Have your say
We want your feedback on the topic of our long-term insights briefing: 'Building future economic growth through Aotearoa New Zealand's food and fibre sector'. Through this briefing, we want to understand how the food and fibre sector can help drive New Zealand’s economic performance to new heights and the comparative and competitive advantages that will take us there between now and 2040.
Have your say and help shape the future of New Zealand's food and fibre system. By providing your input, you can help us make sure the topic will provide insight into the challenges, opportunities, and potential action the sector can take to significantly raise New Zealand's economic performance.
This page tells you how to make a submission, why we chose this topic, and about long-term insights briefings in general.
Consultation document: Draft long-term insights briefing
Building future economic growth through Aotearoa New Zealand's food and fibre sector [PDF, 581 KB]
Making a submission
Email your feedback on the draft briefing by 5pm on 31 January 2025 to ltib@mpi.govt.nz
If you are sending us a submission by email or post, we encourage you to use the submission template.
Optional submission form template [DOCX, 120 KB]
While we prefer email, you can post written submissions to:
Chief Insights Officer
Strategy & Insights, Policy and Trade
Ministry for Primary Industries
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140
New Zealand.
What to include in your submission
- The title of the consultation document [Building future economic growth through Aotearoa New Zealand's food and fibre sector].
- Your name and title.
- Your organisation's name (if you are submitting on behalf of an organisation, and whether your submission represents the whole organisation or a section of it).
- Your contact details (such as phone number, address, and email).
Why we're interested in how the sector can raise overall economic growth
Global demand for nutrition is continuing to increase as populations grow and become wealthier and more urbanised. This creates opportunities for farmers, growers, producers, and manufacturers. Seizing these opportunities, and simultaneously becoming both more productive and more sustainable, is Aotearoa New Zealand’s challenge of the era.
However, there are now market solutions available that can help farmers, producers, and growers to successfully meet those challenges. Taking up new sustainable and more productive solutions, the food and fibre sector can further increase its already significant contribution to New Zealand’s economy and drive higher overall economic performance.
Within the food and fibre system, from production inputs, and production and manufacturing systems, through to logistics capabilities and distribution to the consumers, technology is the systems connective tissue that will unlock improved yields, increased revenues, system growth, and higher productivity.
Technology will continue to be the critical factor as farmers navigate challenges like increased input prices, extreme weather events, and global commodity price volatility. In the global macroeconomic environment, the main priority for farmers today is to take the next step to greater productivity and reap the benefits this will bring.
Given the current macroeconomic environment, the priority for farmers today is improving productivity, whether through agriculture technologies (agtech) for improving operations, biological products, or sustainable practices.
[McKinsey, Global Farmer Insights 2024, October 2024]
About long-term insights briefings
Under the Public Sector Act 2020, agencies are required to create long-term insights briefings. These briefings explore long-term issues to help plan for the future. They are independent of ministers and not government policy. After being publicly consulted, each briefing is presented to a Parliamentary select committee for consideration.
The Ministry for Primary Industries' (MPI’s) first long-term insights briefing was released in April 2023. It explored the global demand opportunities for New Zealand's food sector in 2050.
Find out about our first long-term insights briefing
Next steps
After we've considered public feedback from consultation on the topic, we'll draft the full long-term insights briefing, which will undergo a further round of public consultation before the final document is presented to Parliament mid-2025.
