Oct 31, 2025
The DINZ staff and the Export Licensing Working Group (ELWG) continue to make steady progress on evaluating export licensing — a key step toward ensuring a fair, trusted, and competitive velvet sector for all participants.
While DINZ proceeds with VelTrak verifications to strengthen traceability and ensure a level playing field, the ELWG — made up of farmers and processors — has been advancing detailed deliberations on what a practical, “match-fit” licensing model could look like. The focus remains clear:
- No additional cost or new audits on farm
- Enforcement at the point of export
- Assurance and confidence for overseas buyers
Farmer representative Mark Tapley, from Peel Forest Estate, says the group’s intent is to deliver good outcomes for everyone on the ground.
“We’re focused on solutions that protect farmer interests while lifting long-term returns. The goal is a system that rewards quality, consistency, and integrity across the board."
Export licensing is about optimising the entire New Zealand velvet ecosystem — from genetics and farming practices through to processing, traceability, and brand presentation offshore. Together, these create the differentiation that sets New Zealand velvet apart from supply originating from Russia, China, or Korea. These attributes can then be built into the brand assets used by our strategic partners, helping them tell the New Zealand story with confidence.
Tony Cochrane, from PGG Wrightson, highlights the importance of alignment and balance:
“A unified go-to-market approach helps optimise New Zealand’s offering and ensures sustainable returns for the whole sector. We need to stay unique but also easy to work with in the right way, so we don’t make it harder for major players in China and Korea to engage with our velvet.”
DINZ continues to engage with MPI, the Trade Minister, and other Parliamentarians, and is lining up the Horticultural Export Authority as the export licensing body. Any final model will require a 60 percent approval vote by both farmers and exporters before proceeding.
The goal remains ambitious: to go live with export licensing for the 2026/27 season — another step toward unlocking the full potential of New Zealand velvet.
