Modernising New Zealand’s agricultural and horticultural products system

The text below is an abstract of an article published in Policy Quarterly, Vol. 22, No. 3 (2026). 

Vol. 22 No. 3 (2026): Policy Quarterly | Policy Quarterlyopen_in_new

By Gráinne Moss, Secretary for Regulation and Chief Executive Ministry for Regulation

Abstract

New Zealand’s agriculture and horticulture sectors underpin food security, export earnings and rural livelihoods, yet their regulatory frameworks have long been criticised for complexity, fragmentation and slow adaptation to emerging risks. In 2024, the Ministry for Regulation initiated a comprehensive review to modernise these settings, reduce regulatory compliance burden and enable innovation, while safeguarding environmental and consumer outcomes.

This article explains how the review was conducted, and outlines key findings: overlapping statutes, inconsistent enforcement and barriers to sustainable practices. Finally, the article considers the review’s recommendations, focused on consolidation, risk-based regulation and adaptive standards. One year on, implementation is delivering tangible results: more streamlined approval processing, improved requirements for manufacturers, and early signs of investment in sustainable technologies. The review demonstrates the value of system-wide regulatory stewardship and anticipatory regulation in a small, high-trust democracy. Lessons from this process offer a blueprint for future regulatory reform across primary industries and beyond.