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Country of Origin Labelling NZ: What to Check
Country of origin labelling in NZ depends on what you sell. Most new clothing and footwear and certain foods have specific labelling requirements; any origin claim must also give buyers an accurate impression.
In this guide
Country of origin labelling requirements at a glance
Clothing and footwear
Specified foods
Read the whole origin claim
A label approval workflow
Your questions
Explore country of origin meaning.
Country of origin labelling requirements at a glance
Product or claim | Starting point |
|---|---|
Most new clothing and footwear | A country of origin label is required, with product-specific rules for placement and permanence. |
Specified fresh, frozen or thawed foods | Country or ocean of origin information is required for covered foods. |
Other products making an origin claim | The claim and overall impression must be truthful and supported. |
Kiwi trademark on a product | The product must be covered by a licence and the mark used under its rules. |
First establish the country of origin meaning for your actual product. A country where packaging happens may differ from the country where the product acquired its essential characteristics.
Clothing and footwear
Most new clothing and footwear supplied to consumers must carry country of origin information. The Commerce Commission's guidance requires English, legible lettering and a minimum letter height of 1.5 mm. Clothing labels generally need to be permanent and visible; if packaging hides the label, additional information on the packaging or a removable label is needed.
For footwear, each item should carry the origin information unless that is impractical, when the permitted packaging or removable-label approach applies. Check the detailed standard for your particular item and any exemption rather than copying a label from another product.
Origin, fibre content and care instructions answer different questions. Plan enough label space for all information that applies. Before approving a print run, inspect a sample garment or shoe with the actual label attached and check what the buyer can see when it is packaged.
Specified foods
The food rules cover certain fresh, frozen or thawed foods: cured pork and specified single-ingredient fruit, vegetables, fish, seafood and meat that have undergone no more than minimal processing. They are not a blanket rule requiring the same origin wording on every packaged food.
For covered food, identify the country or ocean where it was grown, raised, harvested or caught. Information needs to be clear, legible and connected to the item, whether it appears on the product, packaging or an adjacent sign. The rules also cover offers and advertising. Food for immediate consumption and fundraising sales have specific exclusions.
A biscuit's manufacturing location and the origin of each ingredient are separate questions. Our NZ made food guide helps buyers read those differences. For a business labelling a particular food, check the Commerce Commission's detailed guidance and the relevant food labelling requirements.
When the food rules took effect
The Consumer Information Standards (Origin of Food) Regulations 2021 apply to covered fresh and thawed foods from 12 February 2022, and covered frozen foods from 12 May 2023. These requirements apply to relevant food offered in shops, including supermarkets. The Commerce Commission's food-origin questions and answers explains disclosure in stores and online.
Selling food in Australia as well
Australia has its own country-of-origin information standard under consumer law, mandatory from 1 July 2018. Food Standards Australia New Zealand explains the two systems. Check the rules for the destination market when preparing an export label. New Zealand also has separate origin labelling requirements for grape wine.
Read the whole origin claim
Look at the headline, imagery, flags, company address and smaller qualifying words together. A true statement such as 'designed in New Zealand' can still sit within an overall presentation that gives the wrong impression about manufacture. Make the important distinction easy for the customer to understand.
Name the product and the specific claim you want to make.
Write down where the materials and key manufacturing steps come from.
Check that words such as made, grown, assembled, designed and packed describe the activity accurately.
Put necessary qualifications close to the claim and make them easy to read.
Review online listings, shelf labels and advertising alongside the packaging.
A label approval workflow
Give one person responsibility for the origin statement and one version number to the artwork. Attach supplier declarations and manufacturing records to the approval record. Ask your printer for a proof at final size, then inspect the first production sample.
If a supplier or production site changes, reopen the approval before reordering labels. Our product provenance record provides fields for that review, while the NZ Made logo guide covers the separate permission to use our mark.
For an unusual product or a disputed claim, obtain advice on your circumstances. This guide is general information; the Commerce Commission guidance is the starting point for the detailed clothing and footwear rules.
Your questions
Does every product sold in NZ need a country of origin label?
Specific requirements apply to certain product groups, including most new clothing and footwear and specified foods. Other products must still avoid misleading origin claims.
Does a NZ business address prove a product was made here?
No. The address identifies the business, while the manufacturing statement describes the product's origin.
Does the Kiwi trademark replace required labels?
Use the Kiwi trademark under its licence rules alongside the information required for your product. A licence does not remove other labelling obligations.
Your next step
Preparing an origin claim for a product you make here? Bring your manufacturing details to us and explore whether the Kiwi trademark is the right fit.
