The Agricultural Production Statistics programme is fully-funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and administered by Stats NZ. It provides information about:

• animal farming, including sheep, beef and dairy cattle, and deer
• crop growing, including grain and seed crops, fruit and vegetables, wine grapes and nursery plants
• forestry and farm practices, including irrigation and fertiliser use.

The programme supports a range of tier 1 statistics – essential statistics to understand how well New Zealand is performing and to inform critical decisions.

It involves a full census of all farmers and foresters every 5 years, with sample surveys in intervening years. The last census was in 2017.

Provisional results are released by Stats NZ in mid-December each year and the final results are released in mid-May the following year.

• Browse current and past APS programme information – Stats NZ website
• APS surveys and censuses on DataInfo+ – Stats NZ website

Review of APS programme

MPI and Stats NZ, in consultation with internal and external stakeholders, are currently reviewing the APS programme.

Gaining an accurate picture of agricultural production in New Zealand, is essential for decision-making by government agencies and industry groups.

We need to invest in redeveloping agricultural production and land use statistics so that the programme continues to meet current and future user needs.

The review project will run over 2018 and 2019, starting with an evaluation of user needs. 

If you would like to comment on this project, email MPI at APSReview@mpi.govt.nz

Monthly livestock slaughter statistics for sheep, cattle, goats, horses and pigs at a national level.

Data is updated on the 25th of every month or the next working day. There is a 1-month lag between the data being processed and when it is published online, and the statistics are provisional for 3 months. 

As of 1 August 2016, cattle slaughter numbers and weights are disaggregated according to whether they come from dairy farms or beef farms. This results from the change in the TB levy system. 

No horses have been slaughtered for human consumption since October 2016.

• Livestock slaughter statistics for sheep, cattle, goats, horses and pigs – last updated 24 November 2020 [XLSX, 434 KB]
• Historical time series data for livestock slaughter – Stats NZ website

Download spreadsheets with annual statistics for the export of germplasm and live animals from 2011 to 2019.

• Live animal and germplasm export statistics 2019 [XLS, 2.1 MB]
• Live animal and germplasm export statistics 2018 [XLSX, 1.3 MB]
• Live animal and germplasm export statistics 2017 [XLS, 2.1 MB]
• Live animal and germplasm export statistics 2016 [XLSX, 1.2 MB]
• Live animal and germplasm export statistics 2015 [XLS, 2.1 MB]
• Live animal and germplasm export statistics 2014 [XLS, 2.2 MB]
• Live animal and germplasm export statistics 2013 [XLS, 2.1 MB]
• Live animal and germplasm export statistics 2012 [XLS, 1.4 MB]
• Live animal and germplasm export statistics 2011 [XLS, 1.4 MB]

An infographic showing exports of live animals in 2016 [PDF, 411 KB]

Horticulture New Zealand and Plant & Food Research produce an annual publication with facts and statistics about horticultural production and exports.

• View the fresh facts brochures

MPI last ran the full Horticulture, Arable and Apiculture Farm Monitoring Programme in 2012. It has since been replaced with a combination of co-funded partnerships with sector bodies and direct support by MPI.

Pipfruit

• 2017 Pipfruit Monitoring Report [PDF, 788 KB]
• 2016 Pipfruit Monitoring Report [PDF, 401 KB]
• 2015 Pipfruit Monitoring Report [PDF, 956 KB]

Viticulture

• 2017 Variety gross margin benchmarking report [PDF, 2.3 MB]
• 2017 Vineyard benchmarking report Marlborough [PDF, 3.7 MB]
• 2016 Viticulture gross margin benchmarking report [PDF, 1.5 MB]
• 2016 Viticulture model vineyard benchmarking report Marlborough [PDF, 1.4 MB]
• 2014 Viticulture monitoring report [PDF, 858 KB]

Kiwifruit

• MPI has a partnership with the kiwifruit sector to develop a revised kiwifruit monitoring programme. Monitoring reports will be published when they are available.

Arable

• MPI has a contract for access to anonymised and aggregated data from the Foundation for Arable Research for analysis within the Ministry, as required. There are no published reports.

Apiculture

• 2017 Apiculture monitoring report [PDF, 2.9 MB]
• 2016 Apiculture monitoring report [PDF, 1.7 MB]
• 2015 Apiculture monitoring report [PDF, 553 KB]
• 2014 Apiculture monitoring report [PDF, 731 KB]
• 2013 Apiculture monitoring report [PDF, 711 KB]

Horticulture, Arable and Apiculture Monitoring – 2012

Download information and datasets from MPI's 2012 horticulture, arable and apiculture monitoring programme.

• Pipfruit [PDF, 1.5 MB]
• Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 146 KB]
• Viticulture [PDF, 1.6 MB]
• Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 125 KB]
• Canterbury Arable Cropping [PDF, 864 KB]
• Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 92 KB]
• Bay of Plenty kiwifruit [PDF, 852 KB]
• Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 95 KB]
• Apiculture [PDF, 585 KB]
• Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 63 KB]

MPI last ran the Farm Monitoring Programme in 2012 and it has since been replaced by partnerships with Beef+LambNZ and DairyNZ. MPI has a contract to access anonymised data for analysis within the Ministry, as required.

• Sheep and beef farm survey – Beef+LambNZ
• DairyNZ economic survey 2014-15

MPI pastoral monitoring – 2012

Download information and datasets from MPI's 2012 pastoral monitoring.

Dairy

• National [PDF, 1.2 MB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 390 KB]  
• Northland dairy [PDF, 848 KB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 245 KB]
• Waikato/Bay of Plenty dairy [PDF, 787 KB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 155 KB]
• Taranaki dairy [PDF, 991 KB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 143 KB]
• Lower North Island dairy [PDF, 820 KB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 142 KB]
• West Coast South Island dairy [PDF, 850 KB] (commentary only)
• Canterbury dairy [PDF, 1 MB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 136 KB]
• Southland dairy [PDF, 915 KB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 149 KB]

Deer

• South Island [PDF, 891 KB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 158 KB]
• North Island [PDF, 890 KB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 127 KB]

Sheep and beef

• National [PDF, 1.1 MB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 113 KB]
• Northland [PDF, 1.1 MB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 56 KB]
• Waikato/Bay of Plenty [PDF, 910 KB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 56 KB]
• Central North Island hill country [PDF, 903 KB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 56 KB]
• Gisborne hill country [PDF, 1.1 MB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 55 KB]
• Hawke's Bay/Wairarapa [PDF, 917 KB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 56 KB] 
• Western Lower North Island intensive [PDF, 1.5 MB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 57 KB] 
• South Island high country [PDF, 895 KB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 56 KB] 
• Canterbury/Marlborough hill country [PDF, 1.1 MB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 58 KB] 
• Canterbury/Marlborough breeding and finishing [PDF, 968 KB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 107 KB] 
• Otago dry hill [PDF, 626 KB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 54 KB] 
• Southland/South Otago hill country [PDF, 903 KB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 56 KB] 
• Southland/South Otago intensive [PDF, 880 KB]
  • Download 2012 Excel files [XLS, 56 KB]