QCONZ

What QCONZ does

QCONZ (Quality Consultants of New Zealand Limited) is a privately held, Hamilton-headquartered quality assurance and digital solutions provider founded in 1999 that serves New Zealand's primary sector across dairy, red meat, poultry, horticulture, and fertiliser industries. The company delivers third-party audit, certification, and verification services through a nationwide team of 50+ qualified auditors based from Kerikeri to Invercargill, completing over 40,000 on-farm and factory visits annually for clients including Fonterra, Synlait, NZFAI, NZGAP, Tegel, Inghams, the Fertiliser Quality Council, and the New Zealand Egg Producers Federation. It holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 45001:2018, ISO 17020:2012 (inspection body), and ISO 17065 (certification body) accreditations, plus MPI-recognised agency status and NZQA Private Training Establishment registration, and maintains a sister company (QCONZ AL) in Brazil since 2009.

QCONZ's revenue mix blends professional services with proprietary digital products. Core audit revenue is generated through programmes such as Farm Dairy Assessments, NZFAP/NZFAP Plus, Lead with Pride, RMP verifications, and Food Control Plan Verification. This is complemented by a portfolio of in-house software: the FreshWater Farm Plan (FWFP) Tool sold via self-serve subscription at NZ$199 per property annually; FarmScope, an offline-capable smartphone/tablet QA record system; a family of dairy-company-branded Milk Quality Apps delivered through Google Play; and InformationLeader, a web-based compliance data capture and reporting platform. Training and eLearning services (MPI-approved biosecurity courses, Spreadmark fertiliser training, OSPRI NAIT accreditation, and bespoke Articulate 360 course development) round out the offering.

Go-to-market is hybrid. Direct field sales and enterprise contracts dominate the audit and certification book, supported by industry event presence (Fieldays, Red Meat Sector Conference, NZIPIM) and partner-led workshops with Ballance, Rabobank, ANZCO, and Deer Industry NZ. The FWFP Tool introduced a product-led, self-serve channel with online signup and credit card payment, while organisational accounts are sold directly to rural professionals, catchment groups, and irrigation schemes. The company is privately owned with no external institutional funding; long-time founder-CEO Murray Pedley retired in May 2024 after 25 years and was succeeded by Chris Leach.

Name

QCONZ

Legal name

Quality Consultants of New Zealand Limited

Website

https://qconz.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

QCONZ is a New Zealand-headquartered quality assurance and digital solutions provider serving the primary sector with audit, certification, training, and proprietary software tools across dairy, red meat, poultry, horticulture, and fertiliser industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Quality Assurance and Compliance Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Testing Laboratories and Services (541380), Farm Management Services (115116)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Safety Auditing & Inspection Services (GFSI/Third-Party Audits) (AFALAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Supplier Approval & Second-Party Audit Programs (Retailer/Brand/Manufacturer) (AFALACAF), Farm & Primary Production Audits (GAP, Aquaculture, Livestock) (AFALABAD), Regulatory & Compliance Inspections Support (FDA/USDA/Local Authority Readiness) (AFALABAC), Supplier & Vendor Qualification Audits (Second-Party Audits) (AFALABAB), Regulatory Compliance, Permitting & Audit Readiness (Food Safety, Environmental, Labor) (AFACAJAE)

Keywords

• Quality assurance services
• Farm audit verification
• Primary sector consulting
• Compliance auditing
• Agricultural training

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamilton

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Audit and Verification Services: Third-party audit and verification services for dairy, red meat, horticulture, poultry, and fertiliser industries. Services include Farm Dairy Assessments, RMP Verifications, Food Control Plan Verification, and industry programme certifications (NZFAP, NZGAP, GLOBALG.A.P.).
2. FreshWater Farm Plan Tool Subscription: Annual subscription at $199 per property for individual farmers and growers. Includes all standard features, multiple user access, and reporting capabilities.
3. eLearning and Training Services: Online training courses including MPI-approved biosecurity training ($125 per person), Fertiliser Spreadmark training ($55 per person), and custom eLearning development services for organisations.
4. InformationLeader Software: Data capture, management, and reporting platform licensed to organisations for quality assurance, training, health & safety, and environmental management systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

QCONZ provides third-party audit and verification services, bespoke eLearning and online training programmes, and a suite of proprietary digital tools (FreshWater Farm Plan Tool, FarmScope, Milk Quality Apps, InformationLeader) to New Zealand's primary sector. The firm is an ISO 17020-accredited inspection body and ISO 17065-accredited certification body, delivering compliance, food safety, animal welfare, and environmental assurance to dairy, red meat, poultry, horticulture, and fertiliser clients. Audit services are delivered on-farm and in factories by a nationwide team of qualified auditors, with digital subscriptions enabling self-serve compliance work for individual farmers.

