshows run 17 – 27 February and will all be held in person, with an option to join the Te Puke event online. Register here.
Read more30/01/2025
What am I? This week we have an image for you – can you guess the object? Our industry-led exotic stink bug surveillance system in the Bay of Plenty has kicked off again this year, thanks to industry organisations working alongside us, and as well as the standard sticky pheromone traps that have been used in previous years, some of the sites now also include one of these – an aerodynamic trap. These Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) traps are shaped like a windvane which helps the pheromone travel further, attracting more stink bugs to the area. Originally trialled in kiwifruit in Italy through co-funding from the Zespri Biosecurity Innovation portfolio, it was exciting to see this research being implemented last year on a field visit with other members of the BMSB Council, and now we’ve got eight of our own as part of this year’s industry surveillance network at 14 sites – mainly pack-houses - from Mount Maunganui and Te Puke to Te Puna and Katikati. Our surveillance enhances nationwide efforts while raising awareness of stink bugs across the kiwifruit industry and providing practical, tangible monitoring activities. Importantly, it also builds capability within the industry for any stink bug response, whether that be specifically dedicated to kiwifruit or to assist in joint efforts involving other industries. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) oversees the national BMSB surveillance programme, which operates on an entry risk basis, using lure traps and vegetation searches on a fortnightly basis during the high-risk season of September through to the end April each year. Most trapping efforts are concentrated in the main centres, primarily Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. Read more about BMSB, including latest detection data, here.
Read more30/01/2025
No news is good news regarding the Oriental fruit fly response in the Auckland suburb of Papatoetoe. There have not been any new finds as response teams continue checking traps, collecting waste from bins in the area for safe disposal, and inspecting fruit through the mobile laboratory. Kiwifruit industry personnel (including KVH, Punchbowl, and APAC) are assisting with fruit collection within the restriction zones, which are expected to be in place until mid-February – a precautionary approach, providing extra confidence as it allows for a full life cycle of the fly. More information about the response is available on our website.
Read more30/01/2025
Moth plant is one of the most problematic weeds of North Island kiwifruit orchards and the pods are beginning to develop - they are currently flowering in most locations. Growers should start the first round of control work now to avoid the need to pull masses of vines and pods out of shelter belts. Seedlings will be establishing beneath shelter belts, ready to climb into trees before flowering and forming their distinctive seed pods. A skilfully used sharp hoe will kill emergent seedlings and is an effective organic control method. Alternatively, glyphosate at one part to 100 parts water is effective on emergent seedlings. Apply under low pressure ensuring no spray drift. Moth plant is poisonous – the milky white sap can cause dermatitis so wear gloves and protective clothing when handling it. Click here for more information about identifying moth plant or contact KVH or your regional council. Image below: Moth plant (pictured in a Cryptomeria shelter belt) poses a threat to New Zealand’s native trees and is unwelcome in kiwifruit orchards.
Read more30/01/2025
We had an email from Kale Print recently – whom we use for production of many of our awareness materials – about a suspect exotic stink bug … “Hey there, I just found this guy walking along the floor in our Kale office. What do I do? Is he a baddie or a goodie? Looks kind of like the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) in the calendar we print for your growers but I’m not sure.” The bug (pictured – or click here to enlarge) turned out to be a common brown soldier bug, present in New Zealand and although very similar looking to the BMSB, it’s identifiable because of the yellow crescent moon on its back. It’s great that we have yet another example of people and businesses that operate around the kiwifruit growing community keeping an eye out and knowing that if they spot anything unusual and potentially a threat, to catch it, take a photo, and report it.
Read more13/01/2025
We hope you all had a merry Christmas and were able to enjoy the holiday season with family and friends. We look forward to working with you throughout the year ahead, ensuring our biosecurity system remains strong and we keep damaging exotic pests and diseases from our orchards.
