New Zealand Dairy Statistics 2014-15

• 2 million cows in the South Island
• Largest average herd size (808) in North Canterbury
• South Island average herd sizes increasing faster than North Island
Farms in the South Island are, on average, larger than those in the North Island (both in terms of farm area and cow numbers, see Table 3.1).
Sixty per cent of all cows are in the North Island, with 23% in the Waikato region. The average herd size in both islands continues to increase.
Within the South Island, North Canterbury has the largest average herd size (808 cows). In the North Island, Hawkes Bay has the largest
average herd size of 652 cows. The smallest average herd sizes are in Auckland, Taranaki, and Northland, averaging 272, 291 and 311 cows
respectively. North Canterbury has the highest average cows per hectare (3.50), followed closely by South Canterbury (3.41). The regions with
the lowest average cows per hectare are the West Coast (2.20), Northland (2.28) and Auckland (2.42).
Table 3.1: Herd analysis by region in 2014/15
Farming region Total herds Percentage
of herds
Total cows
Percentage
of cows
Total
effective
hectares
Percentage
of effective
hectares
Average
herd size
Average
effective
hectares
Average
cows per
hectare
Northland 917 7.7 285,395 5.7 125,101 7.2 311 136 2.28
Auckland 419 3.5 114,078 2.3 47,063 2.7 272 112 2.42
Waikato 3,507 29.3 1,173,420 23.4 395,304 22.6 335 113 2.97
Bay of Plenty 597 5.0 200,764 4.0 70,788 4.1 336 119 2.84
Central Plateau 483 4.0 261,995 5.2 95,952 5.5 542 199 2.73
Western Uplands 90 0.8 46,265 0.9 18,388 1.1 514 204 2.52
East Coast 8 0.1 4,690 0.1 1,740 0.1 586 218 2.70
Hawkes Bay 75 0.6 48,920 1.0 17,323 1.0 652 231 2.82
Taranaki 1,705 14.2 496,464 9.9 174,321 10.0 291 102 2.85
Manawatu 555 4.6 220,020 4.4 79,950 4.6 396 144 2.75
Wairarapa 462 3.9 169,077 3.4 60,949 3.5 366 132 2.77
North Island 8,818 73.7 3,021,088 60.2 1,086,879 62.2 343 123 2.78
Nelson/Marlborough 237 2.0 87,694 1.7 30,895 1.8 370 130 2.84
West Coast 376 3.1 155,535 3.1 70,812 4.1 414 188 2.20
North Canterbury 833 7.0 672,828 13.4 192,082 11.0 808 231 3.50
South Canterbury 304 2.5 244,075 4.9 71,476 4.1 803 235 3.41
Otago 431 3.6 263,993 5.3 87,074 5.0 613 202 3.03
Southland 971 8.1 573,120 11.4 206,938 11.9 590 213 2.77
South Island 3,152 26.3 1,997,245 39.8 659,277 37.8 634 209 3.03
New Zealand 11,970 5,018,333 1,746,156 419 146 2.87
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New Zealand Dairy Statistics 2014-15