Shandong, NZTE sign Silver Fern mark promotion deal in Qingdao

Summary

The Shandong Provincial Department of Commerce and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise signed a joint work arrangement on promoting the Silver Fern mark in Qingdao on 4 September. Zhang Guoliang, a second-level inspector at the department, and New Zealand Ambassador to China Qiao Wenbo attended the ceremony and witnessed the signing. It is the first consensus document on origin-mark promotion signed between the New Zealand government and a Chinese provincial government.

The arrangement aims to promote New Zealand's Silver Fern mark and trusted products to consumers and business partners, and to further lift trade cooperation between Shandong and New Zealand. Representatives from Shandong's foreign trade, retail and food service sectors joined representatives of 10 New Zealand companies at the event, where they discussed consumer trends, market opportunities and prospects for cooperation. The Shandong Provincial Department of Commerce released the information on 4 September 2026.

Commentary

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise's joint work arrangement with the Shandong Provincial Department of Commerce is the first cooperation framework between New Zealand's official certification mark and a Chinese provincial government. The Silver Fern mark is a New Zealand origin quality certification covering categories including food and beverage, health supplements and skincare. For New Zealand exporters, the deal means officially endorsed channel promotion in Shandong, a market of more than 100 million people with a deep agricultural and food processing base.

For small and medium-sized New Zealand firms, the mark generally requires the company to be registered in New Zealand and its products to meet local production standards. Certification in itself therefore constitutes a quality threshold for entering the Chinese market. Company representatives from Shandong's retail and food service channels will deal directly with 10 New Zealand firms.

Targeted matchmaking at provincial level helps smaller brands bypass large importers and build direct supply relationships. Awareness of the Silver Fern mark among Chinese consumers, however, remains well below the general impression of 'made in New Zealand'. The promotional impact in Shandong will depend on the specific activity spending that follows, not on a single document.

Another perspective: since the upgrade of the China-New Zealand free trade agreement, tariffs on New Zealand dairy and meat exports to China have been cut progressively. Non-tariff barriers such as labelling certification and cross-border e-commerce compliance remain practical obstacles, and the Silver Fern mark may ease trust issues in part. For SME owners, the advice is to watch particular import channels for food in Shandong.

The province has ports including Qingdao and Yantai and well-developed cold chain logistics, making it suitable for testing market response for fresh and high-value food. When working with local Shandong retailers, companies should confirm whether the partner holds import qualifications and has terminal display capability, rather than stopping at the signing ceremony. As the first provincial template, the arrangement could be replicated in coastal provinces such as Zhejiang and Guangdong if it proves effective in Shandong, though the pace of execution will depend on NZTE's resourcing and company participation.

Keywords: Silver Fern mark, Shandong Provincial Department of Commerce, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, origin mark, joint work arrangement, Qingdao, Shandong-New Zealand trade cooperation, Qiao Wenbo, Zhang Guoliang, New Zealand company representatives

Summary in Chinese | 摘要

9月4日，山东省商务厅与新西兰贸易发展局在青岛签署“关于推广银蕨标志计划的联合工作安排”。山东省商务厅二级巡视员张国亮、新西兰驻华大使乔文博出席仪式并见证签约。该联合工作安排是新西兰政府与中国省级政府部门签署的首个原产地标识推广共识性文件，旨在向消费者及商业合作伙伴推广宣传新西兰“银蕨”标志和可信赖产品，进一步提升山东与新西兰的贸易合作。

来自山东省外贸、零售、餐饮等行业的企业代表和10家新西兰企业代表参加活动，共同探讨了消费趋势、市场机遇和合作前景。上述信息由山东省商务厅于2026年9月4日发布。

Commentary in Chinese | 评论

新西兰贸易发展局与山东省商务厅签署的银蕨标志推广联合工作安排，是新西兰官方认证标识首次与中国省级政府达成合作框架。银蕨标志作为新西兰原产地品质认证，覆盖食品饮料、保健品、护肤品等品类，此次合作意味着新西兰产品在山东这一人口过亿、农业与食品加工基础雄厚的市场获得官方背书的渠道推广支持。对于新西兰中小企业而言，银蕨标志通常要求企业在新西兰注册且产品符合本地生产标准，认证本身已构成进入中国市场的质量门槛。

山东省零售与餐饮渠道的参与企业代表将直接对接10家新西兰企业，这种省级层面的精准对接有助于中小品牌绕过大型进口商，建立直供关系。然而，银蕨标志的认知度在中国消费者中仍远低于“新西兰制造”的普遍印象，山东市场的推广效果取决于后续具体活动投入，而非一纸文件。另一个视角是，中新自贸协定升级后，新西兰对华出口的乳制品、肉类关税已逐步削减，但非关税壁垒如标签认证、跨境电商合规仍构成实际障碍，银蕨标志或许能部分缓解信任问题。

对于新西兰中小企业主，建议关注山东进口食品的细分渠道：山东拥有青岛、烟台等港口，冷链物流完善，适合生鲜及高附加值食品测试市场反应。同时，与山东本地零售企业合作时，需确认对方是否具备进口资质及终端陈列能力，避免仅停留在签约仪式层面。此次合作作为首个省级模板，若在山东验证有效，可能被复制到浙江、广东等沿海省份，但执行速度取决于新西兰贸易发展局的资源投入与企业参与度。

关键词: 银蕨标志, 山东省商务厅, 新西兰贸易发展局, 原产地标识, 联合工作安排, 青岛, 山东与新西兰贸易合作, 乔文博, 张国亮, 新西兰企业代表

Source: Shandong Provincial Department of Commerce