In this section

Caring for people is at the core of our Co-operative. We’re doing what’s right in how we operate, provide employment, and enhance livelihoods.

We’re mindful of the impact our scale and reach can have on people’s diets, their livelihoods and society as a whole. From providing safe and healthy nutrition, through the way we care for our farmers and employees throughout our value chain, to the way we support our local communities at home and abroad.

Caring for our communities


We are working together to care for our land and make a positive impact on society, and this means:

 

Addressing your health challenges

Address public health challenges by improving the nutritional value of our products in the promotion of healthy diets.

Looking after our people

Provide positive employment for our people by promoting a healthy and safe working environment and developing a diverse, skilled, and agile workforce.

Doing business the right way

Improve the health of our communities by doing business in the right way, sharing what we do best and playing our part to build resilient, sustainable communities.

A community of people working together 

Our Co-operative was created through a community of people working together to help each other.

The communities we are part of have always been important to us, and it's through Hapori - meaning community, kinship and coming together for a common cause that we intend to continue, to create meaningful impact in our communities. 

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At the heart of our communities

We support a wide range of initiatives & projects throughout regional New Zealand.  These include school groups, educational groups, charitable trusts, sports clubs and local emergency services for a wide range of environmental, community and health and safety initiatives.

Shepherdess...for mothers, daughters, sisters, friends

Kristy McGregor, a Fonterra farmer supplier in Horowhenua, has launched Shepherdess, a magazine for and about rural women. She’s never had any publishing experience, just a mission and some passion and now her hard work’s being recognised

Fonterra partners with New Zealand Food Network

Fonterra has recently signed up as a foundation donor partner to the newly created New Zealand Food Network, a food charity that stores and re-distributes large volumes of surplus and donated food.
Keeping up community action to restore waterways

As parts of New Zealand still face a long recovery from a severe drought, it’s important now more than ever to stay focused on our water goals.
Doing our bit to support New Zealand’s small and medium-sized businesses

As a Co-operative owned by 10,000 farming families, we recognise the enormous contribution small and medium-sized businesses make to New Zealand’s economy and we want to play our part in supporting our country’s economic recovery.
Gin Distillers turned Good Sorts

When two of our team from Fonterra’s Clandeboye site heard that there was a shortage of ‘liquid gold’ in their local community, they knew they had to do something about it.

We'd love to show you around

We’re super-proud of our farms and manufacturing sites. Come on in and have a look at what goes on behind the scenes.

Open Gates
Getting the school day off to a flying start

KickStart breakfast has served more than 30 million breakfasts and runs in more than 1000 schools nationwide.

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Fonterra in the community

Explore some incredible community projects, stories about ingenuity and innovation and news about our amazing farmers and customers.

Rewarding diversity at Fonterra's Research and Development Centre 

Inclusivity and Innovation key to success. With more than 40 different ethnicities across a team of nearly 400 and 14 different languages spoken by our leaders across site alone, our team at the FRDC truly is a culturally diverse bunch.

December 11, 2020

A Primo way to showcase our farms

December 07, 2020

Shepherdess...for mothers, daughters, sisters, friends

November 20, 2020

A winning approach to health & wellbeing

November 18, 2020
Made with Care: Great cheese needs great milk

With one and a half decades of experience in cheese making, Cathy Lang knows her stuff when it comes to cheese and is excited to be involved in NZ Trade and Enterprise’s international “Made with Care” campaign.

October 21, 2020
How one community has rallied to protect whitebait

It might be whitebait season right now but a community in Northland is more set on making new homes for the silvery-white fish than catching them.

October 13, 2020
From stroke to half marathon in a year

Lacking motivation? COVID getting you down? Let Jackson Flinn be your inspiration.

September 25, 2020
Fonterra partners with New Zealand Food Network 

Fonterra has recently signed up as a foundation donor partner to the newly created New Zealand Food Network.

September 14, 2020
Helping to get a COVID vaccine

When COVID-19 first hit New Zealand’s shores Fonterra stepped up to help make hand sanitiser and some of its employees volunteered their time to make face masks. Now the Co-op’s offering another hand – this time to help develop a vaccine.

September 03, 2020
Long john rescue

When Dave Sattler went for a weekend climb up his beloved maunga, Mt Taranaki, he never expected to he’d have to take part in a rescue involving underwear.

August 28, 2020
Keeping up community action to restore waterways

As parts of New Zealand still face a long recovery from a severe drought, it’s important now more than ever to stay focussed on our water goals.

August 26, 2020
Sanjeev’s ‘fantastic office on wheels’

When Sanjeev Kumar moved to New Zealand from India as a student five years ago he never imagined he’d end up driving Fonterra tankers around Bay of Plenty, “I love my job! This has been a life-changing experience for me”.

August 21, 2020
A gem of a farmer

Rewarding an all-round good guy. Combining first-class care for the environment, his animals and local community has seen Whanganui farmer Chris Davison rewarded in a very rare way.

August 20, 2020
Cows, culture & community

Every waking moment for Invercargill farmer Reza Abdul-Jabbar is spent either farming or mucking in to help his community.

August 07, 2020
The power of positivity

Farmer, personal trainer, mental health advocate and self-confessed ‘energizer bunny’ - just a few of the many ways to describe Felicity Clark.

July 31, 2020
From cockpit to farm

When COVID-19 ground his eight-year career as a pilot for Air New Zealand to a sudden halt, Henry Lambert decided to turn it into an opportunity for a complete change - to farming.

July 27, 2020
Co-op suppliers sweep the NZ Dairy Industry Awards

Hawke’s Bay farmers Nick and Nicky Dawson have led a clean sweep for Fonterra suppliers at the 2020 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards.

July 06, 2020
Hilary’s taste test

Hilary Barry’s one of New Zealand’s most well-known and best-loved TV hosts, co-starring alongside Jeremy Wells, every weeknight right after the six o’clock news – on Seven Sharp.

June 29, 2020
A mission to keep our people safe

As lockdown restrictions took hold in New Zealand and the rest of the world, businesses across the globe fought to secure masks – the best thing since hand sanitiser in the fight against COVID-19.

June 22, 2020
Doing our bit to support New Zealand’s small and medium-sized businesses

Small to medium-sized businesses to be paid in 10 days.

June 12, 2020