How New Zealand built its dairy empire on billions of dollars of debt | Milk and Money | Episode 1

We explore how and why New Zealand’s dairy boom occurred, and the important role the industry has played in our economy and rural communities - both in financial debt and environmental cost. Subscribe to Re: bit.ly/subscribe-re
Re: Journalist Baz Macdonald speaks to Southland dairy farmers Scott and Ewen Mathieson, economist Peter Fraser and Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell.
Milk and Money: The True Cost of Dairy in Aotearoa is a six-part series exploring the dairy industry’s impact on the community, economy and environment of Aotearoa, and considering what a sustainable future for the industry could look like. Watch the full series here: • Milk and Money
Made with the support of NZ on Air.
00:00 - Introduction
02:10 - How the NZ dairy industry works
04:25 - History of Agriculture in NZ
06:35 - The growth of dairy
07:57 - Post-boom
11:43 - Peak cow
13:00 - Fonterra
16:45 - Young people and dairy
19:00 - The true cost of dairy
Re: makes videos, articles and podcasts about the things that matter to young people in Aotearoa. Check out: www.renews.co.nz/
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[@BritaDellaBarca]

Wow, Mr. Miles Hurrell CEO really just said a whole lot of nothing, didn't he? Loved hearing what everyone else had to say. As an urban NZer who grew up rural this was really eye opening and everyone should be seeing this. Fantastic doco! Looking forward to watching the rest of the series.

[@theovanveen5375]

Why even include Hurrell in this conversation. Frontera promised to make changes to reduce the environmental impact of their operation more than 10 years ago Almost nothing has been done simply because investing in the future of a sustainable NZ does not improve their balance sheet and would thus piss off their shareholders.

[@racketman2u]

You have to remember that Fonterra is owned by farmers, run by farmers for the enrichment of farmers, so their world view is going to be ... not wide.

[@shaunswneybro]

Impressed by the extent of the research, ka pai cuz! Dare I say you've made me much more empathetic to the farmers plight, and it's so awesome to see older generations willing to embrace change but knowing the realities of the industry.

[@ElricAzarai]

Really interesting! Thanks for all the good mahi!

[@kOt985]

Informative series👍

[@hellbee105]

Excellent, thanks.

[@tonymckeage1028]

Great Video, Much of the south island and central north island was converted on the basis of three things, Rotary Cowsheds, poor returns for sheep farmers and Irrigation, Thanks for sharing

[@Steve_Steve888]

I come from a dairy region the land can only support intensive dairying as the rates we pay to the local council, regional council is so high it can only support this type of land use.....

[@docimma]

Do you have information concerning adaptations for dairy farms to reduce impact? Are there examples of such farms? Considerations for changing part of farm to orchards, vineyard? Any info on the waterfront Coromandel dairy high tech farm?

[@julianwarmington1267]

Hang on a minute: "waterfront Coromandel dairy high tech farm" - you what?! Where is that at? How long's it been there. Yeah I'm interested in that too.

[@bellablow4287]

That's so freaking sad for farmers - like he really wants to do something more sustainable and not work his guts out milking twice a day but he can't afford to change ... And he knows he's killing the land and waterways and he feels horrible about it 😭 I know this is crazy But fuck 3 waters The government should pay off farm debt and keys do something innovative and sustainable ... something farmers can really get excited about ....it would fix EVERYTHING Iwis ,& Māori wouldn't be pushing for co-governace - because the only reason they fighting so hard is to stop farmers and councils polluting and killing the land .... Bailing out councils water debt Doesn't fix the divide between Maori & council water use, they both want two completely different things ...and yeah some people might say why reward pākehā polluting farmers by giving them billions of dollars But I'm cool with that - it's kinda like we ALL just won the lotto Lol 😂 I'm babbling But I'm not crazy right? Like it could actually work

[@Frank-rx8ch]

Co. & Corp. Pushing beyond understanding. The environment NZ live in is a responsibility to be respected

[@chrisjury6931]

There is a lot of talking and a lot of angles being played out. I guess the hope is one or two idea's might stick. The reality is you are young. You had to be around as an young adult at least in the early 1980's to understand the immediate why. At that time, you could hardly have hoped for much in NZ. Land down far South was so cheap then .. $1000 or less an acre and certainly many could afford to take it all but no one really wanted to live in the deep south. Dairying has now made the land more valuable, at the same time Shadbolt has made Southland more amenable. Now it is relatively more expensive to acquire land, and of course you need to have production on the land to afford the cost of owning it. The young farmer's woes would disappear as soon as the landholding has been returned to the Iwi from whence it came. Then at the every least the farmer can enjoy the benefit of kaititangi. They could enjoy the use of the land while not owning it - this the future we want to advance across Aotearoa, your free title in exchange for kiatitangi. We would ask only for a a fair compensation for the value of the productive ability of the land, and that is better than interest paid to a foreign bank.

[@racketman2u]

maori as the landed aristocracy? great idea, sure to catch on.

[@user-qs6mb1nd3d]

Hello Sir Iam Kumar I have 17Years Dairy field Work Experience inSaudi Almarai Company .Now iam Looking Job .Any chance to join yours Company .please Reply .

[@coopsnz1]

Government crooks my uncle & aunty Bavin used to own 3 farms in South island before labor party got in power 2017

[@cowwhisperer8927]

It's a real shame You frame it so negative in the end...

[@hjstorey6737]

Destructive journalism.

[@philm6722]

Soon the drones with 1080 pellets will fly good bye cows 😂

[@michaelwalsh9145]

The minute I heard climate change I gave up, why don’t you do a piece on the real polluters that are never mentioned because they can pay off people? For instance councils directly pumping raw sewage into streams and rivers but less s blame the farmers instead, plenty other big companies doing the same but it’s all swept under the carpet and the farmers are an easy target even though they have to abide by mounds of regulations.

[@Alexanderschtegenburg]

i still drink milk ,such a informative series too! btw pollution water and rivers etch farmers should consider about potty train the cows , is nice to also hear other dairy farmers opinnion about the enviroment of their concern, as well we should concern more about the climate change

[@bellablow4287]

You're joking eh? 😂 Potty train? What do we do with all the shit? Where does it go

[@plussum3255]

@@bellablow4287 perhaps it could be used for fertiliser, though that would create further complexities in of itself, besides the fact that cow manure fertiliser grassland as well

[@MrGordyWordy]

and then there's the piss. I'm imagining a proper dunny for cows! A decent sized grate setup leading to a holding tank piped to a processing thingy. Good project for those Massey students. :) @@plussum3255

[@Taffakkar]

I need work

[@bennygeorge922]

Dairy farming is part of NZ but there are to many dairy farms in new Zealand just like there was to many money hungry house buying immigrants and unmanaged immigration made the NZ housing Crisis

[@Taffakkar]

I need work visa i need job

[@vpurduxyt9460]

This is destructive journalism

[@davidtavares3579]

A lot of noncense and lies on this video

[@pinkiepinkster8395]

And now everyone is switching to plant based milks.

[@titaniumwolf2]

incoming Soyboys...

[@Swede.from.Boston]

Soyboy is virgin.

[@benombati6501]

Can i get a work visaa i need to work.

[@bxinda2550]

I pray that the dairy industry eventually goes bankrupt all over the world!!

[@benombati6501]

Can i get a work visaa i need to work.