Read more16/01/2025
Legal controls on the movement of fruit and vegetables in Papatoetoe will remain in place for the next few weeks as part of the response to the discovery of a single male Oriental fruit fly earlier this month. Sector groups, including KVH staff and industry personnel from Punchbowl and APAC, have been providing support for heightened operational activities, which are continuing a little longer as a precautionary approach. It’s anticipated the restrictions will remain in place until mid-February. This is vital to success in keeping fruit fly out of New Zealand and protecting kiwifruit growers, and horticultural exports. It also ensures we can be confident there is no breeding population – this timeframe is based on scientific advice about the life cycle of the Oriental fruit fly. To date, no other Oriental fruit flies have been found. Fruit fly traps will continue to be regularly checked, and specialist staff in the mobile field laboratory will cut up and inspect fruit and vegetables collected in the area for any signs of larvae. So far more than 200kg of produce has been examined. There is no change to the current movement rules that are in place. The A and B Zone areas in Papatoetoe will remain the same and the instructions on the disposal of produce waste remain unchanged. Significant response updates will continue to be posted on the KVH website as they occur. Useful resources Biosecurity New Zealand website for detailed response maps, information, and resources, in many languages. KVH Oriental fruit fly fact sheet. KVH Oriental fruit fly identification guide.
Read more14/01/2025
Next in our series of team member introductions is Linda Peacock, our Industry Liaison & Technical Specialist. 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’ve been with KVH since its earliest days in 2011, working with growers and technical teams from all growing regions to build knowledge around best practice, particularly in terms of management of Psa. I was a long-term member of the Psa Steering Group and now am part of the Technical Working Group in the crop protection and market access innovation space where Psa related projects are considered alongside the wider scope of crop protection risks. I enjoy connecting industry players with researchers, to support projects and surveys which underpin both the crop protection and biosecurity industry space. My role has expanded over time to focus more on wider biosecurity, including managing and looking into reports of unusual symptoms seen on vines and fruit, and coordinating KiwiNet members as well as regional coordinators who all help growers and KVH build biosecurity awareness and preparedness. Meeting and sharing knowledge with a wide range of great people across the industry is the best part of my job, especially on-orchard and at field days and workshops where I can help turn technical advice into practical, easy, day-to-day activities for all growers and contractors. When I’m not working, I enjoy gardening and cycling, kayaking, and walking adventures in the great outdoors.
Read more13/01/2025
Auckland biosecurity officers recently detected three dead bugs on a vehicle ship while carrying out routine surveillance for Brown Marmorated Stink Bug. They were confirmed as Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) – one of our Most Unwanted, and a high-risk pest native to Asia that invaded North America in 2014. The pest can damage some 70 plant species, including kiwifruit, feeding and excreting honeydew, which promotes black mould and inhibits plant growth. Further checks did not detect any additional pests, allowing cargo discharge. Read more about SLF on the KVH website here. Image: SLF found by officers in Auckland while carrying out routine biosecurity surveillance at the border.
Read more13/01/2025
KVH’s submission on proposed amendments to the Biosecurity Act can be read here. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is leading the review and our comprehensive submission on behalf of the kiwifruit industry addresses most of the proposed changes. Significant areas for our sector that we have commented on relate to funding and compensation, readiness and response, and long-term management. Once submissions are analysed MPI will publish a summary and make recommendations to the Minister for Biosecurity. Thank you to those who have discussed the submission with us. We welcome any further questions or feedback at info@kvh.org.nz.
Read more16/01/2025
KVH would like to say a fond farewell and many thanks to David Wells for his invaluable help in maintaining our strong biosecurity connection with the Wanganui region, since 2011, through his role as KVH regional coordinator. David will now spend a little more time on his passions of tennis and travelling and will continue to champion kiwifruit growers as chairman of the Wanganui Rural Community Board. The baton now passes to David’s son Richard Wells, providing continuity of connection to the region. Richard has been involved in the kiwifruit industry since his teenage years, working in his family’s orchard and gaining valuable hands-on experience. Now managing a 20-hectare green kiwifruit orchard in Wanganui, he is passionate about sustainability and growing high-quality fruit. Image: Richard Wells, new regional coordinator based in Wanganui. Having studied biosecurity at university, Richard sees this knowledge as a key asset in his role at KVH. Outside of work, Richard enjoys staying up to date with industry advancements and exploring innovative ways to keep New Zealand’s kiwifruit thriving for future generations. The regional coordinator role supports KVH and growers by providing support in the follow-up of unusual symptoms, helping identify any potential biosecurity issues of regional concern back to KVH and being involved in preparedness for the region in the emergency response management (ERM) space. KVH looks forward to supporting Richard in this new role and urges growers to touch base for a chat. A full list of KVH regional coordinator contact details can be found here.
