The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has released a consultation document seeking feedback on changes to New Zealand’s registered geographical indications (GIs) regime. This includes whether the current registration regime for wine and spirits GIs should be extended to other products. MBIE is particularly interested in hearing from parties that may see an opportunity to develop GIs in their respective industries, such as food and beverage producers.
This consultation follows the recently negotiated Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between New Zealand and the European Union. The implementation of this agreement will require changes to the Geographical Indications (Wine and Spirits) Registration Act 2006 to protect approximately 2,000 EU GIs for a wide range of foods and beverages.
The consultation paper also examines enforcement measures that allow producers to prevent misuse of their registered GIs. This paper also asks if there are any issues with the GI regime that should be addressed at this time.
For more information about the consultation paper, please visit the MBIE website:
The closing date for submissions is Tuesday, 28 February 2023.
More information about geographical indications may be found on the IPONZ website: