Trust Alliance New Zealand Incorporated (TANZ) is a non-profit, member-governed industry consortium advancing trusted digital identity, data governance and interoperability across agriculture. TANZ develops and promotes the standards, protocols and governance frameworks that enable agricultural information to be securely connected, verified and shared across independent organisations and systems. Our decentralised approach enables participants to retain control of their information while supporting permissioned data exchange, data sovereignty and the responsible deployment of AI agents across the agricultural sector.
TANZ advocates for self-sovereign digital identity and decentralised data governance, enabling farmers, agricultural enterprises and other participants to retain control over their information. We promote the standards, protocols and governance frameworks that support trusted identity, verifiable credentials, digital wallets and permissioned information sharing across independent systems. Our approach extends these principles to AI-driven agriculture, enabling authorised people, organisations and AI agents to securely access and exchange trusted information while respecting individual, enterprise and Indigenous peoples' data sovereignty rights.
From Brand Promise to Brand Proof TANZ enables New Zealand's food and fibre sector to move from brand promise to brand proof by establishing the trust, governance and interoperability frameworks needed to verify agricultural claims. We support the use of trusted digital identities, verifiable evidence and permissioned data sharing to demonstrate provenance, sustainable production practices and compliance with regulatory and market requirements. By making existing agricultural information verifiable and reusable, we aim to reduce compliance costs, strengthen international market access, improve access to finance and insurance, and enable farmers and growers to capture greater value from their production practices.
TANZ is owned and governed by those who use it, providing opportunity and profit potential for all members, rather than a winner takes all model. Our members and supporters include many of New Zealand’s public and private sector primary producers, growers, exporters, retailers and service providers. Join TANZ today — free registration for supporters.
Reducing Compliance Costs Through Trusted Data Sharing
TANZ promotes trusted, permissioned information sharing to reduce the duplication, administrative costs and complexity associated with agricultural compliance, including Farm Environment Plans, environmental reporting and ESG requirements.
Much of the information required by farmers, growers, regulators and commercial organisations already exists across independent systems. TANZ supports the standards, identity frameworks and governance arrangements that enable this information to be securely connected, verified and reused without unnecessary duplication.
Our decentralised approach enables farmers and agricultural enterprises to retain control over access to their information while supporting regulatory compliance, more efficient reporting and improved environmental and economic outcomes.
By making trusted agricultural information accessible to authorised organisations and AI agents, TANZ aims to reduce the compliance burden and enable more effective, evidence-based decision-making across the food and fibre sector.
Chris Claridge has an extensive business and academic background and is passionate about how the primary sector can embrace the digital world. Chris is the Chair of the Trust Alliance New Zealand Inc (TANZ) non-profit industry agricultural consortium. TANZ is an advocate and enabler for decentralised data management aiming to create a future where farmers are in control of their own data through decentralised digital identities, verifiable credentials, and digital wallets.
Chris has a background in primary sector production, marketing and export. He was the Chief Executive of Potatoes New Zealand Inc representing growers, processors and exporters for seven years. He has established primary sector businesses including Claridge’s Organics in the 1980’s one of New Zealand’s first organic food exporting businesses. In the 1990’s he established ID Digital Media, a full-service advertising company specialising in Web 1.0 and digital communications. He also founded Carrickmore, a dairy export company specialising in marketing infant formula, at the same time he helped establish the New Zealand Infant Formula Exporters Association. The Association grew to 26 companies representing an export value of $60 million before being adversely affected by changes in the regulatory environment. Chris has the academic background to supplement his practical experience having graduated with a Masters in Biotechnology he became a Dean of Business Studies and a Senior Lecturer in Management.
Contact Chris Email: [email protected] Mobile:+6421577387
Melissa Baer has 20 years’ experience in food & tech industries. She provides software development services to leading agriculture brands in New Zealand. Melissa was one of the first to sell organic meat online in Canada.
She is a trusted advisor to New Zealand’s leading food & fibre brands. Melissa draws from her deep immersion training in fields such as physical sciences, ecology, social sciences, marketing, economics, human psychology, human health, technology, human potential movement, and the science of innovation.
Nic Conland has a unique background of regulation, policy and science applications both analytical and conceptual. This has evolved over the last 25 years to involve him in solutions for some of the entrenched problems facing New Zealand communities to make changes in the face of deteriorating environmental measures. Nic has worked across New Zealand developing natural resource management plans with performance mechanisms that provide feedback loops to measure ecosystem health and promote resource efficiency.
Nic sees data as an integral component of measuring, improving and communicating our farm and natural ecosystems through our local and global markets. Nic has been engaged with iwi, Universities and providers of analytical equipment to provide solutions for managing catchments and communicating freshwater conditions, outcomes and values for Te Taiao.
Terry Copeland is currently the Programme Director Export Growth at the Ministry for Primary Industries. Previously, he was the former Chief Executive of Federated Farmers for seven years. This role was responsible for 70 staff who provide the delivery of advocacy and policy development on behalf of farmers, continuing the development of the benefits of membership for 13,000 Federated Farmers members and for influencing rural leadership and community resilience.
Before joining Federated Farmers, Terry was Chief Executive of New Zealand Young Farmers whereby he rejuvenated this next generation membership organisation into a talent attraction provider to the Primary Industries, specialising in school engagement and career focus as well as showcasing agricultural excellence to the wider New Zealand audience. From May 2021 to February 2023 Terry chaired the Food & Fibre Leaders Forum Chief Executive Group, 13 primary sector organisations with key issues of commonality to support engagement with Government Ministers. For most of Terry’s career, he spent more than two decades in the wine industry working on wine quality improvement and developing key export markets. Terry has also been a highly respected and experienced international wine judge since the late 1990’s.
Trust Alliance NZ Incorporated – 50072511 NZBN: 9429049549539
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