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Phytophthora is present around the world, including New Zealand, in a wide range of hosts. There are over 100 known species of Phytophthora, with thoughts there could be up to 500 more yet to be identified.
There are many reports of different Phytophthora damaging kiwifruit vines in different regions globally, such as P.drechsleri, which has caused significant impacts to the kiwifruit industry in Korea.
It is considered highly likely that under certain conditions (i.e. wet soils) kiwifruit would be susceptible to several Phytophthora species. Predicting which species will impact which cultivars, and under what conditions, is difficult if not impossible to predict. Because of this, KVH is undertaking readiness planning and research for invasive Phytophthora species as a whole, as opposed to focusing on one specific species.
Pest ranking based on the KVH risk matrix
View risk matrixThe biosecurity threat of Phytophthora to the New Zealand kiwifruit industry is largely unknown. It could come from the introduction of a new Phytophthora species, or from a species already here that may not yet have been exposed to kiwifruit.
Management practices, cultivar susceptibility and the environment may also play key roles in any future outbreaks. Phytophthora are Oomycetes (or water moulds), so wet, soggy soils are an ideal environment for them to thrive. As such, low-lying land, poorly drained orchards and additional irrigation are more susceptible to infection.
One of the difficulties with detecting Phytophthora disease symptoms is that they are variable and often are not distinct from those resulting from other plant pathogens (such as Armillaria root rot which can sometimes be misdiagnosed as Phytophthora root rot).
The other difficulty with Phytophthora symptom detection arises from asymptomatic plants, where the pathogen can lay dormant for long periods until conditions change and symptoms are expressed. There are many types of symptoms associated with Phytophthora species that may occur singly or in combination.
Phytophthora usually infects kiwifruit vines from root wounds or the root tips early in spring. During the warmer summer months, vines may rapidly decline or alternatively show gradual decline in productivity over several seasons. Symptoms include reduced shoot growth; small, chlorotic leaves; and an open canopy. Vines with the graft union below ground level or mechanically wounded trees are easily infected. Infected root and root crowns commonly show a red brown rot that is easily observed when cutting into the outer layer of tissue. Generally, there is observable margin where healthy, white tissue meets infected, discoloured tissue. Infected roots become dark and feeder roots are often black, decayed and few in number (see image below).
KVH investigates reports of unusual symptoms to identify and manage any biosecurity risks.
30 Jan 2025
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.
Read more30 Jan 2025
We look forward to seeing you at the upcoming Zespri Grower Roadshows. We’ll be speaking at each location, providing an update on the fruit fly response and industry biosecurity surveillance systems, including recent unusual symptom reports, alongside presentations from Zespri and NZKGI. The roadshows run 17 – 27 February and will all be held in person, with an option to join the Te Puke event online. Register here.
Read more30 Jan 2025
What am I? This week we have an image for you – can you guess the object? Our industry-led exotic stink bug surveillance system in the Bay of Plenty has kicked off again this year, thanks to industry organisations working alongside us, and as well as the standard sticky pheromone traps that have been used in previous years, some of the sites now also include one of these – an aerodynamic trap. These Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) traps are shaped like a windvane which helps the pheromone travel further, attracting more stink bugs to the area. Originally trialled in kiwifruit in Italy through co-funding from the Zespri Biosecurity Innovation portfolio, it was exciting to see this research being implemented last year on a field visit with other members of the BMSB Council, and now we’ve got eight of our own as part of this year’s industry surveillance network at 14 sites – mainly pack-houses - from Mount Maunganui and Te Puke to Te Puna and Katikati. Our surveillance enhances nationwide efforts while raising awareness of stink bugs across the kiwifruit industry and providing practical, tangible monitoring activities. Importantly, it also builds capability within the industry for any stink bug response, whether that be specifically dedicated to kiwifruit or to assist in joint efforts involving other industries. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) oversees the national BMSB surveillance programme, which operates on an entry risk basis, using lure traps and vegetation searches on a fortnightly basis during the high-risk season of September through to the end April each year. Most trapping efforts are concentrated in the main centres, primarily Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. Read more about BMSB, including latest detection data, here.
Read more