They lost their livelihoods and family legacies as a result of the PSA outbreak eight years ago and now more than 200 kiwifruit growers are heading to court.

A landmark case goes to the High Court in Wellington today, with 212 kiwifruit growers banding together, alleging Government negligence allowed the PSA virus into New Zealand.

Grower Mike Montgomery said the case comes down to accountability.

"This disease never needed to get into New Zealand - it didn't just miraculously hop in the air and fly across from China or wherever."

Mr Montgomery said it got the stage where he was looking at ads for driving trucks overseas because he thought his business would never recover.

"Essentially the writing was on the wall for a lot of us, it wasn't looking good."

The growers have shared harrowing stories of what they went through mentally during the outbreak.

Grower Craig Jefferies said there's been a lot of blame pushed around, but no one has acknowledged a huge mistake was made to allow it into the country in the first place.

"Financially there's a massive toll and everything else, but for me the basic principal of that emotional loss and the emotional toll that took on me is worth standing up for."