Supporting New Zealand’s dairy sector is about far more than supporting farmers and dairy companies. It’s about strengthening regional communities, growing export earnings, and helping build a more productive and prosperous economy.
Updated analysis by Sense Partners released today confirms the sector remains New Zealand’s largest export earner, directly provides more than 51,000 jobs across the country, and is a major purchaser of output from a large number of other sectors, making it one of New Zealand’s most important economic sectors.
The report, commissioned by DairyNZ and the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ), found dairy’s impact is felt most strongly in regional New Zealand, where it underpins jobs, wages, businesses, and local investment. In regions such as Waikato, Southland, Taranaki and the West Coast, dairy is a major contributor to economic activity and community wellbeing. For example, dairy delivers 12% of West Coast GDP, one in every four jobs in South Taranaki is a dairy job, the Waikato region has over 10,000 employees, and dairy accounts for nearly 50% of the wages paid in Waimate district.
Dairy exports reached $28.8b* in the year to December 2025, making dairy New Zealand’s largest goods export sector by a wide margin. As dairy farming is spread across the country the benefits of dairy income, in the form of local expenditure, jobs and investment are disbursed throughout the regional economies.
DairyNZ Head of Economics Mark Storey says when dairy succeeds, the benefits extend well beyond the farm gate.
“Backing dairy is about backing regional communities, economic growth and a more productive New Zealand,” he says.
DCANZ Executive Director Kimberly Crewther says the report shows how dairy has grown exports for the country’s economic benefit.
“Since 2021, dairy has delivered $8.3 billion in additional export revenue, contributing almost half of New Zealand’s total goods export growth, supporting the national economy through a pandemic and geopolitical upheavals,” says Ms Crewther.
Beyond the farm and factory gates, dairy supports a wide network of businesses. Farmers and processors spend billions of dollars each year on goods and services, helping sustain jobs and economic activity in sectors ranging from transport and manufacturing to professional services, technology and rural contracting. The report shows dairy’s reach across the wider economy: dairy farming is a top 10 purchaser of output from 35 other sectors, while dairy processing ranks in the top 10 for 25 other sectors.
Maintaining a competitive operating environment, including reliable and affordable energy, will be critical to ensuring New Zealand’s dairy sector can continue delivering jobs, export revenue and economic growth for the benefit of all New Zealanders.
The Sense Partners report is available here