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Consultation on Organics Standard Notice – Tranche 3

This is the third and final consultation in this round

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has begun work to develop notice content to supplement both the Organic Products and Production Regulations, and the Organic Standards Regulations.  

We are consulting about the content of the organic supplementary notices in 3 stages (tranches). The first 2 consultations have closed.

  • Tranche 1: technical content to supplement the Organic Standards Regulations.
  • Tranche 2: requirements for recognised entities, including recognition, accreditation, verification, quality management systems, competencies and record keeping, to supplement both sets of regulations.  
  • Tranche 3 (this consultation): requirements for organic management plans and requirements for application for export certification.

Previous consultations

Tranche 1

Tranche 2

Future consultations

The following notices are expected to be consulted on in the coming months:

  • inputs and trade-name products
  • organic management plans
  • export requirements.

Have your say 

We are seeking your input on the proposed notice for technical information for operators and recognised entities. 

The Tranche 3 notice sets out the notice content for procedures that are required in the Organic Management Plan. These requirements are in addition to the regulations, which also cover procedures to be set in the Organic Management Plan. Subclause 10 in Schedule 3 of the Organic Products and Production Regulations states what processes and procedures are expected, so in the Tranche 3 Notice are specific procedures which aren't already covered in the regulations. 

Note: MPI is developing an Organic Management Plan template which can be adopted by operators. This will be consulted on later in the year (2026) to prepare operators for transitioning into the Organic Products and Production (OPP) Act system. This template will cover all of the detail that needs to be included in an Organic Management Plan. 

Topics covered in this third tranche of notice content include: 

​​Organic Management Plan requirements​:

  • key tasks [OPP Sched 3 cl 3(b)]
  • defining boundaries and layouts [OPP Sched 3 cl 5]
  • details of operator activities: producers and processors [OPP Sched 3 cl 4]
  • details of operator activities: service providers [OPP Sched 3 cl 4]
  • general procedures [OPP Sched 3 cls 10 and 11]
  • ingredients of processed products [OS Reg 143]
  • assessment of imported products [OPP 121 and 122]
  • corrective actions when breach of relevant export requirements [OPP Sched 3 cl 10(2)(b) and (c)].

Export: application requirements:

  • official assurance application [OPP 124]
  • statement of compliance application [OPP 125].

Consultation document

Draft Standard Notice – Tranche 3 [PDF, 365 KB]

Making your submission 

We welcome submissions on the proposals contained in the consultation document. Your feedback helps to ensure that the requirements set out in this third tranche of notice content are accurate and reflective of how organic operations operate. MPI will consider all feedback provided and review how your feedback can be integrated into the final notice.

Submissions sent by email or post will be accepted until 5pm on 31 March 2026. 

Email ​organicsconsultation@mpi.govt.nz​ 

Or post to:      

New Zealand Food Safety
Ministry for Primary Industries
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140.

Make sure you also include in your submission:

  • the title of the consultation document 
  • your name and title  
  • your organisation's name (if you are submitting on behalf of an organisation, and whether your submission represents the whole organisation or a section of it) 
  • your contact details (such as phone number, address, and email).

Submissions are public information

Note that all, part, or a summary of your submission may be published on this website. Most often this happens when we issue a document that reviews the submissions received.

People can also ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we must make the content of submissions available unless we have good reason for withholding it. Those reasons are detailed in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.

If you think there are grounds to withhold specific information from publication, make this clear in your submission or contact us. Reasons may include that it discloses commercially sensitive or personal information. However, any decision MPI makes to withhold details can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may direct us to release it.

Official Information Act 1982 – NZ Legislation

MPI business units