Kiwifruit Vine Health Inc Annual Operating Plan 2018/19

Kiwifruit Vine Health Inc
 Annual Operating Plan
        2018/19

Introduction

This Annual Operating Plan (AOP) describes the key priorities for the operation of Kiwifruit Vine
Health Inc. (KVH) for the financial year of 2018/19. It creates five focus areas (including business as
usual or BAU) for implementation during the year and will define the workplan and activities of the
organisation.

It has been formulated following a review of the 2017-2020 strategic priorities with the Board and
staff of KVH and following discussion with key industry participants. In order to deliver on the
strategy, it is important that we focus on a number of defined priorities to ensure resource and
effort are efficiently managed to agreed outcomes.

There will be a number of ongoing activities such as management of Psa under the National Pest
Management Plan (NPMP) and the significant research and development programme in both
biosecurity and Psa undertaken in collaboration with Zespri that are not listed individually as priority
projects but are included under the BAU section.

It is likely that some projects started within this AOP will follow on into the 2019/20 financial year.

Our Vision

A biosecurity resilient kiwifruit industry

Mission

Protect New Zealand’s kiwifruit industry from biosecurity threats

Our Strategy

The 2017 – 2020 strategy defines 5 strategic directions for KVH. These are:

1. Prevention
       a. Global scanning to identify new risks
       b. Influencing to prevent arrival of new threats

2. Readiness and response
      a. Fully prepared for the next biosecurity event – understanding our risks with readiness,
          response and contingency arrangements in place

3. Industry responsibility
       a. Kiwifruit industry hold themselves accountable for overall industry biosecurity and
           actively manage risks of new and established threats

4. Leadership and engagement
      a. Performing a key leadership role in the biosecurity system and Government Industry
          Agreement Partnership
      b. Making a significant contribution to achieve Biosecurity 2025 directions

5. Innovation
       a. Actively pursuing continuous improvement – smart investment in research and
          innovation

We will operate through

Creating influence through thought leadership, partnership and collaboration and engaging,
supporting and challenging if needed.

Operational excellence by delivering results, smart leveraging to achieve maximum value for
industry and being accountable for our actions.

Education and Communication by growing biosecurity awareness and social licence to operate and
proactive communication with key industry and external influencers.

Background

KVH is an incorporated society that was established in late 2010 in response to the Psa incursion in
New Zealand.

Its primary purpose is to act as a Management Agency under the Biosecurity Act 1993 for the
management of a National Pest Management Plan (NPMP) for Psa within New Zealand for the New
Zealand kiwifruit industry.

Other purposes of KVH are:

a. To monitor and identify biosecurity risks to the kiwifruit industry, to undertake and arrange
   biosecurity surveillance, to prepare for responses to biosecurity risks to the kiwifruit industry,
   including ensuring adequate operational arrangements are in place, to lead biosecurity
   responses as required and to liaise with governments, agencies, industry groups and other
   agencies as appropriate in relations to any such biosecurity risks; and
b. To promote and encourage in the national interest research into and the dissemination of
   information relating to biosecurity risk management and the monitoring for kiwifruit vines in
   New Zealand; and
c. To do any act or thing necessary or incidental to the attainment of the above objectives

Now that Psa is established within 90% of the orchards in Recovery regions within the North Island
of New Zealand the focus is on management of the disease in orchards, nurseries, budwood and
pollen to reduce impacts as well as monitoring changes in how the organism acts in the New Zealand
environment especially in relation to treatment regimes. KVH is shifting its focus to including Psa
management within a wider biosecurity framework and developing operating plan priorities based
on this change in emphasis.

Key strategic issues facing KVH currently are:

a. Maintaining relevance as an organisation in the kiwifruit industry in the face of a developing
   complacency to biosecurity as the industry goes into rapid growth; and
b. The importance of traceability of all plant material (rootstock, budwood and pollen) as moves to
   and from orchards within the industry. This is especially in the face of any plant-based incursion
   such as fungal diseases.
c. Maintaining a focus on prevention as a means of stopping potential incursion risks prior to them
   getting to our border, in the face of the GIA scope for readiness and response only.
d. Keeping the GIA partnership functioning well for readiness and response, in an environment of
   increased complexity with livestock industries starting to join, change out of transitional funding
   arrangements and a number of major incursion responses within New Zealand draining resource
   and diverting focus.

