Application:  All NZFAP Plus applications must be made and returned on the NZFAP Plus Farm Application and Agreement form.

Services:  New Zealand Farm Assurance Incorporated (NZFAI) will appoint a Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) to visit and assess your farm management systems and procedures for conformity to the New Zealand Farm Assurance Plus Programme (NZFAP Plus) Standard.
NOTE: The Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) for the NZFAP Plus is currently QCONZ (or any additional or replacement provider that NZFAI appoints to provide the relevant audit services from time to time). A reference in these T&Cs to the CAB includes any incoming CABs where relevant.

To join the NZFAP Plus suppliers must already be NZFAP certified and hold a current NZFAP Assurance code number.

Detailed information on the NZFAP Plus is available in two publications.

• NZFAP Plus Standard

• NZFAP Plus Farmer Handbook.

They can be obtained from your Meat/Fibre Company representative, or via email request from the NZFAI (info@NZFAI.com) or downloaded from our website (www.NZFAP.com).

Expectations:  While on the journey to NZFAP Plus compliance you agree to maintain your on-farm systems and procedures in full compliance with the requirements of the NZFAP Standard and strive to be NZFAP Plus compliant well within the allowed 3-year period.

Any changes to the farm’s circumstances (ownership, name, contact details of the authorised representative and/or additional properties within 20km radius added to the farming system), must be notified to the NZFAI and Meat/Fibre Company/s immediately.

The Assessment Process: 
Self-assessment:  You agree to undertake an annual self-assessment within 60 days of your Farm Application and Agreement Form being approved by your Meat/Fibre company.  On completing the self-assessment you will become a NZFAP Plus Member.  Failure to complete the annual self-assessment within six months of the due date will result in the CAB issuing a notice to withdraw your Farm from NZFAP Plus and will advise you Meat/Fibre Company/s. 

Initial Audit: You agree to undertake an assessment within 60 days of requesting a NZFAP Plus audit assessment. 

An assessment request will be issued by the CAB within ten days of receiving your Farm Application and Agreement Form. The assessment must be booked and completed within 60 days of your audit request being accepted by your Meat/Fibre Company.  Failure to comply after two requests for an audit by the CAB will result in your Meat/Fibre Company being advised.  If an initial assessment is not booked and undertaken within six months of your audit request will be withdrawn.

Any Corrective Action Requests (CARs) arising from assessments relating to Silver requirements must be closed within the time frame agreed between you and the CAB.  Certification will not be issued until all CAR/s are closed.  If the CAR/s are not closed within six months of the assessment date, the CAB will advise your Meat/Fibre Company/s. 

Reassessment Audit:  Once a Supplier is certified and to ensure the continuing validity of your on-farm systems, NZFAP Plus audits will be carried out every 36 months or at intervals as defined by NZFAI. The CAB will give you advance notice of these audits and negotiate an agreed date and time for these activities with you.

A reassessment request will be issued by the CAB at least 60 days prior to compliance expiry. Failure to comply after two requests for a re-audit within 45 days of the original request will result in the CAB issuing an advanced suspension notice to you and your nominated Meat and Fibre Company/s. If you fail to then agree a reassessment by the compliance expiry date the CAB will activate a NZFAP Plus suspension for the property. 

Any Corrective Action Requests (CAR/s) arising from assessments must be cleared within the time frame agreed between you and the CAB.  If there is a current Certification in place and the CAR/s are not closed by the agreed date, the CAB will issue a certification suspension notice and advise your Meat/Fibre Company/s.  Where the CAR/s are not closed withing three months of your certification being suspended the CAB will issue a withdrawal notice removing your property/s from the NZFAP Plus programme. 

Regular reviews may be partial audits or full reassessments, similar in scope to that carried out prior to any initial audit. Any nonconformity arising from assessments must be cleared within the time frame agreed between you and the CAB.

You agree to allow the CAB’s personnel access, during normal working hours, to your premises, operations, facilities, procedures, records (including all complaints and corrective actions) and staff to enable them to perform assessments and reviews.

You agree to be responsible for the health and safety of CAB staff and assessors whilst they are on your premises. You agree to ensure that they are properly briefed about your health, safety and emergency evacuation procedures and any potential health and safety hazards they may encounter during their visit.

