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.
22/05/2026
Earlier this month, KVH attended a workshop hosted by researchers from the Bioeconomy Science Institute (BSI) to hear findings from the first year of a Better Border Biosecurity (B3) social science research project focused on biosecurity engagement. The three-year project is exploring how industries and communities understand, engage with, and support biosecurity practices. Its aim is to help strengthen social licence and encourage practical biosecurity action across New Zealand’s primary sectors and communities. Three case studies have been completed during the project’s first year, focusing on on-orchard biosecurity practices within the kiwifruit industry, Lepidoptera readiness planning, and Māori biosecurity engagement within pollination services. The workshop shared valuable insights into how biosecurity is viewed and applied across different settings, and highlighted the importance of practical, people-focused approaches to improving engagement. The next phase of the project will involve researchers and biosecurity partners working together to co-design practical tools and approaches to strengthen biosecurity participation. Over the coming months, findings from the case studies will be shared with interview participants and then more widely released. KVH thanks everyone who contributed their time, experience and insights to the project. The open and constructive discussions provided valuable perspectives that will help shape future biosecurity engagement initiatives across the sector. Image: KVH and others involved in biosecurity at a recent workshop about latest engagement research.
Read more18/05/2026
Good news for the kiwifruit industry – the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) investigation in Orākei, Auckland has concluded with no further detections. The eighth and final scheduled trap check was completed at the end of April, confirming that no additional BMSB were present after the single find in early February. All surveillance and investigation activities linked to this detection are now finished. Biosecurity New Zealand has thanked KVH for supporting the deployment and management of additional BMSB traps, which strengthens the national surveillance programme’s effort. The investigation also highlighted the value of strong partnerships between industry, on behalf of growers, and Biosecurity New Zealand in protecting New Zealand’s biosecurity system. This is a positive outcome for our industry and all kiwifruit growers. Read more about KVH’s BMSB industry surveillance activities here.
Read more22/05/2026
The KVH Board is calling for nominations for a grower director for a term of three years. Simon Cook’s term as grower elected representative ends in August and he will be re-standing for this vacancy. Nomination forms are available here and must be returned to KVH at info@kvh.org.nz along with a list of all interests in the kiwifruit industry by 5pm, Friday 3 July 2026. Grower members will be asked to vote for their preferred nominees, and the successful candidates will be announced following this year’s annual meeting.
Read more18/05/2026
Published by New Zealand Geographic, this comprehensive article follows the real‑life biosecurity effort in Auckland to find and eliminate the Yellow‑legged hornet before it can gain any foothold in New Zealand. The article highlights how this aggressive invasive insect poses a serious risk to pollinators and horticulture and shows the scale and complexity of the response operation - from public sightings and field surveillance to specialist tracking and nest destruction. It underlines the critical role of early detection and reporting in protecting New Zealand’s primary industries – including kiwifruit growers - demonstrating how community vigilance and rapid response can make all the difference between eradication and long‑term impact. Image: Mark a hornet and you can figure out its flight line and time in the air - data that often leads teams right to the nest. Credit Lottie Hedley, New Zealand Geographic.
Read more22/05/2026
We have a new resource on the way, helping with advice on when and how to sample unusual symptoms and signs of disease on-orchard. With the help of the team at Trevelyan’s – and their top notch acting skills – we were out earlier this week, putting together a video that will be out soon to show how, with the ongoing assistance of KVH, you can check, collect, and dispatch samples that will provide the best chance of accurate and timely results. Keep an eye out for this new resource coming soon. It’s a simple, practical tool to help you act quickly and confidently if something doesn’t look right in your orchard.
Read more22/05/2026
KVH joined the action at the recent AgriFutures Clash of the Colleges competition held for the first time in the Bay of Plenty and hosted at Kenna’s Kiwifruit Orchard in Katikati. Thirty-four teams of four students, representing eight secondary schools, competed across 17 agriculture and horticulture modules designed to showcase the practical, fast-paced nature of New Zealand’s primary industries. As part of the KVH activity, teams were challenged to identify pest images retrieved from surveillance traps and determine which pests were already present in New Zealand and which represented potential biosecurity threats that should be reported to Biosecurity New Zealand. Amongst the common New Zealand huhu beetles, butterflies and shield bugs, many teams quickly identified and reported the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) and fruit piercing moth, two of the “most unwanted” featured on KVH’s pest ID cards, a well referenced resource at the event. AgriFutures Clash of the Colleges was first launched in 2019 and was brought to the Bay of Plenty through the support and encouragement of local organisers who are already planning for an even bigger competition next year. Image: Students taking part in the KVH biosecurity activity at Clash of the Colleges.
