OANZ Announces Funding for Organic Sector Strategy
Organics Aotearoa New Zealand is pleased to advise it has successfully gained $212,500 funding from the Ministry for Primary Industries’ (MPI’s) Sustainable Food & Fibre Futures fund, to go towards developing a three-year organic sector strategy. The total project was costed at $376k and MPI’s contribution is extremely welcome. The balance is made up of cash and sector in-kind contribution.
“The sector’s collective buy-in, along with MPI’s funding for this strategy is instrumental in advancing the sector,” says Viv Williams, OANZ CEO. "The strategy will look at how the organic sector can on one hand increase consumer demand, and on the other increase the share of organic produce, products and supporting organic sector ecosystem that makes up the economy.”
Through its strategy, OANZ intends to: identify shared challenges and opportunities; strengthen the evidence base for action; find consensus upon a vision for the sector; and set out actions for the sector’s transformation and growth within its domestic and international contexts.
“It is crucial for the sector to be able to bring forward issues and ideas to government that are grounded in the realities of the sector,” says Ms Williams. MPI investment programmes director Steve Penno says OANZ represents the majority of the organic sector and is well-placed to deliver this work. “An organic strategy will act as an important tool to unify the sector and enable it to respond collectively to challenges and opportunities.”
Getting Started
OANZ has formed the Organic Sector Strategy Leadership Team made up of a cross-section of the sector including representatives from agriculture, horticulture and organic certifiers to inform the strategy throughout the project.
Through facilitated workshops, OANZ will engage with sector stakeholders across the country to determine how New Zealand can grow the organic sector, and help to provide solutions for the extreme environmental challenges New Zealand faces such as climate change, clean water, degraded soil health, and biodiversity loss.
The organic community will also explore what the sector can do to meet its full potential through sector and government collaboration, especially considering the Organics Product Bill that is in development.
OANZ has planned to use the launch of the OANZ 2020/21 New Zealand Organic Sector Market Report to hold its first stakeholder workshops in Auckland on 26 March. A national tour of workshops will follow in April/May. Details on locations and dates will be released soon.
ENDS
Media contact: Viv Williams, OANZ CEO
Tel: 021 840 422 | Email: viv@oanz.org
About Organics Aotearoa New Zealand:
OANZ is the national sector body representing the organic community. Its mission is to achieve excellence and endurance in organic agriculture and commerce and grow the organic sector in New Zealand. OANZ provides leadership for the sector to collaboratively work towards organic policies that are good for the health of New Zealand’s people, communities, environment, and economy. Advocacy efforts are focused on creating a world where people can easily access food and fibre devoid of harmful chemicals, are GE/ GMO-free, and grown in healthy soils that help regenerate the earth by sequestering carbon and combatting climate change.