New Zealand's organic sector has experienced steady growth in recent years.  An increasing number of farmers and growers across different sectors have undergone organic certification.  The organic sector’s target is to reach $1 billion total sales by 2013.  Below is information on the sector’s strategy and the state of the sector in New Zealand.

• Organic Sector Strategy
• State of the Organic Sector Report 2007
• State of the Organics Sector Report 2010 - summary (full report available from OANZ)

For more detailed information on the organic sector please contact Organics Aotearoa New Zealand.

Organic and Foods

Certifying Agencies

Organic certification is voluntary in New Zealand but provides assurance that goods have been produced to recognised organic standards.  New Zealand’s four main organic certification agencies are listed below.  The four agencies cater for different production systems depending on the scale of operation, target market and organic philosophy.

• AsureQuality
• BIO-GRO New Zealand
• Demeter - Bio Dynamic Farming and Gardening Association in New Zealand, Inc
• OrganicFarmNZ

Sustainable Farming Fund Projects

MPI’s Sustainable Farming Fund supports farmer, grower and forester-led projects across New Zealand.  A number of these projects focus on extension and applied research in the organics sector.  Project information and resources are available on the SFF webpages.