The nation's kiwifruit growers are spending this weekend setting up a new business to run their industry's management strategy for living with the bacterial infection attacking the vines on many of their orchards.
Plant pathologists have confirmed Pseudomonas syringae pv actinidiae (PSA) bacteria has infected vines on 80 orchards.
More than 600 orchards have been assessed and the 459 test results so far received have shown about 20 percent are infected.
Most of them (about 76 percent) are in a 23km-wide diseased zone south of the Te Puke township.
But other infected vines have been found at Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Tauranga, Whakatane/Edgecumbe, Waikato, Golden Bay and Motueka.
About 95 percent of the infected orchards are only showing the initial symptom of leaf spotting, and have not yet shown the more severe symptoms - dying canes and cankers oozing red exudate - which indicate vine health has been impacted.
These orchards are being monitored closely, said Zespri's director of grower services, Carol Ward
"While we've got some urgent challenges ahead as the industry adapts to cope with PSA in the future, we're not anticipating any significant impact on production and sales next year," she said.
The new business being established over the weekend to run the continuing kiwifruit industry management strategy will be in place by Monday with directors representing Zespri, post-harvest suppliers, Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated (NZKGI) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF).
The name, structure, rules and membership of the new organisation have not yet been confirmed, but it is expected to give priority to the details of the financial assistance package part-funded by taxpayers, and setting eligibility requirements and the application process.
"Zespri has put in place a team of dedicated technical, grower relations, management and communications staff to project-manage the transition to the new organisation - and we'll continue to be heavily involved and supportive of the PSA industry management strategy," Mrs Ward said.
"It's very disappointing news as more growers receive positive test results for PSA and we're working very closely with those affected growers to ensure they have access to the right people and information to support their orchard management decisions. There is a large amount of research work underway to attempt to answer some of the questions."
Restricted place notices are expected to be removed from infected orchards towards the end of next week.