About us

Kathy Lloyd, Waka Kuaka founder & lead consultant

Kathy Lloyd, B.A., BVSc. - Waka Kuaka founder

Kathy Lloyd grew up on the rural coastal peninsula of northern Aotearoa New Zealand and is now based at the top of the South Island, where she leads Waka Kuaka — the consultancy she founded in 2017 to support New Zealand food businesses entering and expanding in global markets.

With a 30-year career spanning production and trade in food and animal products Kathy specialises in regulatory strategy for exporters, with a strong focus on the United States. Over the past nine years, she has helped New Zealand manufacturers and brand owners prepare for US market launch, navigate FDA and USDA requirements, and manage compliant export shipments.

Kathy is New Zealand go-to specialist in the US FDA Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) requirements for retail‑packaged dietary supplements and food manufactured in New Zealand. Together with a partner company, she provides a wrap‑around US export assistance service, including third‑party US FSVP Importer services and US FDA Food Facility Registration.

Her broader expertise includes:

US FDA / USDA / FSIS regulatory requirements
Market entry strategy and compliance planning
Navigating MPI requirements and OMARs – all markets
Product categorisation
Food labeling & claims
Ingredients, additives identification, compliance, labeling
Export documentation support
Conventional foods, animal products, dietary supplements, supplemented foods, oral products, cosmetics, and pet care

Kathy’s earlier career included senior regulatory and market access roles within New Zealand’s Food Safety Authority and 11 years as a Market Access Counsellor, working with industry, policy‑makers, trade officials, and overseas regulators across major global markets.

Alongside her consulting work, Kathy also writes about democratic resilience, global security, and the human realities of conflict — reflecting her commitment to rules‑based systems and the values that underpin them.

Waka Kuaka exists to support New Zealand businesses on their export journey with clarity, expertise, and a deep understanding of the global regulatory landscape.