Becoming a recognised agency or person to verify wine businesses

Why you need to be recognised

Most winemaking businesses operate under a registered wine standards management plan (WSMP). To prove that they're following the WSMP correctly, they need to be verified by a recognised person or agency.

Checking that a business complies with the law is a regulatory role. Private agencies and councils can do this role on behalf of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). The recognition process makes sure agencies or persons meet the standards we would apply if we were doing the checks.

Wine Notice: Requirements for Recognised Agencies and Persons [PDF, 292 KB]

How to become a recognised person or agency

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Steps to becoming an agency recognised to verify wine standards management plans

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1. Get your quality management system accredited

To become a recognised agency you need a quality management system (QMS) that is accredited to international accreditation standard (ISO) 17020. Accreditation can be obtained from an accreditation body, either:

International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ)
Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ).

You will need to let your accreditation body know if you make any changes to your QMS after it has been accredited. Your QMS may need to be re-assessed.

Recognised agencies need recognised persons

To do verifications as a recognised agency, at least 1 person needs to become recognised to do verifications under your system.

At most recognised agencies, all the people who undertake verification need their competency assessed individually.

However, individual assessment is not required if an agency:

manages more than 5 people, and
has been approved to operate under the key technical personnel (KTP) model.

Under the KTP model, individual competency assessments are carried out by the recognised agency, while the accreditation body:

looks at the procedures staff follow
assesses the people who supervise the staff doing verifications
assesses a sample of operational staff to determine the effectiveness of competence assessment.

Find out more

KTP model information sheet [PDF, 160 KB]

IANZ

JAS-ANZ

2. Apply to MPI for recognition

Once your agency QMS has been assessed by the accreditation body, you can apply to MPI to become recognised. Complete the application form and submit it to MPI. It will usually be processed within 20 working days.

You'll need to:

include your agency's ISO 17020 accreditation report
pay the application fee
include your limited liability company certificate (if appropriate).

Application form WA8: Recognised agency (wine) [PDF, 860 KB]

Email the completed form and supporting documents to approvals@mpi.govt.nz

Steps to becoming a person recognised to verify wine standards management plans

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1. The agency you work for must be recognised

Before you can be recognised to become a verifier under the Wine Act 2003, the agency you work for must be recognised. If you are a new agency, you will need to submit your agency application together with at least 1 person application so that MPI can process these together.

2. Check you can meet the requirements

To become a recognised verifier you must:

acquire knowledge and experience in the wine industry
know the current wine-related legislation
complete an audit qualification at New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) level 6 or above, or have completed an NZQA-recognised audit course
complete an NZQA-recognised course in Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)
complete MPI's Wine Act training modules for regulators and verifiers.

To become a recognised evaluator, you must have all the above requirements and have performed at least 1 WSMP evaluation under supervision.

If you are not employed by a recognised agency you need a quality management system (QMS) that is accredited to international accreditation standard (ISO) 17020 (refer to agency requirements for more details).

3. Complete verification training modules

MPI has developed online training modules to help verifiers understand their role under the Wine Act. Anyone who wants to become a verifier must complete these modules.

To get access to the training modules, complete the training registration form.

4. Get assessed by an accreditation body

Accreditation can be performed by IANZ or JAS-ANZ, or by your agency if they have been approved to operate under the KTP model.

IANZ

JAS-ANZ

If your agency has been approved to operate under the KTP model, you will be assessed by a person at your agency. If you are not currently recognised as a verifier, you’ll need to:

arrange a mock verification, or
carry out a real verification under the supervision of a recognised verifier.

The accreditation agency or your KTP assessor will check that you:

are familiar with your agency’s QMS
know when and how to access a technical expert
have the technical competencies required to verify wine businesses.

5. Apply to MPI

Once you have met all the requirements, you can apply to MPI to become recognised. Complete the application form and submit it to MPI. It will usually be processed within 20 working days.

You’ll need to:

include the assessment report from IANZ or JAS-ANZ, or a key technical personnel (KTP) recommendation report
include confirmation you've completed MPI online training modules
pay the application fee.

Application form WA7: Recognised person (wine) [PDF, 927 KB]