In the face of growing international competition, being recognised as a New Zealand made brand is helping Kiwi businesses thrive, says Buy New Zealand Made executive director Ryan Jennings.

New Zealand’s iconic Buy NZ Made trademark has seen rapid uptake in the past year, with 151 new businesses signing on.

While global retail giants like IKEA and Costco have signalled their moves into the New Zealand market, Jennings (pictured) says 87 percent of New Zealanders recognise the trademark and continue to make purchases accordingly.

"We are getting a new application every 48 hours - a testament to the fact Kiwi brands want to be recognised as New Zealand made. Provenance is a key point of difference in crowded apparel, food, beverage and health product categories."

Official New Zealand Made status is helping exporters market their products on global supermarket shelves. "The Kiwi trademark is relied upon by more than 1200 New Zealand manufacturers to differentiate their products and services in New Zealand and with key trading partners like United States, China, India, UK and Australia.

"Being New Zealand-made continues to provide an edge for savvy operators who weave their New Zealand Made story in with the intrinsic benefits of their products.

"Interestingly, we are seeing different businesses sign on for different reasons. Some want to leverage our premium image on the global stage, others want loyalty from New Zealand consumers. The common theme is that consumers have a high degree of trust in the New Zealand Made products we’re collectively making."

Buy NZ Made also started offering a new marketing campaign service last year, which has been well received by small businesses.

Jennings says filming businesses and running a campaign on their behalf has helped those who often enjoy making products more than getting those products to market. The digital push has had more than one million views in the past year.

Dunedin-based WMC Trail tools, a mountain bike trail tool maker, achieved two months of sales in the first few days after a digital marketing campaign run by Buy NZ Made was watched 12,000 times on Facebook.

"I figured as I was so proud of our country and the good things we can do together, signing up would be a good fit for my fledgling business," founder Gareth Hargreaves says.

"Ryan has a bunch of other great opportunities he is ready to put me into as well, I just want to make sure I’m ready for the growth before diving in."