When Peter Ombler wrote an article stressing how vital it was that New Zealand keep the kiwifruit vine disease Psa-V out of the country, he had no idea it was already here.

Peter Ombler chairman of Kiwifruit Vine Health - Psa has not destroyed the industry.

'I had been to Europe and was well aware of how serious it was there when I wrote the article for the ‘Kiwifruit Journal'. My initial reaction when we learned it was in Te Puke was shock,” says Peter.

That was November 2011 and Peter was president of New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc, a role which instantly plunged him into the wider industry and government response to the incursion.

'I know many growers went through shock, anger and other emotions of grief associated with the impacts of the disease on their orchards and livelihoods. Even when I found Psa on our orchard I was so involved in trying to help protect growers, and find a way ahead, I didn't experience those intense feelings – I just didn't have time.”

Peter was, however, acutely aware of how devastated many growers and others in the industry were; and he took a lead in ensuring grower welfare was a priority. 'I kept advising people to make a plan so they could feel in control.”

He took the lead in the many industry and grower meetings, and worked closely with those involved in research and development initiatives to find ways to manage Psa.

That leadership was recognised early this year with a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, presented to Peter by the Governor General.

Stepping down as NZKGI president last year, Peter is now chairman of Kiwifruit Vine Health and has just been appointed to the Biosecurity Ministerial Advisory Committee.
Peter says he's now more confident about the ability of both green Hayward and the new gold G3 to tolerate Psa.

'The industry is slowly recovering, but we are by no means out of the woods. However, I said last year that if Hayward is to be grown in a good location using industry best practice, it is possible to produce commercial crops in a Psa environment.

'I now think the same can be said of G3. However, we still have a long way to go down the recovery pathway. For many growers, managing Psa has become a way of life. In future, some years the infection will be worse than others but it has not destroyed the industry.”

While it is hard to see many up-sides to the impacts of Psa, one is the industry has rapidly transitioned to a new gold variety. It is primarily replacing Hort16A in the Bay of Plenty, which has proved so vulnerable to the bacterial disease. 'The plant protection rights on Hort16A are due to expire in 2018, and now we have large plantings of a new variety with a much longer plant protection right.”

Peter says the New Zealand kiwifruit industry truly showed its unity and strengths in the way growers and industry players came together to help each other. 'That's what helped us come through what has been an extremely difficult time.”