Market research in New Zealand for exporters targeting the GCC — Dairy, meat and food proof before a first Saudi or UAE container

New Zealand dairy, meat and food teams often arrive with a Stats NZ destination line, an MPI halal certificate and a Dubai re-export quote, then treat that pack as New Zealand exporters GCC market research. It is not. Entry research has to name the buyer, the state, the price including the local VAT, the channel and the food-control file before a Wellington, Hamilton or London committee commits a first container. This playbook sits on the industry insights hub and is written for non-pharma exporters — dairy, red meat, horticulture, honey, industrial ingredients — not for SFDA drug or MOHAP files.

The Kingdom-only file is a different job. If the first operating SKU is Saudi, use the sourced Saudi market-entry research playbook for demand, registration, cities, channels and price. Do not paste that file across the other five states, and do not treat a UAE CEPA tariff as a six-country passport. BioNixus is a primary market research firm, founded in 2012, with 118 clients in 48 countries and 127 studies so far in 2026. Custom work is priced from $10,000 to $60,000. The delivery scope is guaranteed in writing. Findings are not. For the wider non-pharma practice see the industries hub and B2B market research.

What does New Zealand exporters GCC market research have to answer?

New Zealand exporters GCC market research tells a New Zealand sponsor whether a named offer will sell, at a named price, in a named GCC state, through a named channel, under a named food-control and tax treatment. It is not a freight or company-formation checklist. Five questions separate a usable study from a slide nobody can defend:

• Who buys? A retail buyer, a food-service specifier, a dairy reconstitutor, a hotel chef, a distributor or a government procurer. GCC-Stat’s 61.5 million people in 2024 are not one basket (GCC-Stat ).
• In which state — and which city? In the year to March 2025, 85% of New Zealand’s GCC exports landed in the UAE and Saudi Arabia (MFAT, July 2025 ). That is not permission to average Dubai with Riyadh, or to treat a Jebel Ali re-export as a Kingdom sale.
• At what price, including which VAT? A willingness-to-pay range that uses the rate of the state of supply — 5%, 10% or 15% where a rate is published — not a New Zealand-dollar ex-VAT farmgate copied across (UAE Ministry of Finance; Bahrain National Portal; ZATCA ).
• Through which channel? Who specifies, who stocks, who pays, and what the buyer switches to if you miss. Whole milk powder into a reconstitutor is not lamb into a hotel, and neither is honey into a pharmacy aisle.
• Under which file and which vehicle? An MPI halal certificate is a New Zealand export statement (MPI ). An SFDA approved-establishment listing is a Kingdom import statement (SFDA ). A Dubai free-zone licence is not a Saudi trading entity, and ZAD registration is not Ghad registration (u.ae; SFDA food clearance ).

Desktop TAM can frame those questions. It cannot answer them. Adjacent pages include FMCG market research in the UAE, FMCG market research in Saudi Arabia, food and beverage companies in the UAE and food and beverage companies in Saudi Arabia. Kingdom-only proofs stay on the Saudi market-entry playbook.

Why can a New Zealand file not be copied into the Gulf?

A Waikato, Canterbury or Hawke’s Bay instrument with Arabic labels is not a Gulf entry file. Three official series show why.

First, the buyer mix is not a New Zealand age pyramid. The UAE’s 2024 population is 11.29 million (FCSC ). Saudi Arabia’s mid-2024 population is 35.3 million (GASTAT ). Qatar’s end-September 2024 count is 3,139,213 (National Planning Council ). Kuwait’s beginning-2025 estimate is 4,881,254 (Central Statistical Bureau ). Oman’s NCSI portal on 12 October 2026 shows 3,080,117 Omanis and 2,384,521 expatriates, or 5,464,638 people (NCSI ). Nationals and expatriates do not share one dairy or meat basket inside a single state, let alone across six.

