Welcome to Dairy Holdings Ltd  

Dairy Holdings Limited (Dairy Holdings) is a New Zealand registered company with 100% of its farming assets in the South Island of New Zealand

The extensive South Island operations are undertaken through wholly owned subsidiary companies and are managed from the Group's Timaru office.  These operations commenced in June 2001 following the purchase by the Group of the major Canterbury and North Otago dairy properties from the corporate farming entities Tasman Agriculture Limited and Dairy Brands Limited.

Message to Dairy Holdings Ltd Stakeholders

Dairy Holdings Limited has been advised that Receivers have been appointed to its 33% shareholder, South Canterbury Finance Limited.

Dairy Holdings Limited is not in any way affected by these events, and the other 67% of shareholders remain stable and continue to take a long term view.

All staff and business partners should be assured that Dairy Holdings Limited remains viable with an extremely positive outlook. This is due to the efforts of all our people over recent years to remain focused and ensure the Company operates autonomously and is profitable. 

It is business as usual. 

Should there be any queries regarding these developments please do not hesitate to contact the Company's Timaru office

Business Objectives 

The Dairy Holdings' operations are driven by the overriding objective of maximising profitability by adopting systems that increase the quantity of pasture grown and harvested.

This business ethos is based on research conducted through Ruakura and more recently the Lincoln University Dairy Farm that provides the base system for successful and profitable dairy farming.  This system initially promoted by Dr C P McMeeken and subsequently by Dr Arnold Bryant, continues to be supported through the use of high comparable stocking rate systems by DairyNZ.

Dairy Holdings' Shareholders, Directors and Management are committed to achieving consistent and repeatable levels of profitability predicated on simple, pasture based management systems.

To ensure systems are followed and that Dairy Holdings is regarded as an "employer of choice", Supervisors, Sharemilkers, Managers and Staff are interviewed annually by Investors in People New Zealand (IIPNZ) to ensure minimum standards are achieved or exceeded.  Accredited farms are able to use the IIPNZ logo when advertising for staff.

This simple pastoral based farming approach has already enabled a significant number of the Group's 300 farm staff to progress through the Group's employment structure to Lower Order Sharemilking and 50/50 Sharemilking positions, and subsequently farm ownership.

The drive to maximise shareholder profitability, while at the same time satisfying staff career progression, has resulted in approximately one-third of the Group's New Zealand farms being operated by 50/50 Sharemilkers.  These farms are generally the smaller dairy units of up to about 800 cows in size.  The balance of the larger farms are operated by Managers and Lower Order Sharemilkers.  This structure ensures all operators remain focused and motivated while growing their businesses within the Group

This systems based approach to dairy farming, enables the Group to now operate a significant corporate farming operation in New Zealand.

Dairy Holdings Ltd - Directors

Colin Charles Armer (Chairman) 

Colin Armer is a leading North Island based dairy farmer and, together with his wife Dale, holds extensive agricultural interests.  Mr Armer brings considerable dairy farming experience to the Board having been involved in the Industry for 30 years and is presently a Director of Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd.

Allan James Hubbard

Allan Hubbard is a founding partner of the accountancy firm Hubbard Churcher & Co and a shareholder of Southbury Group Ltd, the ultimate parent company of Dairy Holdings Ltd Shareholder, South Canterbury Finance Ltd.  Allan Hubbard also has extensive involvement with agribusinesses throughout Australasia.

Alan John Pye

Alan Pye has been involved in the farming industry all his life and has extensive land holdings in Australia and New Zealand, with substantial involvement in crop and dairy farming.  Mr Pye also owns Rushy Lagoon, Tasmania's second largest Dairy Operation.