Fonterra

1. Business / Trading Name: Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited (trading as “Fonterra”).

2. Company Number: 1166320.

3. NZBN (NZ Business Number): 9429036748471.

4. Entity Type: New Zealand Co-operative Company (farmer-owned dairy co-operative).

5. Business Classification: Dairy product manufacturing; Industry: Food and Beverage Manufacturing (focusing on milk, butter, cheese, milk powder, etc.).

6. Industry Category: Agriculture and Food Processing (Dairy Sector). Fonterra operates in dairy farming (milk collection), dairy manufacturing, and global dairy export trade.

7. Year Founded: 2001 (formed 16 October 2001 by merger of NZ Dairy Group, Kiwi Co-op Dairies, and the NZ Dairy Board).

8. Addresses: Registered & Physical Headquarters: Fonterra Centre, 109 Fanshawe Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, New Zealand. (Former HQ addresses included 9 Princes St, Auckland until 2016.)

9. Website URL: Main:

https://www.fonterra.com

9. (regional sites available for global markets).

10. LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fonterra (profile of Fonterra with ~13,000 listed employees).

11. Company Hub NZ URL: https://www.companyhub.nz/companyDetails.cfm?nzbn=9429036748471 Companies Office URL: https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/1166320 (official registry profile for Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd).

12. Social Media URLs:

    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fonterra/ (official page)

    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fonterra.nz/ (NZ-focused account)

    • Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/Fonterra (official handle)

    • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/FonterraLtd

    • LinkedIn: as above.

13. Ultimate Holding Company: None – Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd is the ultimate parent (no higher holding company). It is owned by its farmer-shareholders.

14. Key Shareholders: Approximately 8,000 New Zealand dairy farming families (co-operative farmer-shareholders) collectively own ~93.3% of shares. The largest single shareholding bloc is the Fonterra Shareholders’ Fund (held via Fonterra Farmer Custodian Ltd) which holds ~6.67% of Fonterra shares on behalf of outside investors. (The Fund allows public investment but confers economic rights only.) No other individual shareholders have controlling stakes (one member, one vote principle).

15. Leadership:

    • Chairman: Peter McBride – Chair since Nov 2020 (director since 2018).

    • Chief Executive Officer: Miles Hurrell – CEO since August 2018. (Governance: 11-member Board of Directors; Executive team: includes CFO, COO, etc.).

16. Staff: ~16,441 employees (FY2024) globally. (~12,000+ in New Zealand; others across 40+ countries). Staff include dairy processing workers, food scientists, supply chain/logistics, sales/marketing, and corporate personnel. Fonterra is one of NZ’s largest employers.

17. Staff with Previous Government Roles:

    • Todd Muller: former Fonterra Director of Co-operative Affairs (2000s) who had been an Advisor to the Prime Minister (1990s) and later became an MP (Leader of the Opposition in 2020).

    • Nicola Shadbolt: Fonterra board director (2009–2018) who served as a NZ Climate Change Commissioner (2019–2022). (Fonterra’s government relations team also includes former ministerial staff; e.g. Muller managed local government relations at Fonterra after working in the PM’s office.)

18. Past Employees:

    • Craig Norgate – inaugural CEO (2001–2003).

    • Andrew Ferrier – CEO (2003–2011) who led Fonterra’s early global expansion.

    • Theo Spierings – CEO (2011–2018) who resigned after losses in 2018.

    • Sir Henry van der Heyden – Chairman (2002–2012), oversaw Fonterra’s formation and first decade.

    • John Wilson – Chairman (2012–2018).

    • John Monaghan – Chairman (2018–2020). (Other notable former execs include CFOs Jonathan Mason and Marc Rivers, and directors like Sir Ralph Norris.)

19. Clients: Global food and beverage companies are major clients for Fonterra’s dairy ingredients. Nestlé (e.g. milk powder for Nestlé’s infant formula and Milo) and Danone (formerly a top buyer of Fonterra’s base powder for infant formula) have been significant customers. Mars, Inc. (uses Fonterra dairy in products like Snickers) is also an international client. In NZ, Fonterra’s own consumer brands (Anchor, Mainland, etc.) supply supermarkets, and it provides dairy inputs to foodservice (restaurants, bakeries) and food manufacturers. (Danone ceased sourcing from Fonterra after a 2013 contamination scare and sued for damages.)

20. Industries/Sectors Represented: Represents the dairy farming and dairy export sector – i.e. milk production, processing (manufacture of milk powder, butter, cheese, etc.), and export trade. Also involved in the wider agri-food industry and ingredients supply to beverage, confectionery, and nutritional product sectors. Fonterra often speaks for NZ’s dairy industry in trade and regulatory matters.

21. Publicly Disclosed Engagements: Regular submissions to government, e.g. 2019 submission on the Zero Carbon Bill (supporting climate targets with caveats); participation in the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA) review legislative process (lobbied for fair milk price rules). Fonterra execs frequently appear in Parliamentary select committee hearings on dairy and trade issues, and its representatives meet with Ministers (for instance, a Nov 2022 meeting of dairy sector CEOs with the Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister). Fonterra’s lobbying activities in the US and EU are disclosed via those jurisdictions’ registers.

22. Affiliations:

    • Dairy Companies Association of NZ (DCANZ): Fonterra is a leading member (Fonterra executives have chaired DCANZ).

