Seen something unusual? MAKE A REPORT
Seen something unusual? MAKE A REPORT
30/07/2026
Bird flu: New Zealand has had two detections of H5N1 bird flu, with no new cases since 17 July. Stay alert, avoid sick or dead birds, wash your hands and clean your gear after being outdoors, and report groups of three or more sick or dead wild birds to MPI on 0800 80 99 66. Varroa mite: Millions of bees are being moved from Western Australia to South Australia after varroa mite reduced bee numbers needed for pollination. The situation highlights the importance of strong biosecurity to protect food production.
Read more30/07/2026
Biosecurity New Zealand has expanded its public awareness work to encourage international travellers to declare or dispose of risk goods before arriving in New Zealand. New signage has been installed at key transit airports in Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok and Shanghai, alongside targeted digital campaigns in China, the Philippines and India. The campaigns focus on commonly seized food items and are delivered in local languages to help travellers understand New Zealand’s border requirements. Friends and family already living in New Zealand are also being targeted through local advertising, reinforcing that many food products are readily available here and don't need to be brought across the border. To support these campaigns, travellers can click through to border information on the Biosecurity New Zealand website, translated into Simplified Chinese and Hindi.
Read more30/07/2026
Birds can carry kiwifruit seed far beyond orchard boundaries, helping wild kiwifruit establish in new areas. Once established, it can become a difficult and costly weed to manage. We have a new one minute video showing how seed dispersal happens and the simple steps everyone can take to prevent it. If you're handling kiwifruit after harvest, remember: don't spread seed - drop it, mulch it. Watch the video
Read more30/07/2026
We’re currently reviewing the National Kiwifruit Pathway Management Plan (Pathway Plan) and there’s still a couple of days left to have your say and win. The review aims to ensure the Pathway Plan remains fit-for-purpose for managing biosecurity risks across the kiwifruit industry, and will help identify what's working well, where improvements can be made, and which areas should be prioritised for the future. Your feedback is important and we want to hear from growers, orchard managers, contractors, nursery operators, post-harvest representatives, consultants, and others involved in the kiwifruit industry. The survey takes around five minutes to complete, and everyone who participates can enter a prize draw to win one of two $100 Prezzy cards. Contact details collected for the draw will be kept separate from survey responses and used only for administering the prize draw. Have your say here.
Read more30/07/2026
Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) is coming up and grower members have now received AGM packs, including personalised voting information, by email from Electionz. If an email address was not available, Electionz have posted printed copies to members. A copy of the AGM packs can be viewed on the KVH website here. Nominations have been received for two candidates for the Grower Director vacancy – Dave Tanner and James Towers. Therefore, an election is required. Profiles for each are included in the AGM pack. For reference you can directly view Dave’s profile here and James’s profile here. The AGM will be followed by the NZKGI and Zespri annual meetings. Where: Mercury Baypark, Mount Maunganui When: 9.00am, Thursday 20 August
Read more27/07/2026
We’ve published our 2025/26 Annual Report, providing a comprehensive overview of how biosecurity readiness translated into real-world outcomes over the past year. The report reflects a year where preparedness was put to the test, including responses to fruit fly incursions, a brown marmorated stink bug detection, and the ongoing yellow-legged hornet response. It highlights KVH’s key achievements and performance outcomes, while also demonstrating how levy investment was used to deliver biosecurity outcomes for the industry. Read the 2025/26 report.
Read more16/07/2026
📌There’s still time to register for the KVH Biosecurity Symposium on 5 August, bringing together biosecurity experts, researchers and industry leaders from New Zealand and Australia to explore latest threats, innovations, and preparedness measures. Save your spot now and go in the draw to win a prize on the day! 📌Growers are also encouraged to join us at the KVH Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 20 August. AGM packs and online voting information will be emailed during the last week of July.
Read more16/07/2026
KVH’s consultation on the proposed biosecurity levy increase continues, with growers across the regions taking the opportunity to learn more, ask questions and share their views. Recent meetings have been held in Pukekohe, Waikato, Te Puke, and Gisborne, with constructive discussions focusing on how rebuilding KVH’s biosecurity reserves is essential after five biosecurity responses in the last two years and what it means for growers. See the upcoming meeting schedule here and look out for reminder emails from KVH direct to your inbox. (Unfortunately, our meeting in Motueka last week was affected by weather conditions and cancelled flights, and this has now been rescheduled for Tuesday 11 August). Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the proposal so far.
Read more16/07/2026
KVH is reviewing the National Kiwifruit Pathway Management Plan (Pathway Plan) to ensure it remains fit-for-purpose for managing biosecurity risks across the kiwifruit industry. The review will help identify what's working well, where improvements can be made, and which areas should be prioritised for the future. We are seeking feedback from growers, orchard managers, contractors, nursery operators, post-harvest representatives, consultants, and others involved in the kiwifruit industry. The survey takes around five minutes to complete, and everyone who participates can enter a prize draw to win one of two $100 Prezzy cards. Contact details collected for the draw will be kept separate from survey responses and used only for administering the prize draw. Have your say here, by Friday 31 July.
