Rural Vote Debate on Q&A: Substance or Just Platitudes?
It was billed as a chance for all the political parties to woo the rural vote, but question marks hang over just how effective this was.
The sector, valued at $1.2 billion, plays a significant role in New Zealand's food and farming sector, with export earnings growing at over twice the rate of the wider food and fibre industry.
The Organic Scorecard, live on the OANZ website, will be updated during the election campaign as parties announce policies.
OANZ says the scorecard reflects political parties' responses to seven questions the organisation put to them.
Brendan Hoare, OANZ advisor, says the organisation is serious about the opportunity organics presents New Zealand and wants to know where political parties stand with respect to policies supporting the sector.
"The scorecard will help the estimated 120,000 organic voters make a decision in our up-and-coming election on 7 November 2026," Hoare says.
“Beyond those voters connected to the sector, we know a great many more Kiwis want a strong organic sector and to support policies that enable the benefits of organics to grow and flourish,” says Hoare. “This scorecard is designed to help inform their decision.”
The organic sector is poised to evolve and expand. It has its own Organic Act, an agreed sector-wide growth strategy, a world-first Associate Minister of Organic, and 9% growth across multiple food categories in both domestic and export markets.
“There is absolutely no reason for political parties not to get behind and support us,” says Hoare.
"We now need political and policy support to realise our ambition. The good news is that through our enquiry, we see areas where political parties are supportive, and areas where they can do better. This is great news, and by sharing our scorecard, the public can vote for an organic future.”
