What it actually requires, how long it takes, and who to talk to.
Certification takes about three years, costs money every year, and means somebody inspecting your farm and reading your records. It is not a badge you apply for and receive.
The three years usually run from the last prohibited input, not from the day you apply — so land that has been unsprayed for two seasons may already be most of the way there.
Four bodies, and they are not interchangeable. Where you sell decides which one suits — export markets need recognition your buyer accepts, and a small grower selling locally has a cheaper option most people do not know exists.
New Zealand's largest certifier, operating since 1983. IFOAM-accredited.
Three years without prohibited inputs on the land, a documented organic management plan, records of everything applied and harvested, and an annual on-site audit. Conversion can begin from the date of the last prohibited application, so land that has been unsprayed for two years may be part-way through already.
State-owned certifier; recognised by the EU, USA, Japan and Korea.
A three-year conversion, an organic management plan, full input and yield records, and annual inspection. AsureQuality certification is recognised for export to the EU, USA, Japan and Korea, which matters if you intend to sell offshore.
Biodynamic certification. Exceeds organic standards.
Biodynamic certification goes beyond organic: the organic requirements plus the biodynamic preparations and a whole-farm approach. Usually three years, and the standard is higher rather than merely different.
Peer-review regional certification for small domestic producers.
Peer-reviewed regional certification, built for small growers selling domestically. Other OrganicFarmNZ growers in your region do the inspection, which makes it markedly cheaper than third-party audit and is why it exists.
Every link above goes to the certifier’s own page. Organic Matters does not issue certificates, broker applications, or receive anything from a certifier for sending you to them. What we do is check the number against their published register once you have one.
The descriptions above are ours, written from what each certifier publishes.
If your farm is on Organic Matters and is not certified, your portal has a button that tells us you are thinking about it. It changes nothing public, puts you on no list anybody can buy, and means we can show you certified farms growing what you grow — and answer questions from somebody who is not selling you anything.
Farming another way and not converting? You are still welcome here — listing is free for every farm in the country. The organic directory is the part that needs a certificate.