Tauranga plant nurseries spoken to yesterday said they were following strict Ministry of Primary Industries protocols to protect their crops.
Les Anstis, managing director of the Oropi-based Naturally Native nursery, said he was doing everything he could to limit the risk of an infection at the native plant nursery.
He had all but stopped importing plants from other parts of New Zealand, using only Bay of Plenty suppliers.
Anything coming into the nursery that could have been near myrtle rust had to be thoroughly sanitised, including vehicles, plant trolleys and boots.
The nursery had introduced a protective fungicide spraying regime and plant inspection schedule.
Visitors were restricted from some parts of the nursery.
It was all worth doing, he said, but thought it was "almost inevitable" the easily spread disease would eventually reach the Bay, Mr Anstis said.
"I accept the fact that it is airborne and there will be a time when we will have myrtle rust.
Whether it's now or in five years times will depend on MPI's efforts. So I am trying to get my head around the post-myrtle rust environment.
"We don't yet know the impact of myrtle rust on our native species. I think there's a high possibility it will take out some cultivars, but in others the impact may be minimal.
"It's worth remembering a lot of native species get fungal diseases, including rusts."
Many diseases were manageable in a nursery environment.
Mr Anstis was worried about myrtle rust, but having worked in the kiwifruit industry when vine disease Psa arrived in 2010, he thought there was no need to overreact.
"It's a concern in this period of uncertainty we're in right now. We don't know whether we can contain it or whether we will have to learn to live with it."
The nursery supplies plants for retail, re-vegetation and amenity planting programmes, such as those undertaken by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
The council's biosecurity manager, Greg Corbett, said staff were keeping a close eye on the spread of myrtle rust.
Plant stocks for use in planting programmes had been checked and came back negative for the disease.
The council was also working with nurseries to make sure they had procedures in place to mitigate any risk.
The Ministry of Primary Industries has been leading the containment effort, locking down affected nurseries, tracing potential contamination methods and inspecting reported infections.
In a press release the ministry said those efforts would continue, "but is also realistic that this is a huge challenge and New Zealanders may have to learn to live with it."
SIDEBAR
Spotting myrtle rust in your garden
The Ministry of Primary Industries is encouraging New Zealanders to check their gardens, especially if they have recently bought or ordered plants.
Myrtle rust only affects plants in the myrtle family. These include rata, pohutukawa, manuka, kanuka, ramarama, lily-pily (Eugenia), bottlebrush, feijoa, guava and eucalypts.
It generally attacks soft, new growth, including leaf surfaces, shoots, buds, flowers, and fruit. Some leaves may become buckled or twisted and die off.
Look out for:
- bright yellow powdery eruptions appearing on the underside of the leaf (young infection)
- bright yellow powdery eruptions on both sides of the leaf (mature infection)
- brown/grey rust pustules (older spores) on older lesions.
If you spot it, don't touch it. Take a photo and call 0800 80 99 66.
FACTBOX
- First spotted on May 3 in Kerikeri
- 16 infection sites in New Zealand
- 2 in Northland, 1 in Waikato, 13 in Taranaki
- Found in nurseries, plant retailers and distributors, an orchard and private gardens
- Found on pohutukawa, lophomyrtus, gum trees and on manuka