    • BusinessNZ: member of NZ’s business advocacy network.

    • Sustainable Business Council NZ: Fonterra has been involved (its then-executive Todd Muller was a director).

    • International Dairy Federation (IDF): participates in global dairy forums.

    • NZ–China Council: Fonterra’s Chairman sits on this trade council. Also engages via the Primary Sector Climate Partnership (He Waka Eke Noa) and works closely with DairyNZ (farmer levy body) on policy and research.

23. Sponsorships / Collaborations:

    • Fonterra Milk for Schools: provided free milk to primary school children nationwide (2013–2020).

    • KickStart Breakfast: partnership with Sanitarium and Govt to provide free breakfasts (Weet-Bix and milk) to low-decile schools.

    • Anchor & All Blacks: Fonterra’s Anchor brand was an official sponsor of the NZ All Blacks rugby team (reviving a 1930s partnership).

    • Fonterra Grass Roots Fund: grants supporting community projects (sports teams, local causes).

    • Open Gates farm days: annual event inviting the public onto Fonterra farmers’ dairy farms to build community trust. Collaborations with NGOs include the Living Water project with DOC (to improve waterways on dairying land).

24. Events (Organised by Fonterra):

    • Annual Meeting of Shareholders: held each November (co-op governance event).

    • Open Gates Day: nationwide open-farm event (e.g. 16 farms hosted ~8,400 visitors in one Open Gates initiative).

    • Farmers’ Forums: regular regional meetings for shareholder farmers. Fonterra also hosts industry workshops and has sponsored agricultural Fieldays and conferences (often presenting on sustainability and dairy market outlook). In addition, Fonterra organizes community outreach events (e.g. foodbank donation drives, school science roadshows) as part of its social responsibility program.

25. Political Donations: None disclosed. Fonterra’s Code of Business Conduct explicitly prohibits corporate contributions to any political party or candidate. There are no records of donations to NZ political parties by Fonterra. The co-op instead focuses on advocacy through formal submissions and industry groups, rather than party funding.

26. Controversies:

    • 2008 Sanlu scandal (China): Fonterra’s joint-venture Sanlu was embroiled in a fatal melamine adulteration of infant formula, affecting 300,000 babies.

    • 2013 botulism scare: Fonterra announced a whey protein might contain botulinum toxin, triggering global recalls – it was a false alarm, but led to reputational damage and a Danone lawsuit.

    • Environmental impacts: Fonterra has been criticised for “dirty dairying” – e.g. waterway pollution from intensive dairy farming and heavy coal use in milk dryers.

    • Climate lobbying: Fonterra (NZ’s largest greenhouse gas emitter via its supply chain) is accused of lobbying to delay regulation of agricultural emissions.

    • Market dominance: Domestic competitors have complained about Fonterra’s dominance (collecting ~79% of NZ’s milk).

    • Financial losses: Fonterra suffered huge losses in 2018–2019 (over NZ$600m) due to write-downs of overseas investments (notably in China’s Beingmate).

27. Other Information of Note:

    • Economic significance: Fonterra is New Zealand’s largest company, responsible for ~30% of the world’s dairy exports and about a quarter of NZ’s export earnings.

    • Capital structure: In 2012 Fonterra introduced Trading Among Farmers, creating the Fonterra Shareholders’ Fund on NZX/ASX to allow outside investment while preserving farmer control.

    • Trade policy influence: The co-op’s interests heavily influence NZ’s trade negotiations.

    • Regulatory framework: Fonterra operates under the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA).

    • Community role: The co-op is deeply interwoven with rural NZ.

28. Recipient of Wage Subsidy Scheme: No. Fonterra did not claim the 2020 COVID-19 Wage Subsidy for its operations.

Sources:

• New Zealand Companies Office. Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd – Company Extract.

• BizDB. Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited – business profile (NZBN 9429036748471).

• Wikipedia. Fonterra (company overview: history, scale, employees).

• NZ Herald (Fox, 2023). Fonterra shareholder farm numbers tumble… (market share 79%, farm count).

• Fonterra Press Release (2019). Climate Change Bill submission (Fonterra’s stance on Zero Carbon Bill).

• Fonterra Press Release (2019). DIRA review outcome (reaction to regulatory decisions).

• Greenpeace NZ (2024). Fonterra Exposed in Undermining Climate Action (details on lobbying spending, PR vs R&D).

• Reuters (2014). Danone to sue Fonterra… (Danone as major customer, lawsuit after scare).

• OpenSecrets (2022). Fonterra Cooperative Group – Lobbying (US lobbying expenditures and issues).

• Fonterra Code of Conduct (2020). The Way We Work (policy on political contributions).

• NZ Parliament Hansard (2021). Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment – debates referencing Fonterra’s panel influence.

• Scoop News (Greenpeace, 2024). New Merchants of Doubt report highlights Fonterra.

• Ministry for the Environment. Agricultural emissions data (context on dairy emissions).

• LinkedIn – Fonterra page (company info, industry).

• Various news articles and government releases as cited inline (NZ Herald, RNZ, etc.) for specific events and quotations.

Spot anything in this entry that is wrong? Please either leave a comment at the end or email, in confidence: bryce@democracyproject.nz