KVH AOP 2018/19 Priority Areas
1. Develop and grow relationships across kiwifruit industry and associated stakeholders

In order to maintain and grow relevance to the kiwifruit industry as the organisation that delivers
biosecurity risk management for kiwifruit growers, KVH needs to focus on developing and
maintaining strong relationships with all grower groups including NZKGI, Iwi, Seeka and the Indian
community, all post- harvest organisations, Zespri, Regional Councils and MPI.

This will allow the delivery of key extension messages including outcomes from research, awareness
of current and emerging biosecurity risks, best practice biosecurity processes and updates on KVH
activity. It also helps maintain networks for information transfer and to be used in the face of an
incursion (such as KiwiNet).

Biosecurity 2025 is a strong umbrella initiative that provides the framework for delivering
accountability for biosecurity by all 4.7 million New Zealanders across the whole biosecurity system.

Goals and objectives

KVH is seen as the trusted source of information for management of Psa and biosecurity risks for the
kiwifruit industry and recognised as the organisation responsible for kiwifruit biosecurity for the
whole industry by all stakeholders (social licence).

•   To have strong working relationships with all major grower groups (Iwi, Indian community,
    organics), contractors, NZKGI and corporates that allows delivery of extension material, best
    practice biosecurity, understanding and compliance with policy and role of KVH
•   To have KiwiNet group as a functional, informed network of kiwifruit industry people that act as
    advocates for biosecurity and can be mobilised as part of National Biosecurity Capability
    Network (NBCN) if required
•   To build relationships with post-harvest groups that allows interface with kiwifruit growers,
    delivery of extension material, traceability and industry response governance where required
    and formalise through agreed Charter
•   To build relationships with nurseries and pollen mills that allows delivery of extension material,
    biosecurity risk management, traceability and industry response governance where required
•   To have collaborative partnership relationship with government (through MPI mainly but not
    solely) for delivery of the agreed prevention, readiness and response programme and
    influencing policy
•   To have collaborative partnership relationship with local government and Port of Tauranga
    (POTL) for biosecurity risk management at a local level
•   To have a collaborative partnership relationship with Zespri that includes research development
    and delivery, extension, traceability and governance and formalise through an agreed MOU
•   To establish relationship with learning institutions and financial organisations to ensure that
    level of awareness of biosecurity risks and implications is increased.

Activities

•   Create stakeholder engagement planner with key influencers, contacts, messages to be
    delivered, and timeframes and implement through year
•   Visit and establish relationship key senior exec or influencers for all post-harvest, Maori kiwifruit
    growers, Iwi representatives, Indian growing community and larger corporate growers with
    specific aim of sharing KVH strategy and key activities, encouraging accountability within the

business for biosecurity, empowering staff and allocation of resources where required, and
    sharing research outcomes and technical extension material.
•   Develop, agree and sign Biosecurity Charter - and associated staff-based activity - with key post-
    harvest operators that provides framework for accountability for biosecurity within their
    business operations
•   Develop, agree and sign MOU with Zespri that includes schedules covering research and
    development, extension, traceability and governance arrangements
•   Participate in key strategic programmes to lift awareness of biosecurity and form collaborative
    working relationships such as Tauranga Moana Biosecurity Capital (TMBC) project, Biosecurity
    2025 initiatives, POTL biosecurity operational excellence programme
•   Provide extension collateral in “ready to use” format to facilitate easy sharing and use by other
    groups
•   Participate in (or run) field activities such as workshops, Field days, AMP show and market place
    to assist in delivery of messages and collateral
•   Update KiwiNet personnel database and organise information days and activities and deliver
    extension material.
•   Increase scope of membership of KiwiNet to include horticulture consultants, post- harvest
    techs, merchant reps, local government and rural banks or financial consultants
•   Run symposium to fit into biosecurity week and align with TMBC
•   Deliver KVH specific roadshows – potentially leverage off post – harvest days (rather than NZKGI
    or Zespri)
•   Engage with Indian community through Zespri Grower Services or church activity
•   Buy membership of COKA and provide collateral/participate in information days
•   Undertake stakeholder engagement survey
•   Develop key messaging points around tools/advice from research outcomes, importance of
    traceability, activity of KVH, key existing and emerging biosecurity risks and KPCS standards and
    provide these in form of easily shared collateral.

