Verification New Zealand

Protecting New Zealand’s reputation as a reliable and honest producer of wine, grape or wine products, is of paramount importance to the Government, who must provide assurances to overseas markets.

The wine and the related product industry is regulated according to the Wine Act 2003. All winemakers (producing for export or in excess of 10,000L/a) and certain other parties are required to register a Wine Standards Management Plan (WSMP). This sets out how the winemaker will meet their obligations to produce wine that is fit for consumption, is fully traceable and labelled in a truthful manner.

There industry code of practice, issued by New Zealand Winegrowers, can be adopted as an off-the-shelf compliance tool to assist in this process. The code is relevant to all businesses involved in winemaking, including those making or bottling wine under contract.

The winemaker completes their documentation, which includes the application forms for NZFSA, confirming they will use the code of practice or develop their own process. Once their application is accepted, we can plan the date for the first on-site verification audit. Forms and procedures are available on the NZFSA website: http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/wine.

The purpose of the audit is to confirm that there are records and observation of practice for the following:

• Grapes used to make wine can be tracked from vineyard of origin through to sale
• Wine in any package can be traced back to the source vineyard(s)
• All other winemaking inputs can be identified
• The truthfulness and accuracy of any label statements regarding wine variety, vintage, area of origin and country of origin can be verified
• Where relevant, the labelling requirements under the New Zealand (ANZFA) Food Code are complied with

Following each (annual) audit there is a brief summation of the audit produced. Where the outcome of the audit is deemed acceptable, wine exports can expect to continue. Where an audit outcome is deemed unacceptable, corrective action will be required.

Further Information

To make an enquiry or request a quote please email info@verification.co.nz.

To make an application, please download and complete this form (vnz-application-form.pdf).