Agriculture in New Zealand

A bullock wagon team taking wool from a farm station. The number of sheep in New Zealand peaked in the 1980s and has reduced due to lower profits from wool, and larger breeds of sheep for meat

In New Zealand, agriculture is the largest sector of the tradable economy. The country exported NZ$46.4 billion worth of agricultural products (raw and manufactured) in the 12 months to June 2019, 79.6% of the country's total exported goods.[1] The agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector directly contributed $12.653 billion (or 5.1%) of the national GDP in the 12 months to September 2020,[2] and employed 143,000 people, 5.9% of New Zealand's workforce, as of the 2018 census.[3]

New Zealand is unique in being the only developed country to be totally exposed to the international markets since subsidies, tax concessions and price supports for the agricultural sector were removed in the 1980s.[4] However, as of 2017, the New Zealand Government still provides state investment in infrastructure which supports agriculture.[5]

Pastoral farming is the major land use, but a significant amount of land is also devoted to horticulture.

New Zealand is a member of the Cairns Group, which is seeking to have free trade in agricultural goods.[6]

  1. ^ "New Zealand's primary sector exports reach a record $46.4 billion". Stuff. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Gross domestic product: September 2020 quarter | Stats NZ". www.stats.govt.nz. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  3. ^ "2018 Census totals by topic" (Microsoft Excel spreadsheet). Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  4. ^ Brendan Hutching, ed. (2006). New Zealand Official Yearbook. Statistics New Zealand. p. 359. ISBN 978-1-86953-638-1.
  5. ^ "Background". Crown Irrigation Investments. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Agricultural trade negotiations". New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 14 December 2017.