Second, the trade already exists — and it is not a proxy for SKU demand. MFAT’s June 2025 GCC totals put New Zealand goods and services exports at NZ$3.14 billion (MFAT GCC key facts ). The July 2025 note puts almost NZ$3 billion in the year to March 2025, almost 50% above the same period in 2022, with 73% dairy and meat (MFAT, July 2025 ). Stats NZ’s milk-powder table for the year ended April 2024 still sends NZ$538.6 million to the UAE, NZ$411.1 million to Saudi Arabia and NZ$101.5 million to Oman inside a NZ$9.7 billion global powder trade (Stats NZ ). None of those lines tells a brand whether a named buyer in Dubai, Riyadh or Muscat will pay a named invoice for a named SKU.

Third, the legal stack is not one Gulf passport. The UAE CEPA is in force; the six-country FTA is not. Treaties Online is explicit: after 31 October 2024, “the GCC FTA now requires Cabinet approval for signature” (New Zealand Treaties Online; MFAT GCC FTA ). Halal, labelling and establishment lists stay national even after a UAE preference (MPI; SFDA food clearance; u.ae ).

Which official numbers should a 2026 brief start from?

Use official series as the frame, then replace the frame with primary evidence for the SKU. Label each series. Do not blend year-ends.

The GCC trade frame

Open MFAT’s June 2025 GCC key facts first. Goods and services exports to the six states were NZ$3.14 billion; imports NZ$537.51 million; two-way trade NZ$3.68 billion. The GCC was New Zealand’s sixth-largest export market and twelfth-largest two-way partner, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia the key markets. The six states together are described as the ninth-largest economy in the world on that page (MFAT GCC key facts ).

The FTA overview still carries a June 2024 export total of NZ$2.6 billion (MFAT GCC overview ). That is history, not the 2026 brief. The July 2025 note is the concentration file: year to March 2025, almost NZ$3 billion, 85% to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, 73% dairy and meat (MFAT, July 2025 ).

The UAE seat a dairy exporter already has

MFAT’s UAE key facts put goods and services exports at NZ$1.28 billion in the year to March 2025 and two-way trade at NZ$1.44 billion. The UAE is a top-20 export market. The composition of that year is not a “GCC mix”: dairy NZ$766 million, industrial products NZ$264 million, horticulture NZ$51 million, red meat NZ$53 million, travel services NZ$37 million (MFAT UAE key facts ). Powder already has a UAE line in the Stats NZ April 2024 table (Stats NZ ). A first consumer cheese or a first food-service lamb cut still needs a named buyer.

The Saudi seat is larger than a re-export story

MFAT’s August 2025 Saudi snapshot, drawing on the Stats NZ Trade Dashboard, puts New Zealand’s Saudi exports at NZ$1.14 billion in the year ending 2024, up from NZ$750 million in 2015. Dairy and meat make up the bulk; dairy drove the growth; services were NZ$31 million in 2024 (MFAT Saudi snapshot ). The March 2026 Middle East table — a wider regional cut — puts Saudi total exports at NZ$1.446 billion for calendar 2025 (MFAT, March 2026 ). Do not average the two series.

What the wider Middle East table adds — and what it does not

MFAT’s March 2026 conflict note is useful for product mix and dangerous if you relabel it as “GCC”. For the year ending December 2025 it records NZ$3.416 billion of New Zealand exports to the Middle East region (3.0% of global exports): UAE NZ$1.463 billion and Saudi Arabia NZ$1.446 billion, then Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar far behind. Dairy was NZ$2.429 billion (8.4% of New Zealand’s global dairy exports), of which whole milk powder NZ$1.208 billion and butter, fat and cream NZ$617 million. Meat was NZ$331 million (sheep NZ$147 million, beef NZ$125 million) (MFAT, March 2026 ). Those are exposure numbers, not a SKU forecast.

Pull live cuts from the Stats NZ trade dashboard when the brief needs a later month. Keep the vintage on the slide.

What does CEPA buy — and what does the unsigned GCC FTA not buy?

New Zealand counsel still writes “Gulf FTA access” and “set up in Dubai, sell everywhere.” Neither sentence survives the MFAT pages.

The UAE CEPA is New Zealand’s first free trade agreement in the Middle East. It was signed on 26 September 2024 and entered into force on 28 August 2025 (New Zealand Customs; MFAT CEPA ). From that date, 98.5% of New Zealand goods exports can access the UAE duty-free, including all dairy, red meat, horticultural and industrial products; that share rises to 99% by 2027. A Bilateral Investment Treaty entered into force on 14 November 2025 (MFAT CEPA overview ). Preference still needs origin, a correct entry, and a food-control file.

