DINZ staff to star in velvet training video in South Korea

Rhys Griffiths

Several Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) staff will feature in a video made for educating traditional Asian medicine pharmacists. The video, which was shot on location in New Zealand, will form part of training materials from the Association of Korean Oriental Pharmacy (AKOP), which holds mandatory training sessions for its 3,300-strong membership base each year through its online portal.

In early 2024, AKOP was introduced to DINZ by HanPure, with an idea for the training video. The project was led by DINZ Associate Markets Manager Virginia Connell and featured Connell, DINZ CEO Rhys Griffiths and Industry Capability Manager John Ladley, and Dr. Stephen Haines, Senior Scientist at AgResearch.

“Having the New Zealand deer story told in our words, as a resource for Korean pharmacists in-training, is an awesome opportunity for us,” says Connell.

“By showcasing how our deer live, our strict passion for animal welfare and farming practices, this will help bridge the gap between our deer products and the pharmaceutical products they end up in. As the pharmacists gain this understanding of New Zealand velvet, they can then take this knowledge into the industry first-hand, advocating for New Zealand velvet and its point of difference from other suppliers out there.”

The video gives a summary of the New Zealand deer velvet industry, answers frequently asked questions through interviews, reviews the contents of the Deer Velvet Technical Manual (Version 7), and touches on deer farming and the velvet harvest, along with the stringent regulations and standards the velvet industry insists on.

Thanks to Alex Chung, CEO of HanPure for making the introduction; the Association of Korean Oriental Pharmacy for recognising the value of NZ velvet and sharing the knowledge that New Zealand velvet representatives have; and a special shoutout to DINZ’s man in South Korea, Jongkyu Jang, who oversaw the project and provided translation for the Korean subtitles.