If agriculture and horticulture are the engines of New Zealand’s economy, then innovation is the fuel—and regulation is the runway that enables it to take flight.
Global R&D companies—the ones developing new tools to power the primary sector, are circling overhead, waiting to land innovation. But there’s a blockage on the runway for New Zealand’s primary sector ambitions - access to new animal and plant health products.
These products underpin every primary sector goal, doubling export value, trade agreements, emissions targets, resistance management, animal welfare, sustainability, and replacing old chemistry that’s a trade and environmental risk. These mission critical tools also support the delivery of many primary sector leaders KPIs.
Companies say the regulatory approval process for agricultural and horticultural products under the ACVM (Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines) and HSNO (Hazardous Substances and New Organisms) Acts remains unpredictable and is not keeping pace with global innovation and harmonisation trends.
New Zealand used to be world leading in bringing innovation to market, but no more. If a market cannot provide regulatory efficiency and certainty, farmers and growers miss out on tools needed to manage pests and fight diseases. And veterinarians go without new options for drench resistance, preventative medicines, and vaccines to strengthen animal health and reduce reliance on antibiotics.
A broad toolkit with new solutions is needed, to replace older chemicals to compete globally, address resistance and meet growth expectations set by government. While these tools sit within reach on the runway, primary industry is waiting at the baggage claim station for the latest pipeline of animal health and crop protection products to come through.
The Ministry for Regulation’s review[1] of the regulatory process for agricultural and horticultural products calls for improved proportionality, efficiency, transparency and certainty of the approval path. The review inspected the runway and estimated a 5.6 to 8.3-year timeframe to clear new products to land.
Cabinet greenlighted the plan and Ministers set targets for regulators to crack on to clear the runway. Air Traffic Controllers in the control tower are working on amendments to the ACVM and HSNO Acts, but legislative reform will take time. The good news is there are operational levers that can be pulled right now.
Animal and Plant Health New Zealand (APHANZ) have been working with regulators, bringing forward-looking solutions, prior to this review.
Developed from the Ministry for Regulation review report recommendations, APHANZ have a shovel-ready blueprint for change. The actions in this blueprint don’t need legislative changes and proposes three areas to deliver results on the ground, while legislative reform runs its course.
- Specialist taskforce to clear applications for products with new active ingredients.
- Use available tools (international harmonisation, trusted regulator data) to enable more efficient processing.
- Meaningful engagement for agreed, workable solutions.
This is not about taking shortcuts in areas like animal welfare, safety or residues — it’s about cutting red tape and making balanced risk-based decisions in a timely way.
We want a runway that's well-lit, well-managed, and responsive to the sector it serves.
When innovation lands safely, everyone wins, and New Zealand can reclaim its place with a world leading runway clear for innovation to land.
Decisive and rapid action is needed to fix delays in the regulatory approval process and improve investment confidence in New Zealand. Without it, R&D companies will continue to decrease their investment in New Zealand, jeopardising agricultural market access as well as equitability and affordability for New Zealand consumers.
The greatest risk is not having new products at all. Let’s clear the regulatory runway, let innovation land, so our primary sector can fly high.
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See articles in this series
Read Why regulatory reform matters to power our primary sector : The voices that matter
Six months since the Ministry for Regulation’s review landed, the primary sector is still waiting for action on the ground. APHANZ has launched a powerful series spotlighting the voices that matter—farmers, applicants, and R&D innovators—on why fixing the approvals process is urgent, what’s at risk, and how we can clear the runway for the tools that drive productivity, sustainability, and growth.
Read The Farmer voice: Calls to modernise the toolkit
Farmers and growers across the country are increasingly frustrated by ongoing delays in accessing new agricultural and horticultural products. They are urging action to access a broad toolkit of innovative products to manage pests and fight diseases.
Read The Innovator voice: Keeping R&D innovation in New Zealand
New Zealand was once viewed as a world first market for global R&D companies, but not anymore. Many multi-national R&D companies say they have lost confidence in the approvals process for new trials and new products in New Zealand. They are looking at their future for operations and investment in New Zealand.
[1] See https://www.regulation.govt.nz/regulatory-reviews/agricultural-and-horticultural-products-regulatory-review/
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