The NZ–GCC FTA is a different instrument. Negotiations concluded on 31 October 2024 (MFAT GCC FTA ). When it enters into force, tariffs would be eliminated on 99% of New Zealand’s exports over ten years; together with the UAE agreement, 50.8% of Gulf trade on day one. The text includes a Sub-Committee on Trade in Food Products mandated to consider halal standards (MFAT GCC overview ). After signature, New Zealand still has select-committee review and implementing legislation (MFAT timeline ). Treaties Online is the 2026 status line: Cabinet approval for signature is still required (New Zealand Treaties Online ).

Tariff preference is not shelf access. CEPA does not register a product in ZAD, does not put a plant on the SFDA list, and does not replace GSO 9 Arabic labelling (u.ae; SFDA; SFDA food clearance ). Write the tariff into the P&L. Write the food file into the method note.

What must the halal, SFDA and UAE food files actually say?

New Zealand product teams treat an MPI halal certificate as a Gulf passport. MPI’s own page is narrower. Halal products — meat or dairy — first have to meet New Zealand food-safety law. Every halal establishment needs a programme that records which markets it can export to. An Approved Halal Organisation assesses and approves that programme and issues halal certificates. Premises must also be registered with MPI. Destination OMARs are password-protected; the exporter has to apply to read them. Some markets need an AHO certificate, some need an MPI sanitary certificate, some need both (MPI ).

Dairy and meat are different notices. The 2021 dairy notice is the file for dairy material and dairy products to be labelled as halal or to obtain a halal certificate on export (MPI dairy export documents ). The 2021 animal-products notice covers meat, poultry, gelatine and non-dairy fats and oils labelled as halal for export, and it expressly does not apply to dairy (MPI halal animal-products notice ). MPI’s 23 July 2026 AHO list is the living table of which bodies are recognised for which country scopes, including SFDA processed-food and perishable-animal-product scopes and MOIAT food-manufacturing scopes for the UAE (MPI AHO list, 23 July 2026 ). A certificate issued against the wrong notice, or by a body that is not listed for that market, is not “entering the GCC.”

Saudi import is a Kingdom file, not a New Zealand file. SFDA’s April 2025 clearance guide requires the importer to register the establishment and the products on Ghad and to submit clearance through Fasah. A licensed warehouse is required except for narrow sample exemptions. Pre-packaged labels must meet SFDA.FD/GSO 9; health and nutrition claims have their own regulations; SFDA.FD/GSO 2055-1 is the halal-food technical regulation on the general-specifications table. Dairy shipments need a health certificate; import from accredited establishments may be required depending on the country list. Meat and poultry need a health certificate and a halal slaughter certificate from centres accredited by the Saudi Halal Center, and import from accredited establishments (SFDA food clearance ). The country list itself is blunt: “Import is permitted only from approved establishments” (SFDA ). SFDA publishes a dedicated New Zealand dairy-establishment PDF (SFDA New Zealand dairy list ). A plant that is not on the live list is not a Saudi SKU, whatever MPI has signed.

The UAE is an emirate stack sitting under a federal food law. Federal Law No. 10 of 2015 says no food may be imported into the country for the first time without Ministry of Climate Change and Environment approval. Ministerial Decree No. 239 of 2018 requires imported or locally produced food — or food whose label, ingredients or composition has changed — to be registered in the ZAD electronic system before it is handled in UAE markets. Dealing in pork or alcohol, or their by-products, without permission carries a prison term of not less than a month and a fine of up to AED 500,000; false descriptions attract AED 10,000 to AED 100,000 (u.ae ). In Dubai, ZADI is the single window for food-import requests, re-export and label assessment against UAE standards, with unified inspection between Dubai Customs and Dubai Municipality (Dubai Trade ZADI ). Abu Dhabi food safety sits with ADAFSA; Sharjah with the Sharjah programme (u.ae ). A DIFC or Jebel Ali holding company does not replace those files. A first UAE SKU and a first Saudi SKU are two registration jobs.

