Over 90% of New Zealand’s dairy production is exported, and its largely grass-fed system alongside strict production standards have made this among the most well-known
But with competition increasing and consumer demands evolving rapidly from day to day, the nation believes that there are many more food and nutrition areas with immense potential for it to grow in and reach the same level of global acclaim that it has with dairy
“As it is, New Zealand products and solutions actually already span across many categories, but what we want to do now is ensure we shift from that product-focused mindset to a focus on evidence-based nutrition,” New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Head of Business Development Erika Sirimanne told the floor at our recent Growth Asia Summit 2026 in Singapore
“This is going to be essential in order for us to tap on more categories, whether this be horticulture, fruits, supplements or any others.”
In the area of nutrition, two major areas that New Zealand is seeing major growth potential in have to do with protein and men’s health, but not in the traditional sense
“Protein is everywhere now and the trend for this to be in many products is very strong, but in fact the underlying understanding of protein digestion efficiency is still very slowly catching up,” Anagenix Manager Dr Vishka Mahajan added
“Eating or drinking a lot of protein may not always be the right way to go as it is likely not all the protein is absorbed, and there actually needs to be more work done in terms of improving this area, so a lot more R&D is needed here and New Zealand companies are looking at this.”
In terms of men’s health, this sector has taken something of a backseat to women’s health in recent years, but Dr Mahajan also sees strong potential here
“There is a lot of growth needed in the area of men’s health, from general gender wellness to energy to vitality, and we believe that innovations are going to be more targeted moving forward,” she said
“There is also a lot of potential in product development targeting different age groups — this means that demand is quite different for different product types in, say, consumers aged 40 versus those below 40, and industry definitely needs to react to this demand.”
In terms of current existing needs, it is already well understood that urban lifestyles are causing many different conditions that consumers hope can be allew Zealand is also very confident it can play a role in
“Today’s consumer faces many types of modern lifestyle stresses, so driven by the strong desire to stay sharp and in shape, many of them have become very ingredients-savvy,” MitoQ General Manager for China and APAC added
“It is no longer just simple collagen, but more specific like NMN or mitoquinol. The issue here is that although these ingredients are well-researched, there is still a large white space in terms of the research as much of the data is European-centred, so more Asian-focused studies need to be undertaken in order to open up a wider market [for New Zealand].”
Some of New Zealand’s major target markets for trade expansion include China, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and India — all of which are home to primarily Asian consumers, and so require targeted research and studies to establish that same trust in products that already exists for New Zealand dairy
However, reaching high levels of recognition and trust will require more than just scientific data in order to make a real impact, and New Zealand companies are well aware of this
“Product commercialisation and [brand] building need a good level of speed to market, which in turn needs more than just science but also working with regulations and partners and getting that market understanding,” Sirimanne said
“We need to remember that sometimes we may want to enter a market quickly with what we know is a good product, but the market may not yet be ready, and thus need to be ready to pivot and navigate our way through. This is the same for regulations, as this can be quite opaque especially in Asia where many market have different regulatory environments.”
As it is, NZTE is hoping that a strategy based on targeting the three major areas of Prevention, Personalisation and Partnership will help it achieve full growth potential in the APAC region
“Prevention of undesirable conditions is one, and a lot of research is already being done here to innovate with unique New Zealand flora; Personalisation is growing very quickly and we also have firms looking at solutions that can be customised; and Partnerships are where we are doing a lot of work to grow,” she added
“Our relationship with each market is different, and now we are moving to deepen some of these such as in Singapore where MitoQ is working with the National University of Singapore to conduct clinical trials on mitoquinol for Asian consumers. This is how we hope to really help more areas of the New Zealand food and nutrition sector really grow and prosper rapidly across regions.”