Read more16/07/2026
KVH has produced a new sampling video to help growers and technical staff confidently collect high-quality samples when unusual symptoms are found in the orchard. The video walks viewers through KVH’s simple three-step process and explains what to do before, during and after sampling. It covers the most common sample types, including wood, root, soil, and nursery plant samples, and provides practical tips to avoid contamination and ensure samples are suitable for testing. Correct sampling is an important part of biosecurity and disease investigation. A well-collected sample can help laboratories identify potential pests or diseases more quickly and accurately, supporting faster decision-making and reducing the risk of unnecessary delays. The video also reinforces the importance of contacting KVH first, recording key orchard information, maintaining tool hygiene, and safely packaging and sending samples for testing. Whether it’s a suspected case of Psa or an unusual symptom that could indicate something new, the video provides clear, practical guidance to help ensure the right material reaches the lab the first time. By improving sample quality and consistency, growers can play an important role in supporting early detection and protecting the biosecurity health of the industry. Watch the new video and access supporting sampling resources on the KVH website. If you notice anything unusual, remember to report it to KVH and seek advice before collecting samples.
Read more06/07/2026
Unfortunately, due to challenging weather conditions and cancelled flights the evening of Monday 6 July our team is unable to make it to Nelson as planned and as a result, we need to cancel the KVH presentation scheduled for Tuesday 7 July in Motueka. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. We’ll reschedule the meeting as soon as possible and keep our South Island growers updated with new arrangements. If you have any questions or feedback about our levy proposal in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to visit our proposal web page and get in touch.
Read more02/07/2026
The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is a serious threat to New Zealand’s crops if it ever establishes here. This project carried out a national baseline survey to identify the stink bug egg parasitoid species already present in New Zealand. The survey gave us a better picture of which species are present and how they might help control BMSB in the future. These insights will support efforts to eradicate or manage BMSB if it ever arrives in New Zealand. This work was funded through Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures (SFFF). You can view the full report here.
Read moreEffective from 1 April 2022, the Pathway Management Plan focuses on protection against the full range of biosecurity threats to our industry, instead of focusing on a single pest (like Psa). The Plan provides for a consistent and more pragmatic approach to managing pathway risks such as young plants, budwood, pollen, orchard equipment and other items moved by people.
The Pathway Management Plan is similar to the old National Psa-V Pest Management Plan (NPMP) but is more fit-for-purpose and makes sure all the right settings are in place so that we can detect anything new quickly enough to stop its spread, limit impacts, and aim for eradication.
It replaced the NPMP - when that expired in May 2023 - and retains the important elements needed for Psa protection (e.g., controlling movements of high-risk pathways to the South Island) as well as providing much wider benefits,such as:
The Pathway Management Plan is funded by a levy which you can read more about and download a copy of here.
What does this mean for me?
A simple overview of how to meet the requirements of the Pathway Management Plan is available here.
The objectives of the Pathway Plan relate to reducing the spread and subsequent impact of harmful organisms and states that for high-risk organisms diagnostic testing may be required. The Plan itself doesn’t specify what these target organisms are, or the approved laboratories for testing, as these may change over time. Rather, these are listed below and are included in the more detailed resources provided.
For more details on specific areas of the Plan, please see the list of resources below.
A proposal for a new Pathway Management Plan was first raised by KVH in November 2019. Development, planning, and consultation stages were all contributed to by many from across the kiwifruit industry, who provided support and valuable input.
After the final consultation period ended in mid-December 2020, KVH incorporated changes suggested and backed by industry, and produced an extensive proposal document so that everyone had the opportunity to see the final version and how we took feedback into account.
The proposed Pathway Management Plan, for planned implementation from 1 April 2022, and a summary of feedback received during consultation (and resulting changes) were then submitted to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and Minister for Biosecurity in April 2021 so they could go through the required parliamentary process for review and approval.
This process was completed in February 2022 and formal approval was received by way of Gazette notice published 24 February 2022. The associated Levy Order was also approved.
During the early consultation phases there were several documents, fact sheets, case studies, and presentations produced to help share information about the proposal and what the new Pathway Management Plan would mean for growers and others who work on or visit kiwifruit orchards. These documents are no longer current (as they do not incorporate feedback received during the consultation phases) however they remain available to reference here.
KVH investigates reports of unusual symptoms to identify and manage any biosecurity risks.
30 Jul 2026
Bird flu: New Zealand has had two detections of H5N1 bird flu, with no new cases since 17 July. Stay alert, avoid sick or dead birds, wash your hands and clean your gear after being outdoors, and report groups of three or more sick or dead wild birds to MPI on 0800 80 99 66. Varroa mite: Millions of bees are being moved from Western Australia to South Australia after varroa mite reduced bee numbers needed for pollination. The situation highlights the importance of strong biosecurity to protect food production.
Read more30 Jul 2026
Biosecurity New Zealand has expanded its public awareness work to encourage international travellers to declare or dispose of risk goods before arriving in New Zealand. New signage has been installed at key transit airports in Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok and Shanghai, alongside targeted digital campaigns in China, the Philippines and India. The campaigns focus on commonly seized food items and are delivered in local languages to help travellers understand New Zealand’s border requirements. Friends and family already living in New Zealand are also being targeted through local advertising, reinforcing that many food products are readily available here and don't need to be brought across the border. To support these campaigns, travellers can click through to border information on the Biosecurity New Zealand website, translated into Simplified Chinese and Hindi.
Read more30 Jul 2026
Birds can carry kiwifruit seed far beyond orchard boundaries, helping wild kiwifruit establish in new areas. Once established, it can become a difficult and costly weed to manage. We have a new one minute video showing how seed dispersal happens and the simple steps everyone can take to prevent it. If you're handling kiwifruit after harvest, remember: don't spread seed - drop it, mulch it. Watch the video
Read more