Product overview

QCONZ operates as a quality assurance and training organisation for New Zealand's primary sector, offering an integrated portfolio of audit services and digital products. The core digital offerings comprise the FreshWater Farm Plan Tool (FWFP) for environmental compliance, FarmScope for on-farm QA record management, the Milk Quality App family for dairy company milk monitoring, and InformationLeader for enterprise compliance data management. These are complemented by training services including eLearning development, online courses, and MPI-approved biosecurity training. The company delivers over 40,000 farm and factory audit visits annually across dairy, red meat, poultry, horticulture, and fertiliser sectors. Founded in 1999 and privately owned, QCONZ also maintains a sister company (QCONZ AL) in Brazil.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Freshwater Farm Plan Tool (FWFP): Affordable digital tool for farmers and growers to build freshwater farm plans to improve water quality and meet regulatory requirements.
• FarmScope
• Milk Quality App
• InformationLeader
• QCONZ Biosecurity Training

Products and services

• Audit and Verification Services Third-party audit and verification services delivered across dairy, red meat, poultry, horticulture and fertiliser industries, covering animal welfare, environmental, food safety, and biosecurity assurance programmes.
• FreshWater Farm Plan (FWFP) Tool Digital tool enabling farmers and growers to build freshwater farm plans via a wizard-guided step-by-step process, with farm mapping via Google Maps, risk assessment, action management, and regulatory report generation (PDF, GEOJSON), plus a mobile companion app.
• FarmScope Low-cost, fully electronic on/offline smartphone and tablet app providing field access to quality assurance recording and reporting for food safety, nutrients, animal treatments and grazing data, replacing paper-based QA records.
• Milk Quality App Mobile application delivering real-time milk quality test information, collection notifications, test results, grades, and production trends to farmers via smartphone, offered as dairy-company-specific versions for Tatua, Mataura Valley, Oceania, Miraka, Danone, Maui, Union Dairy and others through Google Play.
• InformationLeader Flexible web-based data capture, management and reporting platform providing real-time electronic data capture, consolidated business information, complete traceability, and compliance with international standards for quality assurance, training, health and safety and environmental management.
• eLearning Course Development Custom eLearning course development service using Articulate 360 authoring tool, producing interactive online training for staff induction, protocol training, SOPs, technical skills, health and safety and compliance training for organisations.
• Online Training Courses Pre-developed online courses for the primary sector, including Farm Dairy Assessment preparation, Farmer Spreadmark Fertiliser Training ($55 per person) and MPI-approved Biosecurity Training for Accredited Persons ($125).
• NAIT Online Training Programme Online training and accreditation programme for OSPRI's National Animal Identification and Traceability (NAIT) standards, including NAIT Information Provider and NAIT Entities courses with integrated assessment and certificate generation, developed for OSPRI.
• MPI Biosecurity Training MPI-approved eLearning courses for Accredited Persons teaching safe receiving, inspection and devanning of imported sea containers, with a full course at $125 + GST and a refresher option.
• Fertmark and Spreadmark Audit Programmes Programme management and audit delivery for the Fertmark (fertiliser label accuracy) and Spreadmark (spreading company registration and calibration) schemes on behalf of the Fertiliser Quality Council.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40,000 on-farm and factory visits completed annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers30 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fertiliser Quality Council (FQC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000QCONZ was selected to manage the audit programme and systems for the Fertmark and Spreadmark schemes on behalf of the Fertiliser Quality Council. Fertmark independently audits fertiliser to ensure label accuracy. Spreadmark registers spreading companies to ensure accurate fertiliser application and environmental protection. QCONZ has continued to deliver independent audit and programme management since Spreadmark's inception in 2000.
• New Zealand Farm Assurance Incorporated (NZFAI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQCONZ delivers NZFAP (New Zealand Farm Assurance Programme) and NZFAP Plus audits nationwide. NZFAI manages the programme providing global consumers with confidence in the authenticity, safety, and quality of New Zealand meat and wool. QCONZ delivers first year of NZFAP audits with support from member companies.
• SynlaitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQCONZ is ISO 17065 accredited by JAS-ANZ for the Synlait 'Lead with Pride' programme. This programme provides dairy farmers with a framework for sustainable farming practices and quality milk production.
• TelarccoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTelarc conducts annual audits of QCONZ for ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management Systems) and ISO 45001:2018 (Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems) certifications.
• IANZ (International Accreditation New Zealand)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIANZ conducts annual audits of QCONZ processes for ISO 17020:2012 accreditation as an inspection body, ensuring continued compliance and excellence.
• JAS-ANZcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerJAS-ANZ is the accreditation body that accredits QCONZ to ISO 17065 standard as a certification body for programmes including Synlait Lead with Pride and NZFAI NZFAP.
• MPI (Ministry for Primary Industries)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQCONZ is an MPI-recognised agency authorised to deliver Farm Dairy Assessments, RMP Verifications for chicken and egg production, and Food Control Plan Verification. MPI recognition enables QCONZ to operate under the Animal Products Act and Food Act 2014.
• QCONZ America Latina (Sister Company)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQCONZ expanded internationally in 2009 into Brazil. QCONZ AL provides similar services to the New Zealand operation including auditing, consulting, and training for dairy, rural producers, and government. They developed CCPR Practices Grade 10 certification programme with 524 certified producers.
• New Zealand Egg Producers FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQCONZ expanded RMP verification services to egg producers in October 2024 following ISO 17020 accreditation scope extension. Supported the NZ Egg Industry Conference as gold sponsor.
• Waimakariri Irrigation LtdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWIL partnered with QCONZ to use the FWFP planning tool designed to simplify compliance while maximising value of collected data. Case study demonstrating tool capabilities for irrigation scheme compliance management.
• University of CanterburyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor Ann Brower uses the FWFP tool for teaching Bachelor of Environmental Science degree, providing students with hands-on experience in freshwater farm planning.
• BallanceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBallance Farm Sustainability Manager Peter Thomas supports NZFAP-Plus aligned workshops using the QCONZ FWFP tool. Positive facilitator feedback on tool's online functionality and user-friendliness.
• RabobankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRabobank backed the balance sustainability team workshops supporting farmers in building NZFAP-Plus aligned plans using the QCONZ FWFP tool.
• ANZCOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerANZCO backed workshops helping farmers achieve FAP accreditation using the QCONZ FWFP tool. Positive farmer feedback from Gore session attendees.
• Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDINZ backed the balance sustainability team workshops supporting farmers in building NZFAP-Plus aligned plans using the QCONZ FWFP tool.
• NZIPIMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQCONZ was exhibitor sponsor at NZIPIM 2024 National Conference. Planned webinar for early 2025 to promote FWFP system to NZIPIM members. Rural professionals use the tool for client freshwater planning.
• CCPR (Central Minas Gerais Rural Producers Cooperative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQCONZ AL was approached by CCPR to build the 'Practices Grade 10' certification programme. Programme assesses animal welfare, management, infrastructure, and milk quality. 58% of CCPR milk volume now certified with 524 certified producers.
• Milk Bar BrasilminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorQCONZ AL partners with Milk Bar Brasil, supplier of New Zealand style calf rearing systems, to run a calf rearing course built around simple and efficient rearing systems.
• MPI (International Development)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChris Leach led MPI dairy development training programme for farmers and extension officers in Pak Chong, Thailand. Project involved monthly webinars and face-to-face training sessions.
• OSPRIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQCONZ developed online training and accreditation programme for NAIT (National Animal Identification and Traceability) Accreditation Standard. Two programmes live for NAIT Information Provider and NAIT Entities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AsureQuality: New Zealand state-owned food safety and biosecurity assurance company providing independent audit, inspection, testing and certification across the primary sector - the closest direct competitor to QCONZ in NZ dairy, meat and horticulture assurance.
• Control Union: Global certification body specialising in agricultural and sustainability certifications (GLOBALG.A.P., organic, sustainable farming); directly comparable to QCONZ's NZFAP, NZGAP and Synlait Lead with Pride programmes.

