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New Zealanders can’t get a locally made big brand peanut butter for love or money, so how come ETA is claiming their salted peanuts are locally made by plastering the “Buy NZ Made” logo on its packaging?

The Buy New Zealand Made Campaign, a subsidiary company of Business NZ, offers a consumer assurance the products are just that — made in NZ — and acts as a powerful marketing tool for local business. “When your product carries the red and blue, gold and black, or gold and blue kiwi trade mark, your customers can be certain that it’s New Zealand Made,” touts the website.

But Australian owned company Griffins, who have included the original “Buy NZ Made” logo on their packaging (see below), say on their website that their peanuts aren’t from New Zealand. “New Zealand does not grow peanuts. They are supplied from Australia although we sometimes source from USA. All the processing and manufacture is done at ETA.”

In the fine print the Made in New Zealand Campaign claims the definition of “local” actually includes products which are “substantially transformed in New Zealand”. For a substantial transformation to occur there must be a “fundamental change in that country in form, appearance or nature such that the goods existing after the change are new and different goods from those existing before the change.”

The processing and manufacturing of peanuts — a bit of a wash, roast and a dash of salt — is hardly a substantial change in appearance or nature.

Director of the Buy New Zealand Made Campaign Marcia Dunnett says that in order for a product to be labelled as New Zealand Made, it needs to qualify under the Fair Trading Act.

“Griffins, who produce the ETA Peanuts are members and are conscious of the requirements of the Fair Trading Act and they believe that the processes the peanuts go through establish the essential quality of the product, thereby qualifying them to be labeled NZ Made,” she says.

The Commerce Commission, in its booklet The Fair Trading Act: A General Guide, says a place of origin is “the country or region where the product’s ‘essential quality’ was created. It is not necessarily the place where the most money was spent on a product — and it is not the place where only final assembly or packaging was done.”

Surely the essential quality of a peanut was created where it was grown? In Australia. And if not, flammable pyjama fabric from China which is manufactured into PJs here could also claim to be made in New Zealand.

Meanwhile a Government-funded campaign to urge consumers to buy New Zealand products was launched yesterday — encouraging punters to look for the kiwi trapped in a triangle logo. And with the help of the ad push the Buy New Zealand Made Campaign has signed up 78 new members since July, all claiming to be a fair dinkum New Zealand product.