21/05/2026
BIG NEWS for our organic sector.
New Zealand has appointed Mike Butterick MP as Associate Minister of Agriculture - Organics, a dedicated ministerial role for organic, and as far as we know, a world first.
That's right. No other country currently has a minister with a dedicated organic portfolio at the national government level. New Zealand just changed that.
Our sector generates $1.2 billion annually and $606.7 million in export earnings, growing at twice the rate of conventional food and fibre exports. Global demand for certified organic is forecast to hit US$650 billion by 2033. The case for a dedicated ministerial voice has never been stronger, and now we have one.
As OANZ Chair Noel Josephson put it: this is "the most significant government commitment to the organic sector since the passing of the Organic Products and Production Act in 2023."
New Zealand is serious about organic. And OANZ is ready to get to work.
(Pictured: Brendan H***e - OANZ Advisor, MP Mike Butterick - Associate Minister of Agriculture - Organic, Scott Lawson - OANZ Board Member).
