Welcome to the website of Cooperative Business
There’s just a small number of cooperative and mutually-owned businesses in New Zealand
Yet their contribution to the economy is huge
They range from a cooperative of travel retailers with around 20 members, through the dairy co-op which is by far the country’s largest commercial business with 10,500 farmer members, to a cooperative bank which has more than 120,000 members.
Cooperatives employ 43,000 people directly, and employment by the farms and shops that are co-op members is well into six figures. Together, co-ops are responsible for 3 percent of GDP.
For the year 2010–11, the 40 largest cooperatives and mutuals in New Zealand had a collective turnover/revenue of more than $39bn, and represented just under 10 per cent of the Deloitte/Management magazine list of New Zealand’s 200 largest businesses.
The country's five largest cooperatives are to be found in the International Cooperative Alliance/EURICSE World Cooperative Monitor list of the world’s 300 largest co-ops and mutuals.
To say that cooperative and mutual business is important here is an understatement. Member-owned businesses whose membership shares are not traded on the stock exchange, some keep a low profile. An increasing number, though, are seeing that being a cooperative or a mutual is an advantage to be actively promoted, and do so.
Find out more
- If you are a member of a cooperative in New Zealand, or you work for one, and you want to find out what makes co-ops so successful, you’ve come to the right place.
- Or if you’re thinking about starting a cooperative, you’ve also come to the right place.
There are useful resources on this website for you both, so take a good look and if you have any questions, get in touch.
New office
Cooperative Business has moved – go to the Contact page for our new address and phone number.
Updated 16 May 2013
