Cooperatives in New Zealand
New Zealand’s first recorded cooperative was formed in 1871
The earliest record of a cooperative in New Zealand reports the formation of the Otago Cooperative Cheese Co at John Mathieson’s Springfield farm on the Otago Peninsula, near Dunedin, on 22 August 1871.
Each of the eight dairy farmers purchased shares based on the amount of milk to be supplied, with each share having a value of £1 and representing the supply of ten quarts of milk.
The general principles adopted by this cooperative were typical of those which have prevailed in cooperative societies and companies through to the present day.
Today's cooperatives may not all be obvious or well known but there are some very strong cooperative businesses, particularly in the agricultural sector.
In 2008, the combined revenue of cooperatives and mutuals was over $32bn, and almost 20 percent of Management magazine’s Top 200 were co-ops and mutuals, including the country's single largest business, Fonterra Cooperative Group.
To find out more about cooperatives active in New Zealand today, take a look at the links page.
