NZ agribusinesses urged to embrace China’s e-commerce and innovation boom
Keep up with innovation and e-commerce in China or risk losing market share. That was the message delivered at the China Business Summit in Auckland this month.
Almost $600 million flowed into the meat industry from outside New Zealand in the last 18 months.
Overseas firms looked to secure NZ beef and lamb and strengthen their global agrifood positions, says a new report.
Investors chiefly from China and Japan bought in, says the report ‘Investors Guide to the NZ Meat industry 2017’, released in June. It was commissioned by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and prepared by Coriolis.
The meat industry has an almost even split of foreign and private ownership, and the largest two firms are farmer cooperatives, the report says.
New foreign firms continue buying into the meat industry and they keep spending on plant and equipment.
NZ meat firms spend on new and improved marketing.
The number of meat processing firms in NZ is growing and industry efficiency is improving, particularly in poultry.
“NZ has a large, robust meat products industry with a wide range of participants of various sizes,” the report says.
“Employment in meat processing in NZ is consolidating in red meat (fewer sheep) and growing in poultry and cured meats; poultry stands out for maintaining or improving efficiency.
“Meat processing employs over 30,000 people spread across the country. While employment is spread across large number of firms, the top three meat processors account for over 50% of industry employment and the top 11 for 85%.
“NZ has a reasonably consolidated meat industry, with a range of strong firms competing; however there appear to be further consolidation opportunities, particularly in lamb and beef.
“Lamb processing share and beef processing share keep changing across the industry.
“Silver Fern Farms remains the largest meat firm in NZ by turnover.”
Phoebe Scherer, a technical manager from the Bay of Plenty, has won the 2025 Young Grower of the Year national title.
The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.
Award-winning boutique cheese company, Cranky Goat Ltd has gone into voluntary liquidation.
As an independent review of the National Pest Management Plan for TB finds the goal of complete eradication by 2055 is still valide, feedback is being sought on how to finish the job.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand has launched an AI-powered digital assistant to help farmers using the B+LNZ Knowledge Hub to create tailored answers and resources for their farming businesses.
A tiny organism from the arid mountains of mainland Greece is facilitating a new way of growing healthier animals on farms across New Zealand.
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