increase font size
HORTICULTURE NEW ZEALAND believes this country's ability to control regional biosecurity risk is woeful and there are few signs of any willingness to improve.
"We have no real appreciation of the importance of controlling the movement of pest and disease between different parts of the country," HortNZ chief executive Peter Silcock says.
"This is an area of biosecurity we could do a much better job on, instead of leaving it up to chance and collectively crossing our fingers.
"Most pests around the world are not spread naturally. It takes humans to move them from place to place."
The Department of Conservation has called on the residents of Nelson to check their caravans and trailers for Great White Butterfly pupae before they leave the district on holiday this year.
They are warning residents they could inadvertently spread the pest, which DoC has been working hard to eradicate from Nelson. The pest is a major threat to commercial crops and native plants.
Meanwhile the kiwifruit industry is still trying to work out how the deadly kiwifruit disease Psa spread out of the Bay of Plenty into Wanganui. There was no plant material or machinery movement.
"This is such a common story for horticulture, and the fact is, it affects every home gardener as well," says Silcock.
"We have little or no national co-ordination of vigilance around movement of pest and disease within New Zealand."
Horticulture is impressed with DoC's efforts to try to keep this story in front of people.
"This is a worthy attempt to draw attention to the very real possibility that this pest could be easily moved to another part of the country, tucked up in someone's beach umbrella or picnic table."
Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) has released its 2026 election manifesto, outlining priorities to support the sector’s growth, resilience, and contribution to New Zealand’s food security and export revenue.
The 2026 New Zealand Horticulture Conference is set to see more than 900 growers, employers, service providers and industry stakeholders gather in Wellington in July.
Trainees in the horticulture industry studying towards a certificate or diploma can now apply for Horticulture New Zealand's (HortNZ) 2026 Industry Training Scholarships programme.
The year was marked by “progress, collaboration and reflection” in biosecurity, says New Zealand Winegrowers Biosecurity Advisor Jim Herdman.
OPINION: MPI's response to the yellow-legged hornet has received a mixed report card from New Zealand Beekeeping Inc (NZBI), with praise for the Ministry's expansion of response funding and front-line efforts in Auckland, but a sting in the tail - criticising MPI for not focusing enough on regions outside the big smoke.
Precision Farming says that its expansion into Australia signals rapidly accelerated connectivity for farmers and growers on both sides of the Tasman when it comes to efficient vehicle management.
Winning four of the big categories at the 2026 New Zealand Cheese Awards feels special, says Meyer Cheese general manager Miel Meyer.
Local cheesemakers are being urged to embrace competition from imports but also ensure their products are never invisible in the country.
Ireland's Minister of state for Agriculture says it’s hard to explain to Irish farmers the size and scale of NZ farms.
Dairy farming in New Zealand offers career progression and this has motivated 2026 Central Plateau Share Farmers of the Year Navdeep Singh and Jobanpreet Kaur.
A partnership between Canterbury milk processor Synlait and the world's largest food producer, Nestlé, has been celebrated with a visit to a North Canterbury farm by a group including senior staff from Synlait, the Ravensdown subsidiary EcoPond, and Nestlé's Switzerland head office.
OPINION: If you ask this old mutt, the choice at the next election isn't shaping up as a contest of…
OPINION: A mate of yours says we're long overdue for a reckoning on what value farmers really get for the…