How should a New Zealand exporter sequence the six states?

Sequence is a research question, not a slogan. The 85% UAE-plus-Saudi concentration is the right place to start and the wrong place to stop (MFAT, July 2025 ).

UAE first is the usual New Zealand habit because the dairy invoice is already the largest GCC line — NZ$766 million in the year to March 2025 — and because Dubai is already a re-export and aviation seat (MFAT UAE key facts ). That habit is rational for a regional showroom, a free-zone holding company, a reconstitutor who already buys powder, or a first English-language food-service seat. It is a poor habit for a first consumer SKU that will live on Saudi family demand, or for a first industrial ingredient paid in Riyadh. CEPA preference applies to the UAE, not to the other five states (MFAT CEPA overview ). Dubai resident counts and UAE licence counts are UAE facts, developed on B2B market research in the UAE and UAE FMCG market research. They are not a Kingdom catchment.

Saudi Arabia first is the usual habit when the tonnes, the tickets or the households sit in the Kingdom. The 2024 snapshot is NZ$1.14 billion, dairy-led (MFAT Saudi snapshot ). The population is 35.3 million (GASTAT ) and VAT is 15% (ZATCA ) — a different price architecture from Dubai’s 5%. Kingdom-only proofs live on the Saudi market-entry playbook. This article will not repeat them. Opening in Dubai “to learn the Gulf” and then copying the instrument into Riyadh is two studies paid as one. Shipping CEPA-preferential UAE stock across the causeway as if it were a Saudi SKU is waiting for an SFDA hold, not “entering the GCC.”

Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain are not one residual cell. The March 2026 Middle East table still shows how small they are beside the two large markets: Oman NZ$155 million, Kuwait NZ$153 million, Bahrain NZ$96 million, Qatar NZ$62 million in calendar 2025 (MFAT, March 2026 ). Oman already appears as a NZ$101.5 million milk-powder destination (Stats NZ ). Bahrain’s 10% VAT is the published rate a causeway-adjacent retail file has to carry (Bahrain National Portal ). Adding the four states as a 10% uplift on a UAE-plus-Saudi file is not entry research. Sibling the instruments on Qatar retail market research, Kuwait retail market research, Oman retail market research and Bahrain retail market research.

A practical sequence, when the evidence supports it: name the first commercial state from buyer interviews; price that state with its own VAT and food file; decide whether a second state is a second commercial SKU or only a regional seat; keep Saudi and UAE proofs on their own pages; add the four smaller states only when a named buyer can be shown. The unsigned GCC FTA is not a 2026 tariff assumption (New Zealand Treaties Online ).

What five proofs must a New Zealand committee demand?

Those five tests are the entry study. Primary work is usually structured interviews with the people who specify or pay in the first commercial state; a quantitative check on price, substitution and catchment in Arabic and English; country quotas that match the first site; and a source table that separates official series, exporter quotations and fieldwork. Kingdom sampling sits on the Saudi consumer-survey methods guide.

BioNixus prices that custom work between $10,000 and $60,000, depending on sample, countries and whether the output is a stand-alone entry file or a chapter inside a wider feasibility. The scope, timing and deliverables are guaranteed in writing. Accuracy of findings is not a claim we make.

How does the brief change by sector?

Dairy and ingredients

Start from the official destination split, then replace it with a reconstitutor, a food-service operator or a retail buyer. Year to March 2025 UAE dairy was NZ$766 million (MFAT UAE key facts ). Year ended April 2024 milk powder already had UAE, Saudi and Oman lines inside a NZ$9.7 billion global powder trade (Stats NZ ). Calendar 2025 Middle East dairy was NZ$2.429 billion, with whole milk powder NZ$1.208 billion and butter, fat and cream NZ$617 million (MFAT, March 2026 ). Those chapters still need the dairy halal notice, the SFDA dairy-establishment list where the first sale is Saudi, ZAD/ZADI where the first sale is the UAE, Arabic/English on-pack copy, and the VAT of the state of supply (MPI dairy export documents; SFDA New Zealand dairy list; u.ae ). A powder invoice is not a cheese forecast. See FMCG market research in the UAE and FMCG market research in Saudi Arabia.

