Offering affordable organic certification for local growers and producers and providing meaningful verification that your food is grown to a standard without chemical or prohibited inputs.

Far North Organic Growers and Producers Society Inc (FNOG) provide certification for producers wishing to sell to their local market and also administer the Far North Branch of ORGANIC FARM NZ (OFNZ). OFNZ is a certification scheme working under the Bio-Gro standards for the domestic market which allows your produce to be sold Nationwide.

Note: FNOG/OFNZ Far North allows two years maximum at each certification level throughout the certification process. Extenuating circumstances will be reviewed on a case by case basis with a maximum extension of one year after approval from the FNOG Certification committee.

Costs

• The local FNOG certification scheme costs NZ$70 plus Auditors Fee and Travel Costs.
  FNOG Support Membership costs NZ$20 per annum
• The ORGANICFARMNZ certification charges are NZ$180 plus Auditors Fee and Travel Costs

Advice

FNOG provide advice and help for those who are undergoing the initial conversion time leading up to full certification.

Contact:

• Jan Arie Kamsteeg
• Tony Henderson : phone: 09 401 4850

FNOG have recently received funding from Organics Aotearoa New Zealand to support the following programme which has been established as a government initiative to:

1. promote organic production to non-organic farmers and growers
2. support non-organic farmers and growers make informed decisions on whether to convert
3. support newly converted and existing organic producers to achieve optimal levels of production and returns.

Members who are certified under the OFNZ or FNOG umbrella, have to work in accordance with our standards which are the same as the production standards used and worked out by Bio-Gro New Zealand. More about these standards can be found on their web site.

History and Objectives

Members of Far North Organic Growers and Producers Society Inc (FNOG) first met at Peter Dane's place at Lake Ngatu on 7th December 1989. There were eight eager members, some of whom are still very active in this area. They put together their committee and a constitution was accepted on 13th February 1990. The first field day was held on 11th March 1990 at Werner Krieger's citrus orchard at Kaiaka.

FNOG has, right from the start, been actively involved with making submissions on environmental matters - including to the government for the national minimum organic standard. By the 12th March 1995, their own certification process was put together, mainly because the cost of other established certification agencies was too prohibitive. They also involved themselves in promoting organics at the Kaitaia A & P show and won awards for their displays. FNOG have always worked on a cost-recovery basis, seeking funding only once for a bio-dynamic workshop at a member's property.

When Bioglobal Consultancy put together the Small Scale Producers Organic Programme, FNOG became involved from the start - attending numerous workshops and meetings - until this scheme became known as Organic Farm NZ, with Terry Higginson as chairman for the first year of development in the regions. OrganicFarmNZ (OFNZ) is a certification scheme working under the Bio-Gro standards for the domestic market. There are seven regions at present involved cover the whole country, and is now chaired by Peter Downard in the Waikato.

FNOG hold three field-days are held every year, and member growers have hosted these - attracting up to 100 people from the organic sector and the general public.

FNOG publish an informative newsletter called The Organics Networker is published with plenty of news and details about upcoming field days with committee meetings held at least monthly.

FNOG membership has always stayed strong enough to support ourselves by charging a minimum membership fee. At present there are 103 members - 24 of these are certified with OFNZ and 16 are certificated with FNOG.

The area covered by this organisation is from Cape Reinga to north of Whangarei. about a hundred kilometre radius of Kaitaia, including Kerikeri, Kaikohe, Hokianga, Doubtless Bay and the Aupouri Peninsula.