Foreign Minister and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has launched a blistering attack on Fonterra’s proposal to sell its iconic consumer brands — including Anchor and Mainland — to French multinational Lactalis for nearly $4 billion, calling it a betrayal of New Zealand’s dairy legacy.
In a strongly worded statement on social media, Peters said Fonterra must “answer two serious questions” about the deal. He questioned the length and security of Fonterra’s proposed “long-term agreement,” warning that once it expires, “New Zealand’s milk will become just another in a long line of milk jugs.” He also raised concerns that Lactalis could dilute the integrity of New Zealand-branded products with vegetable fat or lower-quality milk.
Peters further demanded transparency over claims that Fonterra executives, including CEO Miles Hurrell, could receive substantial bonuses if the sale proceeds. “If they plan to leave the company after this deal, what is their long-term interest in Fonterra’s success?” he asked.
Describing Anchor as a “flagship brand built by generations since 1886,” Peters argued that selling it to a foreign company would sever New Zealand’s direct relationship with global consumers and undermine the cooperative’s value-added strategy. He said the claim that Fonterra cannot afford to grow its own brands was “rubbish,” noting that new investments like its UHT plant in Edendale prove otherwise.
Peters urged farmers to “think very carefully” before supporting the sale, insisting that every dollar earned must reflect New Zealand’s own value creation rather than enriching foreign corporations. “No more spoilt milk,” he said. “We must grow New Zealand’s fortunes, not sell them off.”
Fonterra must answer two serious questions today.
They propose to sell New Zealand’s flagship brands to the French company Lactalis, including brands like Anchor and Mainland, for almost $4 billion.
Farmers and the public need answers:
1. Is Fonterra’s “long-term agreement”…
— Winston Peters (@winstonpeters) October 8, 2025
Totally agree with Winston, selling New Zealand brands for pennies, who do these deal makers work for, this happens time and time again to successful NZ companies only to be screwed long term
Fonterras actions are under the microscope of the nz press and farmers so it’s unlikely Peter’s will prove corruption.
Much better for Peter’s to turn his attention to Willis’ support of cost of living crisis causing nz oligopolies, Willis nonsensical plan to sell chorus, and Brooks VVs non investigation into the $74.4b covid fraud.
Think very carefully and follow the money trail. One abbreviation BG. To control the worlds food supply. These CEOs selling out NZ should are traitors. But I guess the writing was on the wall when the NZ Dairy Corp was sold into private hands.
This is all just corporations rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic before the globalist agenda is put in place. The bigger the corporation the more they will swallow the smaller ones so that you will literally have very little to no choice as to who you buy from once we are forced to shop digitally for everything. My guess is fonterra were commanded to sell. would not surprise me if Black Rock have fingers in the pie of both companies.
NZ’s population over the past 100 years enriched the dairy farmers who remain a minority of the population. The flagship brands are owned by the dairy monopolists, not by the people. The people just own the mess the dairy farmers leave behind like dirty rivers and dirty drinking water. The dairy farming profits continue to be corporatised while the costs like dirty rivers are borne by the public. NZ’s dairy industry needs to be totally deregulated with the legally enforced breakup of industry monopolies if we ever want to see affordable local butter and cheese prices again. Forget those flagship brands which will eventually come to represent the polluted waterways created by NZ’s dairy industry.
As of 2024, Marlborough has approximately 2,091 active vineyards, covering over 30,444 hectares—making it New Zealand’s largest wine-producing region by far.
🍇 Marlborough Vineyard Snapshot
– Total active vineyards: 2,091 across the region
– Total producing area: 30,444 hectares (about 72% of NZ’s vineyard land)
– Average vineyard size: 20 hectares (42.49 acres)
– Dominant grape variety: Sauvignon Blanc (28,109 ha, 66% of NZ’s total)
– Sub-regions: Wairau Valley, Awatere Valley, Southern Valleys
These vineyards consume 167-180 tonnes of phosphates across 30,000+ hectares.
Anything less than 30 acres is a c*nt.
Interesting though.