Documentation:   Unless withdrawn or relinquished, any NZFAI or CAB documents issued are only valid for a specified period and subject to ongoing satisfactory performance. NZFAI or CAB Certificates or letters are not automatically transferable when the farm changes ownership, structure, or location and thus requests for transfer must be in writing to NZFAI and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Suspension and Withdrawals:  The CAB may suspend or withdraw the farm’s audit status if your on-farm systems or procedures fail to remain compliant with:

1. NZFAP Standard and the associated Terms and Conditions and/or

2. NZFAP Plus Standard and these Terms and Conditions and/or

3. We believe the CAB, NZFAI or the programme may be brought into disrepute.

Behaviour:   NZFAI is committed to treating all people with dignity and respect and building a positive and inclusive culture, where all people are valued and respected, and we welcome diversity of thought, culture, experience and being. NZFAI firmly believes in the right of all people to work in an environment that is safe and free from unacceptable behaviour.  You agree to treat all people you interact with during your involvement in the NZFAI programme with respect and courtesy and to behave in an appropriate manner at all times. NZFAI may withdraw a farm from its programme if NZFAI considers, acting reasonably, that behaviour towards NZFAI, any of its members or the CAB, by you or your employees, contractors or agents, is unacceptable.

Complaints and Appeals:  You may issue a formal complaint about any act or omission by the CAB or NZFAI against any assessment finding or recognition decision. Such complaints must be made in writing to the CAB or NZFAI who will instigate an investigation by the NZFAI Management Committee. Their findings will be notified to you in writing detailing your right to appeal.

Payment:  

1. Audits must be funded by either the nominated Meat Member Company/s with whom the farmer has a commercial relationship, subject to the member/s agreement, or self-paid; and the Farm Owner must indicate their preference via the payment option box on the NZFAP Plus Application Form.

2. If there is no Meat member/s agreement or the Farm Owner wishes to fund the audit they will need to arrange this by credit card with the CAB. 

Intellectual property:  You acknowledge and agree that NZFAI is the sole and exclusive owner of the NZFAP Plus programme, standard and certification (NZFAI Intellectual Property), and all related intellectual property rights, including all improvements, enhancements and changes (or similar) made to the NZFAI Intellectual Property over time.

You will not use, make a claim to, or take any other action in relation to, any intellectual property rights related to the NZFAI Intellectual Property other than as set out in these Terms and Conditions or with NZFAI’s express written approval.

While your farm is in full compliance with the NZFAP Plus Standard (as determined by NZFAI or the CAB), NZFAI grants you a non-exclusive, non-transferable and non-sublicensable right to use the ‘NZFAP Plus-certified’ status in respect of your farm. Upon your farm’s NZFAP Plus certification status being suspended, withdrawn or revoked, this right automatically lapses, and you must immediately cease use of the ‘NZFAP Plus-certified’ status.

Confidentiality:  As for the NZFAP, all NZFAP Plus information and data collected by the auditing body, or collected or held by NZFAI, will be treated confidentially and will be managed in accordance with the following Confidentiality / Privacy policy.

Confidentiality/Privacy Policy:

1. The audit data you provide to the CAB, and other data of yours that is provided to or held by NZFAI (together ‘your data’), is confidential information owned by you. Your data and the other information set out in (5) below may include personal information, as that term is defined in the Privacy Act 2020 (the Privacy Act).

2. All your data provided to the CAB or to NZFAI will remain confidential to you, the CAB, NZFAI and your nominated Meat/Fibre Company/s and will not be disclosed by NZFAI to others except with your permission, as required by law, or to the extent reasonably necessary for the effective provision of the relevant audit services or operation of NZFAI’s programmes.

3. All CAB directors, employees, agents and assessors are bound by confidentiality obligations regarding information held or acquired from the assessment process and must declare any conflict of interest that may arise through their involvement with any assessment process.

4. Your actual audit status, trading name and assurance code will be identified to other meat/fibre companies and will be publicly available information. NZFAI as the scheme owner may use your contact details to communicate directly with you on matters pertaining or relevant to NZFAP or other NZFAI programmes but will not make these details available to any other person except with your permission or as required by law.

5. Any personal information referred to above will be held, used, and disclosed in accordance with the Privacy Act.

Variations:  NZFAI may vary these Terms and Conditions from time to time. Any such variation will be effective from the date specified by NZFAI in any written notice provided to you or published on NZFAI’s website.

Date:  4 August 2023 v2.0