New Zealand

New Zealand is an island nation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean with a total land area of about 268,000 km², consisting primarily of the North Island and South Island. The country’s geography is highly diverse, ranging from volcanic plateaus and geothermal regions in the North Island to the Southern Alps in the South Island. A temperate maritime climate with generally reliable rainfall and moderate temperatures creates favourable conditions for pasture-based agriculture and forest growth.

Human settlement began with Polynesian Māori populations around the 13th century, whose land-use systems included horticulture and forest management. European colonisation in the 19th century transformed land use toward pastoral farming, which became the foundation of the modern primary sector following British settlement and the development of refrigerated shipping in the late 1800s.

Agriculture plays a central role in the national economy despite contributing only about 5–7% of GDP, as it remains highly export-oriented. Around 40–45% of the land area is used for agricultural purposes, much of it as permanent pasture. New Zealand maintains approximately 10 million cattle and 25–27 million sheep, supporting one of the world’s most significant dairy and meat export industries. Annual milk production typically exceeds 21 billion litres, while meat production includes roughly 600,000 tonnes of beef and 400,000 tonnes of lamb per year. Arable farming occupies a smaller share of land but produces important crops such as wheat, barley and maize, with total cereal production generally around 2–3 million tonnes annually. Horticulture is also highly developed, particularly in fruit production such as kiwifruit and apples.

Forests cover about 38% of the land area, equivalent to roughly 10 million hectares. Of this, approximately 2 million hectares consist of plantation forests dominated by fast-growing radiata pine. The forestry sector produces around 30–35 million cubic metres of logs annually, forming a major export industry alongside processed wood products such as sawn timber and pulp.

Marine resources are significant due to New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone of more than 4 million km², one of the largest in the world. The fisheries sector produces approximately 400,000–500,000 tonnes of seafood annually, including key species such as hoki, squid and mussels. Aquaculture is an expanding component of the primary sector, particularly in mussel and salmon farming.

Overall, New Zealand’s primary sector is shaped by favourable climatic conditions and advanced management systems, supporting highly productive pastoral agriculture, extensive plantation forestry and a well-regulated fisheries industry that together form a cornerstone of the country’s export economy.

Gerold first travelled to New Zealand in 2005, visiting a bilateral project with AgResearch in Palmerston North after arriving via Auckland. Staying with Alec McCay, he experienced a country where agriculture — including sheep research — still enjoys strong social recognition. He attended farmer meetings and observed early-stage environmental debates, while being impressed by the highly developed pasture-based farming systems. After a week, he travelled through Lake Taupo, Rotorua and Hamilton before continuing to Australia. He returned in 2006 with Klaudia, travelling from Auckland through Rotorua, Taupo, Palmerston North, Napier, Gisborne and Hamilton, staying with colleagues and on an organic farm near Turaga Bay. A third visit in 2009 took him back to Palmerston North, this time to Massey University for collaboration on climate change and milk production. Despite cold and wet weather, highlights included travelling near Mount Taranaki and visiting the glowworm caves south of Hamilton. While Palmerston North itself remained unremarkable to him, the research work at AgResearch and Massey University was highly engaging.