There are around 25 dairy factories producing manufactured dairy products in New Zealand. These are owned by eight cooperative companies. Each company is governed by a board of directors elected by farmer suppliers.
Farmers fund the cooperatives by supplying share capital.
The dairy companies produce nearly all of the dairy products manufactured in New Zealand, of which most is exported. The board is responsible for marketing dairy produce manufactured for export. It coordinates manufacturing and industry growth plans with export market requirements. The board exports to over 100 countries annually and has its own marketing distribution network in the countries it exports to. The Dairy Board is the largest multinational dairy marketing organisation in the world.