A well-designed sustainability programme reduces risk, strengthens stakeholder trust, and positions you for long-term resilience. We design, review, strengthen and operate sustainability assurance programmes - helping organisations reduce complexity, streamline compliance, and unlock new opportunities.
Build a programme from the ground up
Whether your goal is value creation, meeting export requirements or regulatory compliance, or having a scalable, structured approach to proving your sustainability claims - we design and maintain programmes that are practical, defensible, and fit for purpose.
If your organisation is developing a new assurance programme, we can:
| Set requirements that match your ambition: | Design clear programme requirements based on your chosen ambition level. Whether wanting to meet regulatory or export requirements, or aiming for industry-leading performance, we work with you to make your programme credible, practical, and meaningful. |
| Build strong governance and operational processes: | Develop operational processes and governance frameworks that ensure your programme is defensible, transparent, and trusted. |
| Scale assurance to your risk and goals: | Match assurance requirements to your risk profile, stakeholder expectations, and commercial objectives. From structured self-assessment (first-party verification), to second-party review, to fully independent third-party assurance, we ensure the programme is thoughtfully designed and appropriate - balancing credibility, cost, and operational efficiency. |
| Reduce duplication and streamline verification: | Build on and align with existing activities and programmes, cutting unnecessary duplication, simplifying reporting for members, and making your assurance easier to manage and scale. |
| Future-proof your programme: | Build flexibility into your design so the programme can evolve as your organisation grows, new requirements emerge, or your sustainability ambition increases, ensuring long-term credibility and impact. |
Smart alignment. Reduced burden. Stronger impact.
Sustainability programmes often overlap. When these programmes are not mutually recognised, it can create duplication, confusion, and unnecessary cost.
Drawing on our deep knowledge of sustainability assurance programmes in Aotearoa and internationally, we can maximise alignment from the outset. We identify where requirements intersect, formally assess equivalency with available programmes, and strengthen criteria where you want to lead.
By recognising existing certifications and using already-submitted data, your members' experience can be streamlined - reducing duplication of data collection and verification aspects, and the associated costs. The result is a programme that is relevant, efficient, and strategically focused on your organisation's core value proposition.
Strengthen an existing programme
If your assurance programme is already in place, we can:
- Review performance against your objectives
- Review your programme against national and international best practices
- Report on equivalencies with other standards, and opportunities to streamline
- Identify opportunities to increase integrity and optimise processes
- Provide independent audits or additional assurance services
We ensure your programme continues to deliver on its purpose and demonstrate credibility to stakeholders.
Operational and digital support
| Custom digital tools | Operational support where needed |
| We develop data collection tools, dashboards, assessment tools, and systems that enable faster, data-driven decision-making. | We can operate programmes on your behalf - reducing internal workload and ensuring consistent, reliable delivery. |
Our work
| Westpac Sustainable Farm Loan | Our team supported Westpac with the design of the Westpac Sustainable Farm Loan standard and programme. This is designed to be simple and accessible, and aligned with existing farm assurance programmes, to avoid imposing unnecessary additional requirements. The programme provides financial incentives for farmers that are taking actions related to care of the planet, animals, and people, and building resilience. |
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BNZ Sustainability Linked-Loan
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The BNZ Sustainability Linked-Loan ensures that farmers are meeting environmental, social and animal welfare goals through tailored KPIs for each farm, audited by AsureQuality. |
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Voluntary Carbon Plus Biodiversity Standard
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Developed specifically for Aotearoa’s unique ecosystems and communities, this standard provides a robust framework for generating high-integrity, internationally recognised carbon and biodiversity credits. |
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A certification programme that credibly verified fossil-fuel-free production - built on robust criteria, independent assurance, and real-world practicality. |
Connected expertise across AsureQuality
Our integrated expertise benefits our programme design approach. Through collaboration with specialist teams across AsureQuality - including organics, certification, and sector technical experts - we ensure your programme is aligned, technically sound, and operationally workable.
Contact us
Our Sustainability Assurance team is here to help you understand your options and the next best step for your business. Email us at sustainabilityassurance@asurequality.com and one of our experts will be in touch shortly.