NZ tops UN global census on co-operatives

NZ tops UN global census on co-operatives

The champion of the Kiwi co-operative sector is delighted by New Zealand’s top ranking in a UN survey measuring the social and economic impact of co-operatives in 145 countries.

Cooperative Business NZ, which represents the interests of co-ops in this country, is now reviewing the United Nations Secretariat’s first ever Global Census on Co-operatives which places New Zealand at number one in both its Co-operative Economy and Social Progress indices.

The census results were announced at the conclusion of this month’s International Co-operatives Summit in Canada where New Zealand was represented by its largest co-op, Fonterra.

Cooperative Business NZ CEO Ian Macintosh says the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs commissioned an American consultancy, Dave Grace and Associates, to survey the size and scope of the global co-operative economy.

“It’s great to see New Zealand’s co-operative sector measuring up so well on an international scale. Kiwi co-ops have long been a productive part of our local economy and society,” he says.

“New Zealand is attracting quite a bit of attention at the UN this month,” Mr Macintosh says, referring to this country’s recent election to the UN Security Council.

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