Broad incumbents

• SGS: Global leader in inspection, verification, testing and certification with established NZ/Australia presence across agri-food; competes with QCONZ for large enterprise primary-sector audit and certification mandates.
• Bureau Veritas: Global testing, inspection and certification (TIC) major with agri-food and sustainability assurance offerings; competes for the same international processor and cooperative audits QCONZ serves.
• Intertek: Global TIC company with agri-food and farm assurance programmes; comparable to QCONZ as a third-party certifier/auditor for primary sector supply chains.
• NSF International: Global public health and safety organisation offering agricultural and food safety certification (e.g., NSF/ANSI standards); overlaps with QCONZ's certification body function for primary-sector processors.
• DNV (Det Norske Veritas): Global certification and assurance company with a growing agri-food assurance portfolio (e.g., aquaculture and food chain certifications); competes for sustainability-led primary-sector certifications.
• Eurofins Scientific: Global food testing and certification group with extensive agri-food coverage; competes with QCONZ on the broader food-safety testing, inspection and certification value chain.

Regional players

• EKO (Environmental Krein) / EKO Holland: European-based organic and sustainability certifier for agriculture and food; serves as a regional parallel to QCONZ in primary-sector certification for export markets.

Emerging players

• SCS Global Services: US-based sustainability and food safety certifier with growing agri-assurance portfolio; comparable niche to QCONZ's certification body work for sustainability and farm assurance programmes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about QCONZ