Measures of success

•   Stakeholders view KVH as trusted source biosecurity information and viewed as adding value
    and necessary for protection of investment from biosecurity threats (stakeholder engagement
    survey)
•   KiwiNet has active informed membership from across industry that acts as biosecurity advocates
    within respective businesses
•   Charter and biosecurity exercise or activity completed within 70% key post- harvest
    organisations by year end
•   MOU and associated schedules agreed and signed with Zespri
•   KVH collateral seen to be taken up by other organisations and disseminated
•   Ability to influence and advocate for KVH and kiwifruit industry within government and MPI is
    maintained

2. Investigate, develop and implement a traceability programme for all plant material

A key principle for any biosecurity programme is the ability to trace forwards or backwards the
movement of at risk material. This has become particularly clear following the Mycoplasma bovis
response where the speed and efficiency of the response has been hampered by lack of quality data
for the movement of cattle.

The kiwifruit industry has significant quantities of movement of all forms of plant material (nursery
rootstock, budwood and pollen) all of which could carry plant-based pathogens. Currently under the
KPCS programme for nursery rootstock there is some level of traceability, plus requirements for
registration and limited recording of movement for both budwood and pollen. However, it is
insufficient to allow a rapid response should an incursion of a disease such as Ceratocystis fimbriata
(Brazilian Wilt) occur.

Goals and objectives

•   Investigate, design and implement a grower centric traceability programme for kiwifruit plant
    material that is simple, easy to use, preferably based on existing frameworks and results in good
    levels of movement data that can be used to manage a plant-based pathogen incursion.

Activities

•   Create project brief for investigation, design, development and implementation of traceability
    framework
•   Investigate existing frameworks such as spray diary with Zespri for suitability for traceability
    framework
•   Gain Zespri agreement/collaboration for traceability project through MOU process
•   Investigate risk potential for each class of plant material (rootstock budwood and pollen) for
    major pathogens to assess level of granularity of traceability required
•   Collaborate with KPCS review process to align project outcomes
•   Work with nurseries, budwood producers (Zespri and grower), and pollen mills to ensure
    traceability design can align with current practice
•   Develop communication material for all industry stakeholders and growers to ensure
    understanding of need/relevance for traceability to ensure good uptake
•   Design traceability programme that is grower centric – is based around movements of plant
    material into and out of orchards – that is easy for growers to use and is tied to some
    incentive/tool to ensure good levels of uptake
•   Develop consultation programme for all affected groups to ensure feedback is provided and
    utilised where required

Measure of success

•   Traceability programme is investigated and designed, with agreement from major impacted
    parties ready for development phase
•   Growers, post-harvest operators, contractors, nurseries and pollen mills understand and
    endorse concept of traceability to level of desire to implement programme
•   Zespri willing to collaborate in successful design, development and implementation of
    traceability programme

3. Review current Kiwifruit Plant Certification Scheme (KPCS) and potential expansion into
   programme for all kiwifruit plant material

The current KPCS programme was fully implemented in October 2016. It was designed around the
concept of managing risks associated with the movements of plants for pests already in New Zealand
such as Psa, nematodes, phytophthora, viruses etc but also mitigating risk of impact and spread of
potential new pests not yet detected.

Recently there was a review of boundaries within the known recovery regions in the North Island
which has had some impact on those nurseries within the current KPCS programme. The aim is to
now ensure that the standards applied for fully KPCS certificated plants that move can also be
applied where possible to budwood and pollen to ensure that risk associated with plant movement
across these two forms of plant material is also managed as much as possible.

The principles applied in the KPCS programme are based on the plants being “target organism free”
and that the movement of the plant material is known and recorded.

Goals and objectives

•   Current KPCS programme is reviewed and recommendations for improvement are considered
    and implemented where appropriate
•   Principles of target organism freedom and movement traceability are investigated, and a
    programme recommended for implementation for budwood and pollen that align with the
    nursery rootstock KPCS programme

Activity

•   Potential external project manager sourced
•   Project brief for review of current KPCS and recommendations for future scheme delivered,
    reviewed and approved
•   Project on KPCS review undertaken between August and December 2018 including consultation
    with nurseries, budwood producers, pollen mills and users and key growers

Measures of success

•   KPCS review completed and implemented
•   KPCS programme uptake by nurseries, orchards, budwood suppliers and pollen mills is
    demonstrated over next 12 months

4. Continue Government Industry Agreement (GIA) programme for readiness and response in
   collaboration with MPI and other industry groups, including review of scope, governance,
   funding and secretariat functions

A key strategic component of the biosecurity work undertaken by KVH is development of readiness
and response programmes for the identified major biosecurity risks to kiwifruit and other
horticultural industries.