Red meat and food service

UAE red meat was NZ$53 million in the year to March 2025 — two orders of magnitude below dairy (MFAT UAE key facts ). Calendar 2025 Middle East meat was NZ$331 million, of which sheep NZ$147 million and beef NZ$125 million (MFAT, March 2026 ). That mix is why a hotel or catering specifier interview is usually the first meat brief, not a household panel. SFDA meat clearance needs a halal slaughter certificate and an accredited establishment (SFDA food clearance ). MPI’s animal-products notice, not the dairy notice, is the New Zealand export file (MPI halal animal-products notice ). Pair the work with hospitality market research in the UAE when the first plate is a hotel, and with the hospitality notes on the Saudi playbook when the first plate is in the Kingdom.

Horticulture, honey and packaged foods

UAE horticulture was NZ$51 million in the year to March 2025 (MFAT UAE key facts ). CEPA puts horticultural products in the day-one duty-free basket for the UAE (MFAT CEPA overview ). SFDA still wants a phytosanitary certificate for fresh produce and grains, and GSO 9 Arabic on pre-packaged lines (SFDA food clearance ). Honey sits on its own SFDA New Zealand establishment list; do not assume a dairy listing covers it. A tracker that mixes overnight visitors with residents is a different instrument; see brand tracking in Dubai and B2C market research.

How should you choose a New Zealand-to-GCC research partner?

Ask every firm, including BioNixus, to answer in writing before you sign:

1. Which official series will you use for NZ–GCC trade, UAE CEPA, Saudi exports, milk powder, population and VAT, and what is the date of each series?
2. Will the study report by GCC state — and by city inside the first state — or only as “the Gulf”?
3. How many interviews or surveys will you complete, in which language, and with which quotas?
4. Which VAT rate, and which SFDA list, UAE ZAD/ZADI file and MPI AHO scope, does the brief assume (UAE Ministry of Finance; SFDA; MPI AHO list )?
5. Is the first vehicle a UAE free-zone seat, a UAE mainland trader, a Saudi trading entity, or something else — and are you writing the demand chapter or the incorporation chapter?
6. Is the NZ–GCC FTA treated as in force, or as concluded-but-not-signed (New Zealand Treaties Online )?
7. What is guaranteed in writing — scope and timing, or the findings themselves?

New Zealand trade-promotion desks can cite MFAT and Stats NZ. They cannot run the interviews. Incorporation houses that rank for “company setup Dubai” file the vehicle; they are not automatically strong at demand evidence. BioNixus does the second job and will work alongside your existing counsel. Start with the 2026 rankings of market research companies in New Zealand, market research companies in the UAE and market research companies in Saudi Arabia — then brief a Gulf field design, not a ranking slide.

Related reading includes the Saudi market-entry playbook, Europe-to-GCC market entry research, B2B market research in the UAE and consumer survey research in Saudi Arabia.

Why brief BioNixus for New Zealand exporters GCC market research?

BioNixus is a primary market research firm, not a company-formation house or a New Zealand trade-promotion desk. Founded in 2012, it has served 118 clients in 48 countries and has run 127 studies so far in 2026. Custom pricing is $10,000 to $60,000. Forty client reviews sit on the firm’s public profiles. Regional leadership offices are the US headquarters in Sheridan, Wyoming; London EC1V 2NX; and Cairo in Sheikh Zayed, the largest Middle East and Africa office. Dubai, Al Khobar and Salmiya, Kuwait, are field offices. BioNixus is in the process of opening a São Paulo office by the end of 2026; Latin America is covered today from the US office with a local consultant network. The tagline is “Guaranteed in writing.” That guarantee is the scope, not the accuracy of a forecast.

The invoice is not buying a guaranteed finding. BioNixus guarantees, in writing: the agreed scope, timing and deliverables; replacement of non-qualifying respondents at no charge; a minimum sample; re-field at our cost if agreed quotas are missed; and a pilot fee credited to the main field. Accuracy of findings is not a claim we make.

