Buy New Zealand Made

What Buy New Zealand Made does

Buy New Zealand Made is a nonprofit certification and trademark licensing organization, founded in 1988 in Wellington, New Zealand, and operated by Business New Zealand Inc. Its core function is to license the iconic Kiwi triangle trademark — registered with IPONZ — to qualifying New Zealand businesses so consumers can identify products and services of genuine domestic origin. Licensing is structured across four certification categories: NZ Made (manufactured products), NZ Grown (food, agriculture and seafood), NZ Code (software services), and NZ Service (launched 2024 for Kiwi-owned service businesses).

The platform is supported by a self-service membership portal (membership.buynz.org.nz), a digital verification tool that reconciles printed Certificates of Licence to an online database, and an AI-powered trademark-infringement detection capability (Logo Hunter) acquired from Arcanum in 2023. The organization also produces original video content — including the "A Kiwi Original" and "Making It New Zealand" series, collectively generating over 1 million annual video views — and runs the annual NZ Made Day on November 21 as a flagship consumer-awareness moment. Beyond licensing, it operates the ShopKiwi consumer marketplace indexing 3,000+ Kiwi businesses and sells branded merchandise through the NZ Made Store.

Revenue is generated primarily through annual subscription license fees (1,400+ licensees), with a disclosed premium "Gold Package" tier at NZD $399+GST per year that includes filming, YouTube/social content production, and homepage features. The go-to-market motion is community-led combined with event-driven marketing and a light sales-led onboarding layer (10–15 minute applications with 24–48 hour response). Customer segments are predominantly New Zealand small businesses across manufacturing, food and agriculture, service, and software, alongside retailers and consumers reached through ShopKiwi and social channels. The campaign is governed under a nonprofit-foundation model with no external PE/VC ownership and no disclosed revenue figures.

Name

Buy New Zealand Made

Legal name

Business New Zealand Inc.

Website

https://buynz.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Buy New Zealand Made is a nonprofit certification organization that licenses the Kiwi trademark to New Zealand businesses across product, agriculture, service, and software categories, serving 1,400+ licensees and operating the ShopKiwi consumer marketplace.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Certification & Trademark Licensing

akta.pro primary industry

Geographic Indication & Origin/Authenticity Certification (PDO/PGI, Country-of-Origin) (AFALAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Merchandising, Character & Brand Licensing (MPADALAF)

Keywords

• Trademark licensing
• Country of origin
• Brand certification
• Product authentication
• Trademark protection

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Trademark Licensing - Standard: Licensing fees for businesses to use the Kiwi trademark on products, services, food, or software. Three licensing categories: Made (products), Grown (food/agriculture), Service (service businesses), Code (software).
2. Gold Package Upgrade: Premium tier at $399+GST per year including filming session, YouTube video and social media reels, homepage feature on Buy NZ Made website.
3. Merchandise Sales: NZ Made branded merchandise sold through Shop NZ Made Store.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Buy New Zealand Made licenses the iconic Kiwi trademark to New Zealand businesses for use on manufactured products, food/agriculture products, services, and software. It provides country-of-origin certification through four trademark categories — NZ Made, NZ Grown, NZ Service, and NZ Code — and supports licensees with marketing exposure, trademark infringement monitoring via Logo Hunter AI software, and consumer-facing discovery through the ShopKiwi marketplace. Revenue is generated primarily through recurring annual trademark licensing fees, a premium Gold Package tier, and branded merchandise sales.

Product overview

Buy New Zealand Made is a certification and trademark licensing campaign that provides brand and marketing tools to NZ businesses. The core offering includes three licensing categories: NZ Made (for manufactured products), NZ Grown (for food/agriculture), and NZ Service (for service businesses/software). The organization also offers NZ Code for software services. Beyond licensing, the platform provides marketing opportunities through video series (A Kiwi Original, Making It New Zealand), the annual NZ Made Day event, the ShopKiwi e-commerce platform, and Logo Hunter AI-powered trademark protection. Premium Gold Package adds enhanced video content and website features.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kenny the Kiwi: Cartoon mascot character created in 1991 for TV advertising during campaign resurgence. Worn by campaign staff at promotional events.
• A Kiwi Original
• Making It New Zealand
• NZ Made Gold
• ShopKiwi

