Maintaining food supply is becoming hard

Cost of living remains the biggest concern for New Zealanders - and at the heart of that is access to affordable, nutritious food.

New Zealand’s horticulture sector plays a critical role in delivering that. Around 80 per cent of the vegetables grown here are consumed domestically, with growers focused on ensuring healthy produce remains accessible to Kiwi households.

But maintaining that supply is becoming harder.

Growers are navigating an increasingly complex operating environment - rising input costs, supply chain pressures, regulatory hurdles and a growing exposure to extreme weather. Each of these adds pressure to the system that ultimately puts affordable food at risk.

This is not just an industry issue. It is a food security issue.

The cost base for growers has lifted significantly in recent years - from fuel and fertiliser through to labour and energy - while global volatility caused by the Middle East crisis continues to create uncertainty across supply chains. At the same time, regulatory processes have become slower and more complex.

For example, approval pathways for new crop protection tools lag well behind countries, limiting access to modern, more targeted solutions that can improve productivity and sustainability.

Similarly, overlapping national and regional regulations, shifting policy settings, and duplicated compliance requirements are creating inefficiencies that add cost without improving outcomes.

Recent decisions by Heinz Wattie’s and McCain Foods to scale back New Zealand vegetable processing operations highlight the cumulative impact of these pressures. They are a signal that parts of our domestic food system are under strain.

Layered on top of this are the increasing impacts of extreme weather events - from Cyclone Gabrielle to recent flooding - which have exposed the vulnerability of our food production systems.

Despite this, growers remain committed to meeting high environmental and food safety standards, while continuing to supply affordable food. What they need is a system that works with them, not against them.

Strengthening New Zealand’s food security starts with backing domestic production.

That means streamlining regulatory pathways, reducing duplication, and providing clear national direction - particularly for commercial vegetable growing. It means recognising trusted industry standards to reduce compliance burdens while maintaining strong environmental outcomes.

It also means creating greater consistency and certainty in policy settings, so growers can invest with confidence beyond short-term political cycles.

Just as importantly, we need to ensure a fair and competitive grocery market. A healthy domestic food system relies on balanced relationships across the supply chain. When margin and risk are disproportionately pushed onto growers, it undermines their viability - and, in turn, the affordability and availability of food for consumers.

New Zealand has the capability to produce high-quality, safe and sustainable food for its own people. But that outcome is not guaranteed.

Food security requires deliberate choices. It requires a policy environment that recognises the strategic importance of domestic food production and actively supports it.

Growers are doing their part - sowing, growing and harvesting the food that feeds our communities every day.

With the right settings in place, Government can ensure they are supported to keep doing so - strengthening our food system, supporting regional economies and helping ensure all New Zealanders have access to affordable and nutritious food now and into the future.