New Zealand teams can brief London. Fieldwork for the Emirates is designed with the Dubai field office at Thuraya Tower 1; fieldwork for the Kingdom is designed with the Al Khobar field office; Kuwait work sits with the Salmiya field office. To brief New Zealand exporters GCC market research, use the BioNixus contact form or email admin@bionixus.com. In the United Kingdom and from New Zealand numbers routed via London call +44 7727 666682. In the Kingdom call the Al Khobar field office on +966 50 182 5336.

References

1. New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). Key facts on New Zealand–GCC trade. Year ended June 2025: NZ$3.14 billion of goods and services exports to the GCC, NZ$537.51 million of imports, NZ$3.68 billion two-way trade; sixth-largest export market (2.9% of New Zealand’s global exports). Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
2. MFAT. NZ–Gulf Cooperation Council free trade agreement overview. Negotiations concluded 31 October 2024. Not in force. Year to June 2024 exports NZ$2.6 billion. Tariffs to be eliminated on 99% of New Zealand exports over ten years; together with the UAE agreement, 50.8% of Gulf trade on day one. Sub-Committee on Trade in Food Products mandated to consider halal standards. GCC described as the ninth-largest economy in the world. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
3. MFAT. NZ–Gulf Cooperation Council free trade agreement. States that New Zealand and the GCC concluded negotiations on 31 October 2024. Listed under “concluded but not in force”. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
4. MFAT. Timeline for NZ–GCC FTA negotiations. After conclusion, the agreement undergoes legal verification for signature. New Zealand’s process after signature includes select-committee review, public submissions and implementing legislation. Complements the UAE CEPA. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
5. New Zealand Treaties Online. GCC/NZ FTA. Officials concluded negotiations on 31 October 2024. “The GCC FTA now requires Cabinet approval for signature.” Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
6. MFAT. Key facts of New Zealand–UAE trade. Year to March 2025: goods and services exports NZ$1.28 billion; two-way trade NZ$1.44 billion. Key exports: dairy NZ$766 million, industrial products NZ$264 million, horticulture NZ$51 million, red meat NZ$53 million, travel services NZ$37 million. UAE is a top-20 export market. Over 70% of New Zealand’s trade is covered by FTAs. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
7. MFAT. Overview of the New Zealand–UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). Entered into force 28 August 2025. 98.5% of New Zealand goods exports duty-free from entry into force, including all dairy, red meat, horticultural and industrial products; duty-free access rises to 99% by 2027. Bilateral Investment Treaty entered into force 14 November 2025. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
8. MFAT. New Zealand–United Arab Emirates free trade agreement. The CEPA entered into force on 28 August 2025. Listed under free trade agreements in force. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
9. New Zealand Customs Service. NZ–UAE CEPA rules-of-origin guidance. The CEPA was signed on 26 September 2024 and came into force on 28 August 2025. Transition rules for goods in transit or storage at entry into force. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
10. MFAT Market Intelligence Report. NZ economy not immune to conflict in the Middle East, July 2025. Year to March 2025 GCC exports almost NZ$3 billion, almost 50% higher than the same period in 2022. 85% of GCC exports destined for the UAE and Saudi Arabia; 73% dairy and meat. Sixth-largest export market if the six states are treated as one country. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
11. MFAT Market Intelligence Report. Trade and economic implications of the Iran conflict, March 2026. Year ending December 2025 Middle East region (not GCC-only): total exports NZ$3.416 billion (3.0% of New Zealand’s exports). UAE NZ$1.463 billion; Saudi Arabia NZ$1.446 billion. Dairy NZ$2.429 billion (8.4% of New Zealand’s global dairy exports), including whole milk powder NZ$1.208 billion and butter, fat and cream NZ$617 million. Meat NZ$331 million (sheep NZ$147 million, beef NZ$125 million). Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
12. MFAT Market Intelligence Report. Saudi Arabia: export snapshot and burgeoning sectors, August 2025. New Zealand exports to Saudi Arabia grew from NZ$750 million in the year ending 2015 to NZ$1.14 billion in the year ending 2024. Dairy and meat make up the bulk of the profile. Services exports NZ$31 million in 2024, of which travel (including international education) NZ$12 million. Source series: Stats NZ Trade Dashboard. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
13. Stats NZ. Growth in export markets for New Zealand milk powder. Milk powder exports NZ$9.7 billion in the year ended April 2024. United Arab Emirates NZ$538.6 million; Saudi Arabia NZ$411.1 million; Oman NZ$101.5 million among the listed destinations. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
14. Stats NZ. New Zealand trade dashboard (updated 2 September 2026). Goods from Overseas merchandise trade; services from International trade. Country and commodity views, including dairy. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
15. Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). Exporting halal animal products. Halal establishments must have an Approved Halal Organisation (AHO)-approved programme and be registered with MPI. Destination OMARs are password-protected. Certificates may be an AHO halal certificate and/or an MPI sanitary certificate. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
16. MPI. Requirement documents for dairy exports. Animal Products Notice: General Export Requirements for Halal Dairy Material and Halal Dairy Products 2021 — requirements for dairy material and dairy products to be labelled as halal or to obtain a halal certificate when exported. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
17. MPI. Animal Products Notice: General Export Requirements for Halal Animal Material and Halal Animal Products 2021. Applies to meat, poultry, gelatine and non-dairy fats and oils labelled as halal for export. Does not apply to dairy material and dairy products. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
18. MPI. List of Approved Halal Organisations under New Zealand’s Halal Export Assurance Framework as of 23 July 2026. Country-by-country scopes include Saudi Food & Drug Authority listings and United Arab Emirates Ministry of Industry & Advanced Technology (MOIAT) food-manufacturing scopes. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
19. Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA). Conditions and Requirements for Food Clearance (English), April 2025. Importers register on Ghad; clearance via Fasah. Halal certificate where required; halal slaughter certificate for meat, poultry and raw gelatine. SFDA.FD/GSO 9 labelling; SFDA.FD/GSO 2055-1 halal food. Dairy: health certificate; import from accredited establishments may be required. Meat: health and halal slaughter certificates; import from accredited establishments. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
20. SFDA. List of exported food establishments to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Notice: “Import is permitted only from approved establishments.” Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
21. SFDA. List of New Zealand approved establishments for the export of dairy products to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (August 2024 PDF). Named New Zealand dairy plants with Active / Delisting status. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
22. UAE Government portal (u.ae). Food safety. Federal Law No. 10 of 2015: no food may be imported into the country for the first time without approval of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment. Ministerial Decree No. 239 of 2018: imported or locally produced food, or food with a modified label or composition, must be registered in ZAD before being handled in UAE markets. Pork or alcohol without permission: prison of not less than a month and a fine of up to AED 500,000. Dubai and Sharjah food safety sit with the respective municipal authorities; Abu Dhabi with ADAFSA. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
23. Dubai Trade. ZADI. Unified inspection between Dubai Customs and Dubai Municipality. Food import requests, re-export, food-label assessment against UAE standards, and search of food items registered with Dubai Municipality. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
24. Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-Stat). Data portal headline indicators: GCC population 61.5 million and GDP at current prices USD 2.3 trillion in 2024. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
25. Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre (FCSC). Unified UAE Numbers, December 2025. 2024 population 11.29 million. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
26. General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). Population Estimates Statistics 2024. Mid-2024 estimate of 35.3 million. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
27. National Planning Council of Qatar. Monthly figures on total population: 3,139,213 at the end of September 2024. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
28. Central Statistical Bureau of Kuwait. Homepage headline: population estimates at the beginning of 2025 of 4,881,254. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
29. National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), Sultanate of Oman. Portal headline population: 3,080,117 Omanis and 2,384,521 expatriates (5,464,638 total), dated 12 October 2026. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
30. UAE Ministry of Finance. Value Added Tax: introduced 1 January 2018 at a standard rate of 5%. Mandatory registration above AED 375,000. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
31. Oman Tax Authority. Tax Rate page. VAT basic rate of 5% on most goods and services. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
32. Kingdom of Bahrain National Portal. Value Added Tax (VAT) in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Standard rate of 10% from 1 January 2022; mandatory registration above BHD 37,500. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).
33. Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA). Amendments to the Implementing Regulation of Value Added Tax (VAT), Board Resolution No. (01-06-24) dated 19 November 2024. Standard VAT rate of 15%. Source (accessed 17 October 2026).