The Buzz, April 25 Edition

Hello, and welcome to the April 2025 edition of the Buzz, your monthly dose of news from the Organic Sector.

It’s been a while since our last Organic Buzz, and what a few months it’s been. We’ve been deep in the trenches with our campaign against the Gene Tech Bill, working hard to raise funds and awareness, mobilise people, and push back against proposed regulations that threaten organics and Aotearoa’s food system.

Your support has been incredible and more than we ever expected. To everyone who has donated, shared our message, or made a submission, thank you. It’s made a real impact. The campaign update below details where things stand now and what’s next, but if you want to take action today, check out our Activation Toolkit and donation page. Every bit helps.

Beyond the campaign, we've also been working on the 2025 Organic Market Report, which is set to launch on 4 June. This is a big deal for our sector. We haven’t had updated data since 2021, and this report will give us a clear picture of where things stand, including which parts of the sector are growing and where the opportunities lie. The numbers matter because they help us advocate for organics, show the economic value of the sector, and push for better support from the government and stakeholders. If you have received an email from AsureQuality, BiogroNZ or OrganicFarm NZ, please answer the survey as soon as possible.

Another key project we’ve been progressing on is our Sustainable Food & Fibre Futures (SFFF) work, which is aimed at building a self-funded sector body.  Tiff has just completed Workstream 2, which wouldn’t have been possible without the many people who’ve given their time and expertise in online working groups and in-person workshops. It’s been a huge collaborative effort, and we’re grateful to everyone involved.

To be honest, OANZ is doing a lot with very little. We’re an underfunded organisation leading a billion-dollar sector, yet we’re still driving major campaigns, publishing critical reports, and pushing for real change. A big thanks to our community, our members, our donors. But we need to change the game in the long term. Growing this sector and ensuring organics thrives in Aotearoa New Zealand means securing the right funding to match the scale of work that needs to be done. That’s the big picture we’re working towards.

There’s a lot to get done in the months ahead, but together, we’re making it happen.

Ngā mihi nui,
Rob Simcic - Chair
Organics Aotearoa New Zealand
rob@oanz.org