This episode featured as part of the Agribusiness segment in partnership with BNZ.

Dairy generated $28.8 billion in export revenue in the year ended December 2025 and supports 51,800 jobs across farming and processing, a Sense Partners analysis for DairyNZ and DCANZ found.

Mark Storey, head of economics at DairyNZ, says the money recirculates automatically through regional economies because the sector operates in most parts of the country.

“When the dairy sector is doing well, there is kind of like an automatic distribution mechanism built in,” he says.

Dairy contributes 10.6% of Southland’s GDP and 8.3% of Taranaki’s. He says farm employment is falling, but processing jobs are offsetting it.

“The dairy sector keeps earning and farmers keep spending.”

He says the wider economy would be in a deeper slump without primary industries, though a stronger dollar would take some shine off returns.

Read the full report here.

This episode featured as part of the Agribusiness segment in partnership with BNZ.

This podcast is solely for information purposes. It’s not financial or other professional advice. No party, including BNZ, is liable for direct or indirect loss or damage resulting from the content of this podcast.

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