News

QCONZ set to audit NZFAP from 1 October

Date: 1 August 2023

As of 1 October, the QCONZ team will be delivering audits for the New Zealand Farm Assurance Programme (NZFAP). We have been working hard behind the scenes to get systems and processes in place, and from August farmers can expect to start hearing from us regarding audit bookings.

One of our goals was to be more active in certification programmes and move beyond our dairy base. We’d long looked at the red meat and wool sector, deciding that it would be a logical next move given our pastoral farming history. In the NZFAP and NZFAP Plus programmes we saw an exciting opportunity to expand our service offering and our customer base.

The day that we were advised by NZFAI that our proposal was accepted was a very special day for us all. The competitive tender process had galvanised us and to see our hard work pay dividends was a special moment. Since that day, the preparation required to begin delivery has fully engaged each part of the QCONZ delivery arm, with NZFAP Plus rolling out on April 1 of this year and NZFAP to follow in October.

We’re extremely grateful to NZFAI for trusting in our ability to set up our systems and deliver what are nationally significant assurance programmes. The onus is now on us to meet and exceed NZFAI’s expectations.

About NZFAP and NZFAP Plus:

NZFAP and NZFAP Plus are voluntary nationwide farm assurance programmes originally developed under the Red Meat Profit Partnership (RMPP), a joint Primary Growth Partnership initiative between the NZ red meat sector, banks and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). 

The programmes aim to provide confidence and certainty to consumers worldwide that the meat and wool produced from NZ’s sheep, beef and deer farms is authentic, genuine and safe. 

The programmes provide assurance regarding integrity, traceability, animal health and welfare, people, farm and natural resources and biosecurity.

Click to learn more:

https://www.farmersweekly.co.nz/technology/nzfap-goes-digital-as-numbers-grow/

https://www.nzfap.com/

Other news

In late October Chris Leach led an MPI dairy development training programme for farmers and extension officers in Pak Chong, Thailand. Pak Chong is the central region of Thailand, approximately a 2 ½ hour drive north of Bangkok, and is at the centre of the developing Thai Dairy Industry. 

We were thrilled to be a major sponsor of the New Zealand Association of Resource Management (NZARM) conference held in Christchurch in October.

We flew the QCONZ flag again this year at the annual Red Meat Sector Conference, jointly hosted by the Meat Industry Association and Beef + Lamb New Zealand Ltd.

QCONZ proudly sponsored the Milk Quality Conference in Hamilton on the 4th and 5th July. Attended by 125, this was a great opportunity for engagement and collaboration between industry and service providers in the Dairy sector.

In June, the QCONZ team gathered in Hamilton for our biennial staff conference. We had a great time bringing our team together from all corners of New Zealand to celebrate, connect, and have fun! Day one of the conference kicked off with a business update and group sessions where each business unit shared recent work

QCONZ was proud to be a sponsor of the recent Central Plateau and BOP Dairy Industry Awards, where we celebrated the successes of local farmers and connected with future industry leaders.

The Team at QCONZ is very proud, and excited, to announce that we’ve been chosen by New Zealand Farm Assurance Incorporated (NZFAI) and their Members to deliver audits and associated services for their programmes from 1 October 2023.

QCONZ has joined forces with DairyNZ to help deliver their ‘on-farm survey of workforce productivity.’ Our team will visit approximately 150 farms nationwide conducting a 60–90-minute survey with farm owners and managers by March 2023.

A big thumbs up to the organisers of the 2022 ITENZ conference which provided a great networking and learning opportunity for Tertiary Providers. This conference themes of courage, collaboration, capability, and creativity reflected the changing times and the new opportunities for the education sector.

In August, 9 of our QCONZ team members attended a 5-day, hands-on, self-paced ‘NZMPTA ‘ISO Milking Machine Testing’ course workshop covering 11 theoretical and practical modules.