New Zealand
Plant Protection Society
Protecting Plants with Science
The 2025 NZPPS Symposium and Conference were both very successful. The 2026 events will held at the War Memorial Centre in Napier from 10 – 13 August 2026.
We protect plants with science by sharing the latest research findings on pests, pathogens, weeds and border biosecurity affecting plants.
We connect people and organisations to reduce the impact these issues have on New Zealand’s economy and environment.
Membership is open to groups and individuals with an interest in all aspects of plant protection biology and ecology in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, natural ecosystems and as it relates to biosecurity.
Royal Society Te Apārangi
The NZPPS is one of over 40 constituent organisations of the Royal Society Te Apārangi. Constituent organisations help the Royal Society identify and address issues relevant to the research, knowledge and innovation sectors, and link into the research information and activities that the it undertakes.
The Society holds a conference each year to present the latest plant protection research in New Zealand as well as publishing relevant books and a scientific journal New Zealand Plant Protection. We also present various scholarships to encourage young scientists study plant protection and award a medal each year to acknowledge the contribution of an experienced researcher.
We are affiliated to related organisations in order to promote plant protection research across New Zealand and throughout the world.
NZPPS member Dame Alison Stewart has been made a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand “for a lifetime commitment to the control of plant diseases using beneficial fungus Trichoderma” https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/news/latest-cohort-of-nga-ahurei-fellows-announced#Alison
Buddenhagen, C. E., Gunnarsson, M., Hackell, D. L., Lawrie, I., Ngow, Z., Mills, A., & Ryder, T. (2026). Acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS)-inhibitor herbicide resistance detected in recent Alopecurus myosuroides (black-grass) incursions into New Zealand. New Zealand Plant Protection, 79, 33-39. https://journal.nzpps.org/index.php/nzpp/article/view/11801
Yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina) is a non-native pest insect that poses a biosecurity risk to New Zealand. Four queen hornets and nests have been found in Auckland in recent weeks. Read more