NAIT accreditation standards consultation

Background to the consultation

We’re updating our NAIT accreditation standards to make the programme more practical and sustainable for new applicants and currently accredited organisations.

The NAIT accreditation programme supports data accuracy and animal traceability by ensuring information providers and entities working with cattle and deer deliver reliable NAIT services.

The programme has been on hold while we work to create a better balance between upfront accreditation requirements and ongoing monitoring, while still maintaining high-quality traceability data.

Organisations eligible for NAIT accreditation include:

• information providers that deliver services such as fulfilling NAIT obligations on behalf of farmers
• entities dealing with NAIT animals, like meat processors, stock and station agents, and saleyards.

Accreditation ensures organisations meet the standards needed to support accurate animal traceability and enable efficient NAIT data management.

We’re seeking feedback on the proposed updates to the accreditation standards. Your input will help refine the standards so they’re practical, effective, and work well for you and the wider sector.

What we’re proposing

We're proposing:

• a new model where applicants provide evidence upfront as part of their application or renewal. This replaces the current pre‑accreditation audit process
• introducing ongoing monitoring through the wider NAIT compliance monitoring programme, with a particular focus on entities dealing with NAIT animals
• a 4‑year accreditation term.

Download the accreditation consultation document below for more information.

How to submit feedback

You can email your feedback to nait.team@ospri.co.nz

Make sure you include:

• your name and organisation (if applicable)
• the sections or clauses your feedback relates to
• any suggested changes or comments.

Feedback is due by 5pm on 8 April 2026.

Submissions are public information

Note that we may publish an anonymous summary of your submission on our website. Most often this happens when we issue a document that reviews the submissions received.

People can also ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we must make the content of submissions available unless we have good reason for withholding it. Those reasons are detailed in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.

You can find out more about our process for responding to requests for information on the page linked below.