New Zealand’s horticulture sector competes globally in export markets. Photo / Michael Craig
New Zealand’s horticulture sector competes globally in export markets. Photo / Michael Craig
THE FACTS
The Aotearoa Horticulture Action Plan aims to double horticulture’s farmgate value from about $6 billion to $12b by 2035.
Fresh Facts and Ministry for Primary Industries data show horticulture generates more than $7 billion annually across domestic and export markets, with exports alone worth about $6–7 billion.
Horticulture produces roughly $7.5b in value from less than 0.1% of New Zealand’s land area.
Horticulture is one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing and most valuable primary sectors, with ambitious targets to double the farmgate value for growers.
Our growers produce healthy fruit and vegetables for New Zealanders and consumers around the world, generating billions of dollars in domestic and export revenue.
Remarkably, thisvalue is created on less than 0.1% of the country’s total land area.
More than 80% of vegetables grown in New Zealand are destined for the domestic market, playing a vital role in the health and nutrition of Kiwis.
The benefits are real.
Increasing daily vegetable intake by one serving could save the health system more than $830 million over the lifespan of our population.
But this highly efficient industry, which consistently punches above its weight, risks losing further ground to international competitors because of significant delays in gaining access to new crop protection products.
These are the very same products already available to growers in other countries.
New Zealand’s horticulture sector competes globally in export markets, yet our growers do not always have access to the most modern and innovative tools to protect crops from pests and diseases.
Our competitors have far larger toolboxes, creating a real risk that New Zealand growers will fall behind.
One of the challenges lies in our regulatory system.
The Environmental Protection Authority must first approve new crop protection products under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act before they can be imported or manufactured.
They must also go through a separate approval process with the Ministry for Primary Industries under the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines regime.
Both processes require trials and supporting data to be generated for each regulator. This work is costly and time-consuming for registrants.
The Ministry for Regulation’s review of agricultural and horticultural product approvals found that introducing new products can take up to 5.6 years, with long queues and uncertainty creating a significant backlog of applications.
Over the last two years, there have been very few new products registered in New Zealand to control pests and diseases in fruit and vegetable crops.
At the same time, many older crop protection products are being phased out globally.
Without access to newer alternatives, growers risk pests and diseases becoming resistant to the tools currently available.
Importantly, today’s chemistry is also more targeted and environmentally precise.
While many older products were designed to control a wide range of pests, modern crop protection products are more specific, reducing broader environmental impacts.
There is a practical solution.
Much of the work to assess the safety and effectiveness of these products has already been done by trusted regulators in other countries.
New Zealand should make greater use of this data and align more closely with international regulatory systems – particularly those of key trading partners such as Australia.
In March 2026, Australia and Canada moved ahead with a joint government commitment to enhance regulatory co-operation on crop protection products and agricultural inputs.
By mirroring approvals and using international data packages, New Zealand could significantly speed up access to important tools for growers, cutting down the need for such costly and resource-intensive regulatory assessments.
Achieving this will require a smarter, more streamlined system – one that prioritises applications most important to growers (new active ingredients and new label uses) and makes greater use of international harmonisation, reducing the need for costly and duplicative data to be produced.
The benefits would extend well beyond the horticulture sector.
Better access to modern crop protection tools would reduce crop losses, limit food waste and help maintain phytosanitary access to export markets.
That certainty matters. Many fruit crops take five to seven years before they begin producing commercially.
Growers need confidence that they have access to a broad toolkit required to manage pests and diseases throughout that time.
Horticulture New Zealand's general manager, projects and programmes, Rebecca Fisher.
A more efficient system would also encourage global manufacturers to bring new products to the New Zealand market, further expanding the options available to growers.
If New Zealand wants to maintain food security for its people while growing export revenue, practical regulatory improvements are needed.
Our regulatory system must move faster and work smarter.
That means prioritising the applications that matter most, drawing on trusted international data and enabling faster approvals.
At the same time, the system must allow rapid responses when new biosecurity threats emerge, so growers can act quickly if new pests or diseases arrive.
But growers tell us they want faster progress. Growers dealing with emerging pests, diseases or resistance issues simply do not have the luxury of time.
Increasing crop protection, management and biosecurity tools is identified as a key priority in the Aotearoa Horticulture Action Plan, which sets out the changes needed if the sector is to achieve its goal of doubling the farmgate value of horticulture production by 2035.
With a shared commitment and a clear vision, New Zealand can build a system that maintains safety while ensuring our growers have timely access to the tools they need.
That will support a sector that already delivers enormous value to the country – and realise its potential to deliver much more.
– Rebecca Fisher is the general manager, projects and programmes, for Horticulture New Zealand.