Most of Marlborough’s runoff comes from intensive pastoral farming, cropping, and forestry operations—not vineyards. These sectors contribute excess nutrients, sediment, and pathogens to waterways, especially during heavy rain or poor land management.
🌊 Primary Sources of Runoff in Marlborough
1. Pastoral Farming (Dairy & Drystock)
– Animal waste: Urine and manure release nitrogen and phosphorus.
– Effluent systems: Overflow or poor containment leads to direct contamination.
– Stream access: Unfenced waterways allow livestock to trample banks and deposit waste.
– Hotspots: Stock camps, tracks, and stream crossings concentrate runoff.
2. Cropping & Horticulture
– Fertiliser overuse: High application rates of nitrogen and phosphorus.
– Bare soil exposure: Increases erosion and sediment loss.
– Pesticide runoff: Especially during rain events or irrigation mismanagement.
3. Forestry
– Harvesting: Exposes soil, leading to sediment runoff.
– Replanting cycles: Can destabilize slopes and increase turbidity.
– Roads and skid sites: Major contributors to sediment pulses.
4. Urban & Infrastructure
– Stormwater systems: Carry hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and pathogens.
– Wastewater leaks: Aging infrastructure can release contaminants into rivers.
– Damaged sewer systems from earthquakes
🍇 Vineyards: Minimal Contributors
– Low fertiliser use: ~5.5 kg-P/ha/year, with minimal leaching.
– Targeted pesticide use: Mostly for mealybugs and trunk disease.
– Ground cover: Reduces erosion and sediment loss.
– Riparian buffers: Increasingly adopted to intercept runoff.
Ever stop to think your standard of living is thanks to our farmers who export product which allows you the luxuries you have ? Why don’t you try getting up at 3 or 4am most mornings to milk cows ? Even at $9/block butter is still good value – how many fools will buy a coffee for 7 or $8 yet complain about the butter price ? OK, one must question the quality of the butter – I seem to recall the EU taking Fonterra to court over their butter, claiming it was not butter owing to the method of manufacture I believe. But you get the picture – we owe our farmers a debt of gratitude. Many of them do far more to protect the natural environment than you or I will ever do. Huge progress is being made in their environmental footprint and this needs to be acknowledged. No, I’m not a dairy farmer, hardly consume their product but I know what their hard work does for me and all Kiwis.
The sale needs to be questioned as the chairman is one of three “owners” of the Trinity group (who have several farms & 1000s of cows) and this outfit stands to make between $15m & $60m, tax free, based on the number of shares they must have to supply Fonterra. Is this a conflict of interest ?
Too late Mr. Peters
Trump puts extra 100% tariff on China imports, adds export controls on ‘critical software’.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/10/trump-trade-tariffs-china-software.html?&qsearchterm=tariffs
This will bring total China tariffs into the US in most cases around 130%.
At its peak in early 2025, the total U.S. tariff on Chinese goods reached 145%, before being temporarily reduced to 30% under a truce agreement.
Now, with the new 100% tariff announced for November 1, the total rate is set to climb back to 130%.
NZ radiata pine is heavily used in Chinese furniture manufacturing.
With U.S. tariffs making Chinese exports less viable, demand for NZ logs may drop.
🌲 Impact on New Zealand Forestry
New Zealand’s forestry sector is exposed in two key ways:
1. Indirect Exposure via China
– China is a major buyer of NZ radiata pine, used in furniture and packaging.
– Much of this wood is processed in China and re-exported to the U.S.
– With U.S. tariffs making Chinese furniture less viable, Chinese manufacturers may scale back, reducing demand for NZ timber.
2. Direct Tariffs on NZ Timber
– Separately, the U.S. has imposed a 10% tariff on NZ softwood lumber, effective October 14, 2025.
– While less severe than feared, it still adds cost pressure and uncertainty for NZ exporters.
Don’t forget a major use in China is for concrete form work/boxing for construction purposes. Given the world is going to turn to custard over the coming year I imagine the slowdown in demand for timber is the least of our worries.
Winston Peters makes some very good points and needs further discussion.
Quite right but too late.
This Govt better do something radical there will be NO manufacturing in NZ shortly with the price of power going north.
Or is this want the Govt wants how could they be so ignorant.