Ministry for Primary Industries (Manatū Ahu Matua)

Supports New Zealand primary industries through policy, regulation, and programs for agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and food.

The Ministry for Primary Industries is New Zealand's central government agency for agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, forestry, and food. In funding terms it backs innovation, productivity, and sustainability in the primary and food-and-fibre sectors through co-investment grants rather than venture capital or tax relief.

Its current flagship is the Primary Sector Growth Fund, which replaced Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures on 23 May 2025. The record also names the Wood Processing Growth Fund, the Māori Agribusiness Innovation Fund, and the Rural Wellbeing Fund, with disclosed caps including NZD 9.15 million for SFFF, NZD 2 million for WPGF, and NZD 250,000 for the Māori Agribusiness Innovation Fund.

Eligibility is aimed at primary sector businesses, industry bodies, and other food-and-fibre groups, with a clear bias toward projects that lift value, productivity, or sustainability across the supply chain. MPI does not fund work that should sit inside an organisation's core business, so the strongest applications are collaborative, outcome-driven, and clearly beyond routine operations.