About us

Tātou

High-Value Nutrition Ko Ngā Kai Whai Painga is a National Science Challenge with a 10-year mission to grow the science excellence and knowledge Aotearoa New Zealand needs to create and deliver food to the world that people choose to stay healthy and well.

The High-Value Nutrition Ko Ngā Kai Whai Painga National Science Challenge is unashamedly ambitious and bold. High-Value Nutrition Ko Ngā Kai Whai Painga is focused on enabling transformational change and creating substantial benefits for Aotearoa, including significantly increasing export revenues from the food and beverage sector by 2025.

The High-Value Nutrition Ko Ngā Kai Whai Painga Challenge will invest in novel science at the cutting-edge of knowledge and work alongside industry to ensure Aotearoa’s capability in validated health foods is sustainable and relevant in the long-term.

Around the world, and particularly in Asia, there is spiraling consumer demand for food with validated health benefits—products that are scientifically-proven to boost vitality, alleviate the effects of aging, improve digestion, help prevent allergies and provide the optimal conditions for growth and development. Food regulators are developing clear standards and processes to support the approval of health-related product claims that will raise the standard for scientific validation of the claims.

Aotearoa New Zealand has a fast growing food and beverage export industry which enjoys an enviable international reputation for excellence in primary production, quality and safety.  Most of our exports, however, leave our shores largely unprocessed or minimally processed. The evolving regulatory environment for approval of validated food-health claims provides an opportunity for Aotearoa to add to the strong provenance of Aotearoa-borne foods.

Our People

High-Value Nutrition Ko Ngā Kai Whai Painga brings together science and industry expertise throughout Aotearoa New Zealand in support of the Challenge mission

Vision Mātauranga

The High-Value Nutrition Ko Ngā Kai Whai Painga National Science Challenge seeks to embed Vision Mātauranga across its research programmes and has a specific focus on working with Māori food and beverage businesses

Annual Reports, Plans and Strategy

Find out about High-Value Nutrition Ko Ngā Kai Whai Painga National Science Challenge’s work in detail in our annual plans, reports and strategy documents