The GIA readiness and response work is delivered through the mechanism of Operational
Agreements, of which KVH is signatory to three. These are the multi sector Fruit Fly OA, Brown
Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) OA and a kiwifruit specific OA covering four specific unwanted
organisms (Non-NZ Psa, Ceratocystis fimbriata, Verticillium Wilt and Invasive phytophthoras).

The GIA programme is undergoing development changes in membership, funding mechanisms,
governance and administration all of which pose some risk to the successful delivery of the readiness
and response programmes. There is currently also some discussion over whether the scope should
be expanded to include pre-border (prevention) initiatives as well and whether funding should be
opened to an ACC type fund. The Psa judgement has meant that liability share issues between MPI
and industry require resolution for the future of GIA to be successful.

The relationship within GIA is fundamental to maintaining the position of leader for KVH in readiness
and response activities on behalf of the kiwifruit industry.

Goals and objectives

•   GIA continues to be delivery mechanism for industry readiness and response biosecurity
    programmes
•   Ensure that awareness of Prevention is maintained as a key focal point to manage risk of
    incursion offshore as far as possible.
•   A sustainable model for ongoing funding of GIA is developed and implemented
•   The administration (secretariat, technical expertise and project management) process is agreed
    by all parties and implemented
•   The governance model for GIA is reviewed and recommendation agreed and implemented
•   Readiness and response programmes are at a stage where industry can successfully (to the best
    of their ability) respond to an incursion should it occur

Activity

•   Maintain key role within all GIA activities (such as chair Fruit Fly Council, member of governance
    groups, active member on response governance groups etc)
•   Develop strong KVH position on major GIA policy items and advocate these
•   Identify and develop relationships with key MPI and GIA secretariat staff
•   Work collaboratively to develop further Operational Agreement with other industry sectors,
    most likely about Xylella.
•   Work with GIA secretariat to resolve and implement liability management for MPI Industry
    partnership

Measures of success
• GIA continues to operate successfully for industry as mechanism for readiness and response
• KVH continues as leader in GIA process
• Funding model for GIA is agreed and implemented

5. Delivery of Business as Usual (BAU) programme

In determining priority activity for KVH it is important to maintain the resource and capability to
continue to deliver on core programmes for the organisation.

Goals and objectives

•   To maintain integrity of current regional boundaries
•   That best practice tools for ongoing management of Psa are reviewed and provided for industry
    stakeholders and growers
•   Compliance requirements for NPMP (Including control of wild kiwifruit) are monitored and
    implemented where required
•   Focus of health and safety within the workplace and with any service providers or contractors is
    maintained
•   KPCS programme successfully delivers options of high health plants and traceability for nursery
    produced rootstock
•   Research programme continues to deliver relevant information to KVH and kiwifruit industry to
    allow management of Psa and delivery of prevention, readiness and response programme

Activities

There are three main areas of activity that fit into the BAU category.

•   Ongoing management of Psa as Pest Management Agency under the NPMP of the Biosecurity
    Act – including compliance to requirements, protection of the Exclusion regions from Psa,
    control of wild kiwifruit, monitoring use of tools and best practice for control of Psa (including
    monitoring copper resistance).
•   Monitoring and administration of the current KPCS programme
•   Ongoing research and development programme for both Psa and biosecurity in collaboration
    with Zespri, including assimilation of research outcomes into key extension messages for grower
    and industry stakeholder use and benefit.

Measure of success

•   Psa infection does not occur in the current Exclusion zones
•   Requirements under the Operational Plan for the NPMP are met and reported on annually
•   The KPCS is continued to be regarded as a successful tool for ensuring delivery of high health
    rootstock that can be effectively traced
•   The research and development programme for both Psa and biosecurity delivers relevant and
    new knowledge that benefits the delivery of the NPMP and the prevention, readiness and
    response programmes for unwanted organisms.