Bay of Plenty Business News November/December 2017

6 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS November/December 2017
BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS
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Port biosecurity plan likely to
be picked up nationally
Port of Tauranga has thrown up its best lines of defence in a
battle against biosecurity threats likely to only increase as the
busy cruise ship season kicks off.
By RICHARD RENNIE
The port picked up the
top industry award at the
inaugural Biosecurity
Awards earlier this year, in
recognition of the success
of its biosecurity excellence
initiative. And the initiative
looks likely to be adopted by
other major ports around the
country.
Launched only a year ago,
the initiative took a broad
community approach to dealing
with biosecurity threats. It
was conceived after the ravaging
impact of Psa on the kiwifruit
sector, and concerns over
the threat from ever-increasing
visits from cruise ship tourists.
The award recognised that
the initiative had lifted awareness
among port staff, operators
and the community about
regional and local biosecurity
threats.
New and existing staff
underwent a biosecurity induction,
while a calendar has
been distributed around the
community and port facility,
highlighting species that are
particular biosecurity threats.
Regular pest alert broadcasts
are also made about priority
threats that may have arisen.
There were 250,000 cruise
ship passengers passing
through the port last year, and
at least that many are expected
this year. Port of Tauranga
chief executive Mark Cairns
said he welcomed the work
done to educate tourists on
board their ships before they
docked about the risks bringing
fruit ashore posed to New
Zealand.
Cairns said the programme
has resulted in greater detection
of pests, including 147
detections of the dreaded marmorated
stink beetle. And he
said he understood the port
biosecurity initiative was due
to be adopted by other major
THE MILLION BOX PORT
Port of Tauranga was the first in New Zealand to
handle more than 1 million TEU (20 foot container
equivalents) annually.
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ports around the country.
But despite the port’s
best efforts in keeping out
unwanted pests, high profile
“Bug man” Kleinpaste painted
a bleak picture for New
Zealand’s future biosecurity.
“I would say that with
147 detected incursions of the
marmorated stink bug detected
here in the past year it is a case
of not if, but when it arrives,”
said Kleinpaste, who was
speaking during the launch of
biosecurity awareness week in
early November at the port.
The bug could deliver devastating
effects upon horticultural
crops, reducing yields by
as much as 30 percent overseas.
“It has obviously found its
pathway here already.”
But Kleinpaste said there
was very likely worse diseases
to come if New Zealand did
not remain vigilant.
He pointed to his recent
encounter in Hawaii with its
“Ohi’a” fungal disease, which
is laying to waste large canopy
trees of the same species as
NZ’s pohutukawa, the ohi’a
tree.
“It can kill a whole forest in
five years.”
He was shocked by the
lax biosecurity standards in
Hawaii, with no quarantine
Kleinpaste: The “bugman” calls for continued vigilance on pest incursions.
Photo/Jamie Troughton
requirements or cleaning standards
on equipment or visitors
coming off the affected island.
“And we are now seeing
a lot of New Zealanders head
to Hawaii for holidays. This
[disease] does not come on
the wind, it comes on shoes
and clothing. It just laughs at
myrtle rust.”
John Walsh, director of
communications channels
for Ministry for Primary
Industries said this year had
already been characterised by
three key incursions that were
of national concern.
One was the Bonamia
Ostreae infection in oysters.
This was followed by myrtle
rust infection, which was likely
to become more prevalent in
the summer months, and was
already devastating tracts of
forest on Raoul Island to the
north of NZ.
The third was Mycoplasma
Bovis in southern dairy herds.
Kleinpaste welcomed
the focus on getting all New
Zealanders engaged in biosecurity,
a core part of MPI’s
strategy.
“I love it that Port of
Tauranga won this award, but
we can do so much more on the
back of that, this is where your
community can be engaged and
active in identifying threats.”
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