Read more22/05/2026
The response to the Yellow‑legged hornet in Auckland is tracking well, with no hornets or nests detected for more than six weeks, which is considered a strong signal that eradication is achievable. Detection activity has remained confined to a small area on Auckland’s North Shore, and the lack of recent finds, despite intensive trapping and searching, has increased confidence the incursion is being successfully contained. As outlined by Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard yesterday, the response is now shifting into a new phase as winter approaches. Field operations will scale back from intensive searching to ongoing trapping and monitoring, while teams prepare for the risk of any surviving queens emerging in spring. The Minister emphasised that eradication will take time, requiring several years of surveillance with no detections, and urged the public to remain vigilant, continuing to report any sightings and take care not to inadvertently spread overwintering queens. More information is available on the KVH Yellow-legged hornet response page.
Read more18/05/2026
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.
Read more18/05/2026
Winter is a key time for replanting or establishing new kiwifruit blocks. Whether you're replacing old vines or developing a new area, it's vital to stay on top of biosecurity requirements - especially when moving plants between properties. Following biosecurity requirements reduces the risk of spreading pests and diseases like Psa and helps ensure a rapid, effective response if a new organism is detected. Growers must only source kiwifruit plants from nurseries that meet the National Kiwifruit Pathway Management Plan requirements. This means certification through one of the following: KVH’s Kiwifruit Plant Certification Scheme (KPCS) Plant Pass, a broad nursery certification programme for all plant types You’ll find a list of certified nurseries on the KVH website. Two levels of certification are available: Full Certification: Plants are free from Psa and other target organisms. These nurseries operate in Psa-free environments and provide plants that have tested Psa Not Detected. Restricted Certification: Plants may carry the common New Zealand strain of Psa (Psa-V) but are tested to be free from more harmful, resistant, or offshore strains. Growers can produce their own plants on the property they’ll be used on, without certification. Additionally, up to 1,000 plants per year may be moved between properties under the same ownership (KPINs). While certification isn't needed in these cases, accurate traceability records must be kept. Important reminders: Do not move any plants showing disease symptoms. Both the supplying nursery and the receiving property must maintain traceability records in case symptoms appear later and tracing is required. For further guidance or to view certified nursery lists, visit the KVH nursery web page or contact us directly.
Read more18/05/2026
A reminder to register early for our must‑attend event focused on staying ahead of the biosecurity incursion curve. Get the latest updates on biosecurity threats and responses affecting kiwifruit; hear directly from experts and those involved in recent incursions in both Australia and New Zealand; and take away practical actions you can apply on your orchard/site. Plus, there’s a bonus … all growers who register and attend will go in the draw to win one of three biosecurity-themed cooler bags full of on-orchard biosecurity resources, tasty treats, and a $100 gift voucher - a small thank you for investing your time in protecting our industry. The symposium takes place Wednesday 5 – Thursday 6 August, at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui. All are welcome. Registration and full programme here - spaces are limited, so we encourage you to secure your place.
Read more18/05/2026
KVH’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place at 9am, Thursday 20 August, at Mercury Baypark in Mount Maunganui. Growers will receive their AGM packs and online voting information by email during the last week of July. This is a public meeting and anyone who is interested is welcome to attend. The NZKGI AGM will follow immediately after, and a light lunch will then be provided before the Zespri AGM at 1pm.
Read more22/05/2026
Earlier this year Plant Diagnostics Ltd hosted an Australian nematologist for a four-day training programme focused on nematode identification and diagnostics. KVH worked alongside other agriculture and horticulture sectors to support the training by providing samples from kiwifruit orchards with a history of nematode issues, along with representative orchard block samples where no known issues were present. Samples were also contributed from a range of other production systems including citrus, vineyards, berryfruit, potato, spinach and onion crops. The training provided valuable exposure to a wide range of plant-parasitic nematodes and helped strengthen diagnostic capability across New Zealand’s plant health network. Plant-parasitic nematodes are an often overlooked but important group of organisms that can impact root health, plant vigour, and crop performance. Having skilled diagnosticians and diagnostic capability across industries plays an important role in supporting early identification, investigation and management of emerging plant health issues. KVH thanks industry partners who supported the submission of samples and contributed to building this important capability. Image: On the left, Uykim Lim, Lewis Braithwaite (Plant Diagnostics) Graham and Marcelle Stirling (Australian nematode experts), and Sandy Hammond (Lincoln University). On the right, a spiral nematode, Helicotylenchus spp.
