New Zealand Wellness Association

Do you use natural health products to help with depression, stress or anxiety?

Have you taken nutrients to encourage a healthy pregnancy and baby?

Do you practise traditional or ethnic medicine?

Do you believe in trying natural remedies before taking mainstream medication?

We are pushing for a new regulatory framework that permits clearer information about the benefits of natural health products, to give consumers informed freedom of choice.

Please watch the above 18 minute TEDx Talk above by Professor Julia Rucklidge from the University of Canterbury. The research shows significant and lasting results can be achieved using natural health products to treat nutrient deficiencies in those suffering from mental illness. It has also documented a superb safety record for the micronutrients being utilised.

Under the current regulatory regime, health claims cannot be made about natural health products, even with research such as that produced by Julia Rucklidge to support the claim.

Issues with current regulation:

1. Natural health products cannot claim to treat illness or reduce symptoms. We believe that the ability to make evidence-backed health claims, will give New Zealanders clearer information about the treatment options available to them, allowing them to achieve greater health.

2. By allowing evidence-backed health claims to be made, this would incentivize innovation and research into natural health products.

3. Therapeutic health claims are made on products that are available on websites such as Amazon. Similar claims cannot be made on products in New Zealand. On the basis of these claims, New Zealand consumers are choosing to buy natural health products available on Amazon and New Zealand businesses cannot compete. The result is lost business for New Zealand companies, and no oversight by the New Zealand government of the manufacturing standards or quality of the products being bought on Amazon.

WHAT IS THE NEW ZEALAND WELLNESS ASSOCIATION?

The New Zealand Wellness Association is a consumer-focussed, non-profit organisation that acts as a voice for New Zealand’s progressive health and wellness industry.

We are raising consumer awareness of a new way of health for New Zealanders – holistic health that takes into account social and environmental factors and focuses on nutrition and prevention.

With your help, we were able to get the Natural Health Products Bill removed from the Parliamentary Order Paper. Please donate to support us in 2018 as we continue working with the new government and the appropriate ministers on a new regulatory regime.

Thank you to everyone that signed the petition or previously donated to fund our work against the out-of-date Natural Health Products Bill.