Products and services

• NZ Made Trademark Licensing Licensing program that allows NZ businesses to use the iconic Kiwi trademark on manufactured products, packaging, websites, and marketing materials to authenticate genuine NZ-made goods. Requires 90% NZ-owned status with funds reinvested in NZ.
• NZ Grown Trademark Certification trademark for agricultural, farming, and seafood products providing country-of-origin labelling for meat, fish, and dairy products. Designed to comply with the NZ 2018 Country of Origin Food Labelling Act.
• NZ Service Trademark Certification trademark for Kiwi-owned and operated service businesses, launched to serve the service sector which comprises nearly 70% of NZ GDP.
• NZ Code Trademark Certification trademark for software services powered by NZ Code, with eligibility rules for country-of-origin labelling on software products where key coding and development is done in NZ.
• Gold Package Premium Licensing Premium license tier at $399+GST per year offering filming sessions, YouTube video and reels content, and homepage feature on Buy NZ Made website. Includes one-hour filming session and 12-month validity from sign-on date.
• ShopKiwi Online Marketplace Online shopping platform launched in 2020 for Kiwis to discover and purchase New Zealand Made goods and services, featuring 3,000+ NZ-owned or NZ Made Kiwi businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of Kiwis often consider whether a product is NZ Made
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Logo Hunter (Arcanum)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2023Buy NZ Made acquired AI software Logo Hunter from Wellington-based Arcanum to help protect the Kiwi country of origin logo and detect trademark infringements. The software identifies up to 100 infringements of the NZ-made logo per year. Investment expected to pay for itself quickly.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NSF International: NSF International is a large, established product certification body that licenses marks to verified products across multiple categories (food safety, water, consumer goods). Represents a scaled incumbent in the broader product certification space where Buy NZ Made operates as a niche national player.
• Fairtrade International: Fairtrade International is a global certification body licensing the FAIRTRADE Mark to ethically-produced products across multiple countries. Operates a comparable trademark licensing and certification model, though oriented to ethical sourcing rather than national origin.
• Bureau Veritas: Bureau Veritas is a global testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) company providing origin and quality certifications across industries. A scaled incumbent in the same broader certification space, with significantly larger geographic and category reach than Buy NZ Made.
• Made in Japan / Japan Brand Program: Various Japanese country-of-origin certification programs (including JETRO-supported initiatives) certify Japanese-made products for both domestic and export markets. Operates at significantly larger scale and broader scope than Buy NZ Made, but serves the same country-of-origin certification function.

Direct peers

• Buy Canada / Made in Canada: Canadian Made is a comparable country-of-origin certification and licensing body promoting Canadian-made products. Operates a member-driven licensing model similar to Buy NZ Made, though with smaller scale and a more fragmented national footprint.
• Swissness / Switzerland Cheese Marketing: Swissness refers to Switzerland's country-of-origin labeling regime (including the Swiss cross logo) used to certify Swiss-made products. Operates a similar licensing/trademark enforcement model for premium country-of-origin branding, particularly in food and luxury goods.
• Origine France Garantie: Origine France Garantie is a French non-profit certification body that labels products made in France. It is a comparable country-of-origin certification organization with auditing and enforcement functions analogous to Buy NZ Made's IPONZ-registered trademarks.
• Australian Made Campaign Limited: Australian Made is the closest direct peer — it licenses the iconic green-and-gold kangaroo trademark to Australian businesses for country-of-origin certification. Operates an identical licensing/membership model, including Gold-tier premium packages and consumer-facing campaigns. Structurally analogous to Buy NZ Made.
• Made in Britain: Made in Britain is a UK-based nonprofit that licenses the official Made in Britain trademark to British manufacturers. Operates a member-led certification body with online member directories and marketing support — directly comparable in mission, structure, and revenue model.

Regional players

• Brand South Africa (Proudly South African): Proudly South African is a South African country-of-origin campaign and trademark licensing body. Operates a similar "buy local" certification model in a different geography, with comparable subscription licensing and consumer-awareness events.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/BuyNZMade
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/BuyNZMade
• Facebookfacebook.com/BuyNZMadeCampaign
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/buy-new-zealand-made
• Instagraminstagram.com/buynzmade

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Buy New Zealand Made