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The Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) is an emerging biosecurity threat to kiwifruit and many other horticultural industries. The pest is hard to control and is a proven invader, capable of flying and hitchhiking on inanimate objects.
SLF attacks over 70 host species, including kiwifruit, grapes, stonefruit and pipfruit. It's preferred host is Tree of Heaven, which is present in New Zealand and considered an invasive weed.
Adults and nymphs feed on young stems and bark tissue with their piercing and sucking mouthparts and excrete large amounts of sticky liquid called honeydew. Extensive feeding results in oozing wounds on trunks, wilting and death of branches. It could severely impact the kiwifruit industry through the sooty mould left on fruit, which renders the fruit unmarketable.
Pest ranking based on the KVH risk matrix
View risk matrixNative to Asia, SLF has invaded North America, where it's numbers have grown rapidly. It is thought to have entered as egg masses on landscaping stone from China and eradication attempts have been unsuccessful. The impacts of SLF have been described as worse than Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB).
How could it get to New Zealand? The SLF lays its eggs in clusters on smooth surfaces (including vehicles and machinery, shipping containers, and garden furniture) and covers them with a protective layer of wax.
The eggs can then hitchhike on these and other commodities imported into New Zealand. The egg masses are difficult to see and hard to treat with insecticide - see images below of egg masses on kiwifruit and tree bark.
KVH investigates reports of unusual symptoms to identify and manage any biosecurity risks.
22 May 2026
Earlier this month, KVH attended a workshop hosted by researchers from the Bioeconomy Science Institute (BSI) to hear findings from the first year of a Better Border Biosecurity (B3) social science research project focused on biosecurity engagement. The three-year project is exploring how industries and communities understand, engage with, and support biosecurity practices. Its aim is to help strengthen social licence and encourage practical biosecurity action across New Zealand’s primary sectors and communities. Three case studies have been completed during the project’s first year, focusing on on-orchard biosecurity practices within the kiwifruit industry, Lepidoptera readiness planning, and Māori biosecurity engagement within pollination services. The workshop shared valuable insights into how biosecurity is viewed and applied across different settings, and highlighted the importance of practical, people-focused approaches to improving engagement. The next phase of the project will involve researchers and biosecurity partners working together to co-design practical tools and approaches to strengthen biosecurity participation. Over the coming months, findings from the case studies will be shared with interview participants and then more widely released. KVH thanks everyone who contributed their time, experience and insights to the project. The open and constructive discussions provided valuable perspectives that will help shape future biosecurity engagement initiatives across the sector. Image: KVH and others involved in biosecurity at a recent workshop about latest engagement research.
Read more18 May 2026
Good news for the kiwifruit industry – the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) investigation in Orākei, Auckland has concluded with no further detections. The eighth and final scheduled trap check was completed at the end of April, confirming that no additional BMSB were present after the single find in early February. All surveillance and investigation activities linked to this detection are now finished. Biosecurity New Zealand has thanked KVH for supporting the deployment and management of additional BMSB traps, which strengthens the national surveillance programme’s effort. The investigation also highlighted the value of strong partnerships between industry, on behalf of growers, and Biosecurity New Zealand in protecting New Zealand’s biosecurity system. This is a positive outcome for our industry and all kiwifruit growers. Read more about KVH’s BMSB industry surveillance activities here.
Read more22 May 2026
The KVH Board is calling for nominations for a grower director for a term of three years. Simon Cook’s term as grower elected representative ends in August and he will be re-standing for this vacancy. Nomination forms are available here and must be returned to KVH at info@kvh.org.nz along with a list of all interests in the kiwifruit industry by 5pm, Friday 3 July 2026. Grower members will be asked to vote for their preferred nominees, and the successful candidates will be announced following this year’s annual meeting.
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