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Nurseries

Movement of plants and plant material to orchards where Psa is not detected, and to the South Island, is strictly prohibited or restricted.

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Nurseries

The kiwifruit industry has introduced biosecurity controls to reduce the risk of pests and diseases being spread through the movement of nursery plants and shelter plants. The Kiwifruit Plant Certification Scheme (KPCS) is a major component of this and ensures all nurseries selling kiwifruit plants and shelter plants are managing biosecurity risk.

There are also biosecurity controls for growers to manage the risk associated with smaller volumes of plant movements and to do so in a manner that is not unnecessarily restrictive on orchard operation.

The movement of plant material is considered a high-risk pathway for transporting pests and pathogens over long distances. This includes known threats such as Cherry Leaf Roll Virus and Psa, but also other threats that may be present in New Zealand but not yet detected, such as Ceratocystis fimbriata.



There are three options available for sourcing or producing nursery plants:

  • KPCS “Full Certification”
  • KPCS “Restricted Certification”
  • Grow for your own use – for smaller volumes and restricted movements subject to meeting risk management requirements.

When sourcing shelter plants for a kiwifruit orchard there are two options:

Without biosecurity controls on internal pathways, a new pest or pathogen is likely to be widespread by the time it is detected and the window for eradication may have been missed. Because of this, all nurseries and growers must meet their biosecurity responsibilities and maintain traceability when moving rootstocks.


Information for growers

KPCS information for growers is available here.

Growers wishing to purchase plants must use this list for nurseries who have met KPCS Certification requirements.

A number of nurseries have indicated they intend to join the KPCS scheme for future supply. Growers are able to order plants from nurseries in transition, however plants are not able to move off the property until the nursery has met KPCS requirements.

When receiving plants from a nursery, growers should maintain traceability and record where on their orchard the plants have been planted.

Grow for your own use

Growers can grow plants on the property they are to be used on without any KVH controls.

Growers can also move plants between KPINs under the same ownership (but only to a maximum of 1000 plants per year).

Traceability records must be maintained but there are no registration or certification requirements.

If more than 1000 plants per year are moved between a growers properties or plants are moved to another grower then the grower must become a KPCS nursery.


Information for Nurseries

A nursery is defined as any person or other entity that propagates Actinidia plant species to any age for sale or movement outside of the property. All kiwifruit nurseries are subject to specific requirements and movement controls. Only certified plants may be sold, although growers are still able to produce plants for their own use.

There are two options for certified plants under the KPCS:

  • KPCS “Full Certification”– certified plants that meet all the testing requirements of all target organisms. These can be moved between regions in accordance with KVH movement controls.
  • KPCS “Restricted Certification”– plants produced under the KPCS Standard, and certified free from all target organisms, except the common New Zealand strain of Psa-V. Plants meet the same standard as above and all testing requirements, but may have the common New Zealand form of Psa-V, provided they are free of non-New Zealand Psa forms and strains resistant to Streptomycin or Copper. These plants can only be moved to Psa-V positive orchards.

To achieve KPCS certification

  • Complete the KPCS nursery manual and submit to KVH for review
  • Be independently audited
  • Have plants sampled and tested by KVH annually prior to dispatch

Nursery Starter Pack


Nursery Biosecurity Best Practice

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LATEST NEWS

07 Oct 2024

Fine for breaking plant import quarantine rules

The seriousness of meeting biosecurity requirements was highlighted recently with the company and director of a nursery who illegally took 220 imported plants out of quarantine after just one day, fined $42,500. Elliott Wholesale Nursery Limited - which is not a kiwifruit nursery - is a Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) registered Post Entry Quarantine (PEQ) facility. Under the Biosecurity Act, imported plants should be in quarantine for three months. In September 2022, the nursery imported 600 Nandina domestica tissue culture – an evergreen shrub from Australia. The plants were unpacked and placed in PEQ, where they needed to remain for the full three months. However, after just one day, Mr Elliot removed 220 of these plants, placing them in a non PEQ area. To avoid detection and to circumnavigate the biosecurity rules designed to protect New Zealand from potentially unwanted pests and diseases, he replaced these plants with similar looking domestic plants, which he admitted doing to an employee who questioned him. No pests or diseases were found on the plants that were taken out of the quarantine facility.

Read more

09 Oct 2024

Biosecurity skills shown by Young Grower contestants

KVH was thrilled to present a biosecurity competition module as part of the National Young Grower of the Year finals in Hawke’s Bay yesterday (Wednesday). The six contestants were tested on their general knowledge of pathway risk management and on-orchard biosecurity planning. They all showed a great understanding of how to protect their property boundaries, and the practical steps to make a great biosecurity plan that ensures best biosecurity practice every day. Winners of the regional fruit and vegetable grower competitions were the contestants that battled it out across seven modules for the grand title, with the winner announced later this evening (Thursday) so be sure to check the news or the Young Grower of the Year website here.

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07 Oct 2024

Fun Fact

Another example of bogus, or at least inaccurate, declaration details involved a recent package from Australia that was supposed to contain glass beads. Further scrutiny by officers at the International Mail Centre revealed four packets of germinating seeds on wet tissue paper. The parcel was destroyed, and the importer received a letter outlining their biosecurity responsibilities.

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