The Seed Certification Information System (SCIS) is a modern, secure, and fully digital platform.
It's the result of a six year, $7 million project, initiated and led by the New Zealand Seeds Authority (NZSA), with funding support of over $2 million from the Ministry for Primary Industries' (MPI) Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund (SFF Futures). Development of the SCIS has now been completed, and its functions and roles have been formally approved for use by MPI.
A project steering group, comprising representatives from NZSA, AsureQuality, and MPI, oversaw the development, with each organisation playing a critical role in New Zealand's seed certification ecosystem:
- MPI is the regulator of the OECD seed varietal certification scheme in New Zealand.
- AsureQuality delivers contracted seed certification services to the industry and is the country's sole Independent Verification Agency (IVA) for official seed certification schemes.
- NZSA provides governance and policy direction for certification schemes, representing seed growers, processors, and seed companies through its industry-based executive.
George Gerard, chair of the NZSA, says that "the new SCIS replaces the existing legacy system, which had become outdated, unsupported, and no longer met modern digital security expectations".
"It introduces a fully online, role-based digital environment, eliminating all manual paper-based processes previously used in seed certification administration," says Gerard.
A key innovation within SCIS is its use of geospatial technology to map certified seed crops, enhancing traceability, accuracy, and compliance. These features directly support MPI's objective of strengthening the OECD varietal assurance framework and improving the integrity of New Zealand's certification processes.
SCIS is currently in a pilot phase with select industry users, operating on crops from the 2026 harvest. The system will be used for the full administration of certified seed crops in the 2026/2027 cropping season.
The introduction of SCIS represents a new era in seed certification; one that its creators say enhances security, transparency, efficiency, and long-term sustainability for New Zealand's vital seed industry.
