New Zealand Pet Food Manufacturers Association (NZPFMA)

Supporting a Nation of Pet Lovers

Business View Oceania interviews Richard Brake, Managing Director of NZPFMA, for our Oceania Manufacturing View.

Since their establishment in 1991, the New Zealand Pet Food Manufacturers Association (NZPFMA) has grown from supporting 20 members to over 150 across full and associate memberships. Originally formed as a peak body for suppliers, manufacturers, and providers of pet food across the country to assist in developing a positive relationship between members and the regulators that govern them, NZPFMA continues to work hard to maintain high levels of communication and support for members of all shapes and sizes.

NZPFMA identifies 12 main priorities for the positive growth of New Zealand’s pet food industry. They are as follows: To conserve, promote, and advance the interest and welfare of pet food manufacturers in New Zealand through a greater public awareness of animal nutrition; to encourage, promote, and support the highest level of quality and compliance in the production of wholesome and nutritious pet food products; to encourage, promote, and support collective strengths of the industry through sharing of non-competitive information to achieve commercial advantages for members; to promote unity amongst those in and associated with the industry; to communicate to members matters of interest to further the objects of the association; to encourage, promote, and support a higher level of training within the industry; encourage, promote, and support business expansion in both domestic and export markets within the industry; to establish standards and Codes of Practice within the industry; to uphold and maintain the just claims of members individually and collectively and to always administer the association for the mutual benefit of members; promote or oppose bills, legislation, by-laws, or other measure affecting the interest of members as appropriate; to promote the responsible ownership of pets in New Zealand; and, to promote the benefits of owning pets.

NZPFMA is run solely by its Managing Director, Richard Brake. There is no better voice to shed light on the association’s projects, operations, benefits, and plans for the future. “We have done a lot of work within the industry towards our original goal, which was to improve our relationship with our principal regulator, the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI). We have a quarterly meeting with MPI, the Pet Food Industry Standards meeting, which consists of up to 40 different associations, plus representatives from various branches of the ministry. We sit down together to get a common understanding of industry regulations, what problems are being faced, and how they should be solved. It’s been an extraordinarily successful partnership.”

Another key area of focus for NZPFMA is the development of collegiality between the association and its members. Mr. Brake elaborates, “We’re very focused on involving the membership in what’s happening on an industry wide basis. If someone has a problem, they put their hand up and we work to solve it for the whole industry.” The organisation communicates with members through regular email updates, newsletters, and their annual NZPFMA conference. NZPFMA also provides industry resources, statistics, and networking opportunities to members; benefits are economic, social, quality assurance, and advocacy based. These benefits are extended to members ranging from international companies such as Royal Canin, Kraft Heinz, and Hills, through to New Zealand based entities and local small-scale manufacturers.

Hungry labrador retriever is feeding at home.

Currently, NZPFMA is undertaking a rigorous reformation of the association. “We are doing some strategic planning at the moment as to our interactions with the public; given that we support businesses in the sphere, we tend not to have a huge public face, so we are conducting some research as to whether that is something the industry and end users would be interested in and benefit from. We are also updating our website and communications channels to be more in depth and easier to access,” Mr. Brakes shares. “We deal with a product that has extremely high emotional value, is complicated to make, and is at times misunderstood. It’s a big job to support our members in maintaining that emotional bond with their consumers, and also the bond between owners and their pets. A big part of our association is backing up our members and staying in contact with them to make sure they have everything they need to best serve their clients.” NZPFMA also plans to engage in research on New Zealand products currently available to the market and look at ways to improve retail trends. The organisation aims to use this research to deepen consumers’ understanding about manufacturing materials and ingredients that are unique to New Zealand.

NZPFMA is a foundational member of the Global Alliance of Pet Food Associations (GAPFA). The continued development of the alliance is high on NZPFMA’s priority list; a responsibility Mr. Brakes says all GAPFA members are just as keenly mindful of. Founded in Belgium in 2014 to foster collaboration between international pet food associations, GAPFA is a non-profit association that supports 16 association and major pet food manufacturing company members across the globe. For more information, visit their website: www.gapfa.org.

The future of NZPFMA looks to be full of life, Mr. Brakes shares. “The New Zealand pet food industry is really booming right now. The level of growth in our members and the positive engagement we have received of late is just staggering, and very well deserved. Our industry works hard to provide quality care for pets and pet lovers across the country, so to see that recognition is wonderful.” Mr. Brakes also shares that export growth has been on a steep incline which, while positive for New Zealand’s position in global trade markets, has placed strain on industry producers. “In order to meet demands, our industry need to improve infrastructure and capacity. But we need to be sure that we don’t do that at the cost of quality, regulation, or our environment. All in all, the future looks great for us, and I’m looking forward to seeing how things unfold alongside our members in the coming years.” NZPFMA is excited to continue fulfilling their role in the New Zealand pet food industry going forward, and thanks their members for their ongoing collaboration and support.

AT A GLANCE

New Zealand Pet Food Manufacturers Association

What: Organisation for the regulation and support of pet food manufacturers across New Zealand

Where: NZPFMA is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand

Website: https://www.petfoodnz.co.nz/