Less flights ease biosecurity

The cancellation of international flights in and out of Rotorua Airport is being lauded as a positive move in removing one more biosecurity risk pathway into New Zealand, according to Kiwifruit Vine Health.

From April 25, 2015 Rotorua International Airport will cease international flights after Rotorua District Council decided to stop paying Air New Zealand to run twice-weekly flights to Sydney earlier this month.

International flights began between the two centres in December 2009, initially with three flights per week, before being reduced in January 2010 to two flights.

A Kiwifruit Vine Health spokesperson says the cancellation of the trans-Tasman international flights is nothing but good news for New Zealand's $4billion horticulture industry.

The export of fruit and vegetables is New Zealand's fourth largest export earner.

Since the trans-Tasman flights started in 2009, Rotorua Airport has been a potential entry pathway for biosecurity risks into New Zealand, she says.

Of particular concern was the risk of importing Queensland Fruit Fly from Australia directly into the Bay of Plenty, says the spokesperson.

Two Queensland fruit flies were discovered in Whangarei this year – the first in January and the second in a surveillance trap, set up in response to the first find, in April.

Last year KVH completed a preliminary review of border interventions at Rotorua Airport to ensure potential biosecurity risks to the kiwifruit industry were being managed appropriately.

The report stated Rotorua Airport presented a low biosecurity risk compared to more than 70 per cent of international passengers landing in Auckland, two hours from the Bay of Plenty.

'While KVH was satisfied with the level of biosecurity intervention on this pathway, the cancellation of the flights eliminates this risk altogether and enables MPI [Ministry for Primary Industries] resources to be applied to managing other pathways,” says the spokesperson.

Tauranga Airport manager Ray Dumble says contrary to belief there may be a gap in the market now the airport will not be looking into adding international flights to its roster.

Tauranga Airport is the fifth busiest controlled airport in New Zealand and capable of handling large aircraft such as Boeing 737-800 and Airbus 320.

He says there are a number of factors which stand between the airport and international flights, something they are not willing to move past.

Of particular concern is opening up the airport to overseas flights, bringing with it potential threats on the horticultural industry through such unwanted pests.

'I mean we had PSA nearly kill us, we don't want to bring it back.

'I just think of the Tiger Moth in West Auckland, they still haven't got rid of it. It still rears its ugly head every now and then.

'So if we bought something like that into here we would stuff our billion dollar industry.”

Psa-V, the bacteria responsible for killing kiwifruit orchards, was first detected nationwide in Te Puke in November 2010.

Kiwifruit growers are now taking legal action against the Ministry for Primary Industries, for compensation over losses caused by the bacterial disease Psa-V.

They are aiming to hold Biosecurity NZ to account for allowing the disease to enter the country; to gain compensation for affected growers and to ensure such a breach of this country's bio-security never happens again.

All kiwifruit growers or post-harvest operators whose orchards or businesses were affected by Psa as at October 1, 2010, are eligible to be part of the action, even if they are no longer part of the industry.

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5 comments

lol

Posted on 28-10-2014 07:21 | By Capt_Kaveman

doesn't stop people importing contaminated pollen through prime industries ha, still again its a good move and Tauranga should also never become international


Grammar

Posted on 28-10-2014 09:40 | By SonnyJim

Hi, "Less flights ease biosecurity" should be "Fewer Flights...


Rotorua

Posted on 28-10-2014 11:24 | By YOGI BEAR

Stopping the hand outs from ratepayers will ultimately save a lot of money for ratepayers, at last to money has run out and the decisions then have to be made.


Get real Tauranga!

Posted on 28-10-2014 14:16 | By WSTAKL

What an absolute defeatist attitude the policy/decision makers of this city have. Having relocated from Auckland I thought it couldn't possibly get any worse, but alas this city has proved me wrong. Sure, the kiwifruit industry is great for the region/country but guess what there is this thing called tourism which is far and away more lucrative.


Airport

Posted on 29-10-2014 09:54 | By YOGI BEAR

Be cheaper to get Air NZ to drop is ridiculous airfares TGA-AKL, some as high as $270 one-way ... more than AKL-Aussie. That would be more beneficial.


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