Pictured above: Dave Courtney.
Bay of Plenty economic development agency Priority One has welcomed the Government’s proposed amendments to the Plant Variety Rights (PVR) Act, calling them an important step in protecting export value and giving growers and investors the confidence to keep investing in New Zealand.
The amendments to the PVR Act 2022, announced on 15 May by Trade and Investment and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Cameron Brewer, are designed to strengthen protection for high-value plant varieties. Under the proposed changes, protection terms would be extended by five years to help preserve the value of premium cultivars, and provisional protection would be restored — allowing breeders to enforce their rights from the moment an application is filed rather than when it is granted.
The reforms also streamline fee systems through the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand and aim to better align the regime with international best practice in markets including the EU, UK and Japan.
For exporters, the stakes are considerable. The Government says about 75 percent of New Zealand’s $3.5 billion in kiwifruit exports in 2024 came from protected varieties — the product of years, often decades, of breeding and commercialisation.
Priority One Chief Executive Dave Courtney says a strong, modern intellectual property framework is critical for regions like the Western Bay of Plenty, where kiwifruit is a cornerstone industry.
“With around 80 percent of New Zealand’s kiwifruit grown in the Bay of Plenty, what supports innovation and export value directly supports regional jobs, incomes and communities,” he says.
Courtney says the kiwifruit industry’s continued investment in new varieties, science and global branding has delivered significant returns, and clearer plant variety rights will help ensure that value is retained in New Zealand.
“This is about backing the long-term growth of an industry that delivers billions in export earnings and underpins thousands of regional jobs,” he says.
“Stronger PVR settings give businesses the confidence to keep investing here, rather than offshore.”
The reform matters because bringing a new variety to market is slow and expensive. The Kiwifruit Breeding Centre says developing a commercially viable kiwifruit cultivar can take up to 20 years and millions of dollars, with fewer than 1 percent of potential varieties reaching the market. Without durable protection, exporters risk new varieties being copied or exploited — including during what can be a lengthy approval process.
Priority One says aligning New Zealand’s regime with international standards will help unlock future export growth and keep the country competitive in global markets.
“These amendments send a clear signal that New Zealand is serious about protecting innovation and growing high-value exports — which is exactly the kind of confidence boost regions like ours need,” says Courtney.
The proposed changes have drawn wide backing across the horticulture and export sector, with Zespri, the Kiwifruit Breeding Centre and Port of Tauranga among those supporting the reform as a foundation for continued export growth.
