The New Zealand Food Safety Authority

NZFSA is a semi-autonomous body (SAB) attached to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF), with responsibility for:

Protecting and promoting public health and safety.
Facilitating access to overseas markets for New Zealand food products and by-products.

To achieve these, NZFSA must implement a food regulatory programme that meets New Zealand's needs for the foreseeable future. It must take account of rapidly shifting consumer behaviour and expectations, changing food production and distribution systems, and new and emerging pathogens and risks.

NZFSA's vision is to be "a world-leading food regulatory programme that has the confidence of all stakeholders", whilst its mission is "to protect consumers and enhance New Zealand's position as a trusted supplier of food".

The work of NZFSA contributes to three strategic outcomes for New Zealand: healthy New Zealanders; enhanced economic growth and prosperity through a high-performing and innovative sector; safe and freer rules-based trade.

To achieve its mission, NZFSA has three major strategic goals:

1. A food regulatory programme that protects and promotes consumer health

This goal links to the outcome of "Healthy New Zealanders" and has two intermediate outcomes:

Improved safety and suitability of food.
Informed and involved consumers.

2. A food regulatory programme that supports New Zealand's economic growth and prosperity

This goal links to the outcome of "New Zealand's economic growth and prosperity enhanced through a high performing and innovative sector" and has one intermediate outcome:

A food regulatory programme that enhances the business environment.

3. New Zealand's international trade in food and food related products maintained and enhanced

This goal links to the outcome of "Safe and freer rules-based trade" and has two intermediate outcomes:
New Zealand's position as a trusted exporter of food and food related products is enhanced.
Trade is maintained and enhanced according to international rules.

Together with the trade policy and biosecurity parts of MAF, NZFSA collaborates with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign and Trade as well as a number of other parts of Government to deliver on the Government's outcomes.

For 2006/07 NZFSA has identified and is focusing on the following seven strategic initiatives:

Progressing the Domestic Food Review.
Implementation of the Imported Foods Review.
Development and Implementation of a Market Access Strategy.
Evaluation of the Implementation of the Regulatory Model.
Legislation Implementation (Wine Act, Animal Products Act, and the ACVM Act Amendment).
Progressing NZFSA's approach to risk communication and provision of information to consumer groups.
Development and implementation of an Emergency Management Framework.

For the same period, the following NZFSA capability initiatives have been agreed as priorities:

Development and implementation of the cost recovery framework for NZFSA.
Review of NZFSA's Human Resources Strategy.
Rationalisation, improvement and alignment of key business processes within NZFSA.
Development of an organisational performance measurement and evaluation framework.

Semi-Autonomous Bodies

As a semi-autonomous body NZFSA:

Operates under its own independent brand.
Takes the primary role in servicing the needs of the minister for food safety.
Administers primary legislation and regulation relevant to the food safety portfolio.
Administers funds appropriated under vote: food safety.

The authorities and powers exercised by NZFSA are vested in the first instance with the Director-General of MAF. These authorities and powers are provided by way of comprehensive delegations to the Executive Director, NZFSA. While ultimate accountability for the proper and effective use of those authorities remains with the Director-General, their day-to-day exercise resides with the Executive Director. NZFSA personnel are employees of MAF, and NZFSA draws on MAF for services including human resources, information technology/management, finance, assurance and risk, and legal.

The Executive Director of NZFSA, as the senior official within NZFSA, is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the SAB and has the right to provide policy advice on matters of food safety independently of advice on those matters which might be offered by the Director-General of MAF.

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