New report shows co-ops and mutuals pack a punch, and keep prosperity close to home
Wellington, 19 September 2025 – Cooperative Business NZ [CBNZ] The significant contribution the cooperative and mutual sector makes to Aotearoa New Zealand was acknowledged this week at an event at Parliament to coincide with the release of the NZ Cooperative Economy Report 2025. The report by Cooperative Business NZ provides the most comprehensive picture to date of how cooperatives and mutuals contribute to everyday life, regional prosperity, and national productivity.
“Cooperatives in New Zealand absolutely punch above their weight. They are more than businesses; they’re long-term partners in our economy and our communities.” says Cooperative Business NZ CEO Saya Wahrlich. “Cooperatives build a better world and this report shows how they’re doing just that in New Zealand.”
“Co-ops and mutuals touch almost every part of our daily life - banking and insurance, DIY, health, groceries, construction, rural services - and they anchor vital export chains. They are some of our most trusted and successful brands, and our most enduring businesses. This isn’t one sector, our report shows it’s a system woven through Aotearoa.” Ms Wahrlich says.
While cooperatives make up just 0.04% of companies in New Zealand, the report shows:
They live nearly 5x longer than the average Kiwi company
The top 30 generate revenue equivalent to 12.5% of NZ’s GDP value
The top 30 directly employ 49,000+ people (1.5% of the workforce) and serve 1.66 million members
They lift productivity for smaller firms through pooled procurement and shared services
They anchor prosperity locally via member ownership and regional footprints.
Cooperative Business NZ Chair Mike Brown says “Cooperatives are more than just a business structure. They are a reflection of who we are as a nation - collaborative, community-driven, and forward-thinking. From our rural heartlands to our urban centres, co-ops have long played a central role in shaping our economy and supporting the wellbeing of our people. In this United Nations International Year of Cooperatives, it is fitting that we acknowledge the sector’s sizeable role in our economic footprint. Far less value drifts offshore in a co-op model.”
“We’re proud of our mutual model at FMG,” says Pete Frizzell, FMG’s Chief Marketing Officer. “We were created by farmers who could see there was a better way to do things, and getting a better deal for rural New Zealand is still what drives us at FMG after 120 years.”
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