HACCP certification in New Zealand

HACCP certification in New Zealand at a glance

HACCP is a method before it is a certificate, and in New Zealand it is built into the regulatory system. The Animal Products Act 1999 requires primary processors of animal material, and many secondary processors, to run a risk management programme that MPI describes as based on the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point; recognised evaluators and verifiers then check it. The Food Act 2014 sets a food control plan or national programme by risk for other food businesses. Laboratories that support export testing are accredited by IANZ before MPI will recognise them. Where a customer also wants a third-party HACCP certificate, a certification body accredited, for example, by JASANZ issues it under an accepted scheme. Sterling's Sydney office helps New Zealand producers build the hazard analysis and records once and use them across regulator and customer needs, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included.

Who needs HACCP in New Zealand, and what happens without it

In New Zealand the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.

• Meat, dairy and other animal-product processorsThe Animal Products Act 1999 requires primary processors and many secondary processors to operate under a risk management programme that MPI describes as based on HACCP principles.
• Food businesses under a food control planThe Food Act 2014 requires higher-risk businesses to follow a written plan for managing food safety day to day.
• Exporters needing official assurancesPart 5 of the Animal Products Act covers exports and the official assurances overseas markets ask for.
• Laboratories testing animal products for exportLaboratories seeking MPI recognition must first be accredited by IANZ to ISO/IEC 17025.

HACCP requirements in New Zealand

Strip away the vocabulary and HACCP asks a food business to prove six things about how it controls food safety hazards.

In New Zealand these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: HACCP explained →

• HACCP requirements, clause by clause in plain language

How to get HACCP certified in New Zealand

One team from the Sydney office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Clients across New Zealand are served from Sterling's Sydney office, on-site where the work needs it and remotely otherwise.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against HACCP and the New Zealand requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
5. Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

• The HACCP certification process, step by step
• HACCP internal audit

How long does HACCP certification take in New Zealand?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In New Zealand these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Products, processes and sites to analyse
• Whether an MPI evaluation or verification step applies
• Prerequisite programmes and monitoring records to establish
• Seasonal production peaks and public holidays

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does HACCP certification cost in New Zealand?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In New Zealand these factors move both.

• Number of product lines and process steps
• Laboratory testing and verification arrangements
• Evaluator or verifier fees where the Animal Products Act applies
• Certification body fees where a third-party certificate is also requested

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

• What makes up the cost of HACCP

HACCP consultants and certification bodies in New Zealand

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers HACCP and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in New Zealand are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

HACCP in New Zealand: questions clients ask

More on HACCP for New Zealand organisations

• HACCP: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement HACCP
• HACCP certification in New Zealand and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards New Zealand businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in New Zealand often combine HACCP with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 21 standards Sterling delivers in New Zealand →