“Since European colonisation of New Zealand, the first thing we did was cash in our seals, then we cashed in our whales, and then our gold. And if you look at what we’re doing now, we’re cashing in our water,” says economist Peter Fraser. Milk and Money: The True Cost of Dairy in Aotearoa is a six-part series exploring the dairy industry’s impact on the community, economy and environment of Aotearoa, and considering what a sustainable future for the industry could look like. In Episode 1: Money, we explore how and why Aotearoa’s dairy boom occurred, and the important role the industry has played in our economy and rural communities. But the industry has gathered bills that are yet to be paid - both in financial debt and environmental cost. Re: Journalist Baz Macdonald speaks to Southland dairy farmers Scott and Ewen Mathieson, economist Peter Fraser and Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell. Watch the whole series here.

“All of the indicators we have is that things are bad and getting worse. I started to realise that dairy, or intensive farming, was the big problem,” says freshwater ecologist Dr Mike Joy. Milk and Money: The True Cost of Dairy in Aotearoa is a six-part series exploring the dairy industry’s impact on the community, economy and environment of Aotearoa, and considering what a sustainable future for the industry could look like. In Episode 2: Water, we explore the state of freshwater in New Zealand and the role dairy has played in its decline. It’s not only in the health of our ecosystems, but also in our cultural and physical health. Yet efforts to address these problems have been caught in a battleground between business, politics and science. Re: Journalist Baz Macdonald speaks to dairy farmer Stu Muir, Forest and Bird freshwater advocate Tom Kay, epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker, environmental engineer Jayne Richards, freshwater ecologist Dr Mike Joy, and Māori environmental planner Dr Mahina-a-rangi Baker (Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Toa). Watch the whole series here.

“We don’t exactly know how many cows we could sustain here, but it’s a hell of a lot less than we have currently,” says Greenpeace director Russel Norman. Milk and Money: The True Cost of Dairy in Aotearoa is a six-part series exploring the dairy industry’s impact on the community, economy and environment of Aotearoa, and considering what a sustainable future for the industry could look like. In Episode 3: Feed and Fertiliser, we explore the impact of our feed and fertiliser use. Many of dairy’s impacts can be traced back to the industry's race to milk as many cows as possible, which has only been possible due to an exponential rise in the use of feed and fertiliser. With industry experts and farmers, we unpick if this level of feed and fertiliser is necessary, and if there is a different way forward. Re: Journalist Baz Macdonald speaks to executive director of Greenpeace Aotearoa Russel Norman, CEO of Ballance Agri-Nutrients Mark Wynne and fertiliser consultant Stan Winter. Watch the whole series here.

“The right thing to do is for all us dairy farmers to try to pull our weight, do what we can and to find a way forward,” says dairy farmer George Moss. Milk and Money: The True Cost of Dairy in Aotearoa is a six-part series exploring the dairy industry’s impact on the community, economy and environment of Aotearoa, and considering what a sustainable future for the industry could look like. In Episode 4: Emissions, we explore the role of dairy in our climate profile, and the disastrous consequences for our country and planet if dairy doesn't join us in meeting our climate goals. Dairy cows represent a quarter of our emissions - more than our cars. While the industry has been resistant to making changes for climate in the past, we discover the cultural and technological shifts that could mean change is finally on the horizon. Re: Journalist Baz Macdonald speaks to climate change chair of the Iwi Leaders Group Mike Smith (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kurī), dairy farmer and DairyNZ climate change ambassador George Moss, Zero Carbon Act national convenor Lisa McLaren, and VP of Biology at CH4 Global Michael Lakeman. Watch the whole series here.

“In a teaspoon of soil, there are as many microbes than there are mammals on the planet. Bringing in the bag of fertilisers, they are no longer needed, they're unemployed - they leave, they migrate to another area. Now you've kickstarted a downward spiral,” says agroecologist Frank Van Steensel. Milk and Money: The True Cost of Dairy in Aotearoa is a six-part series exploring the dairy industry’s impact on the community, economy and environment of Aotearoa, and considering what a sustainable future for the industry could look like. In Episode 5: Land and Soil, we explore the mysteries of the ground beneath our feet and the pressures dairy places on it. Soil is likely one of the most under-appreciated substances on the planet. It’s a deeply complex, living system that almost everything on the planet is dependent on. The way we dairy has been achieved by manipulating this system into working at overdrive - but is that sustainable? Re: Journalist Baz Macdonald speaks to dairy farmer Sam Hogg, agroecologist Frank van Steensel, kaitiaki of environment leadership at Miraka Murray Hemi (Ngāti Kahungunu), researcher at Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research Mahuru Wilcox (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Ranginui) and environmentalist Angus Robson. Watch the whole series here.

“How do we get back to that place where we’re not harming our animals and not harming our environment? You know, it sounds like utopia but I think we could do things a whole lot better than we are at the moment,” says vet Alison Dewes. Milk and Money: The True Cost of Dairy in Aotearoa is a six-part series exploring the dairy industry’s impact on the community, economy and environment of Aotearoa, and considering what a sustainable future for the industry could look like. In Episode 6: Milk, we look at the 6.5 million living animals at the heart of the dairy industry. It can be easy to forget that milk is produced for baby calves, and for cows to produce milk we need to impregnate them once a year. Half of calves in New Zealand are killed within days or weeks of being born. We explore the experience of the dairy cows, if there are more ethical ways we could be treating them, or if we need cows to produce milk at all. Re: Journalist Baz Macdonald speaks to vet and agricultural consultant Alison Dewes, executive chairman of Southern Pastures Prem Maan, postdoctoral fellow Olivia Ogilvie, biotechnologist Dr Laura Domigan, and Maury Leyland and John Penno of Leaft Foods. Watch the whole series here.

Milk and Money is a six-part documentary series by Re: investigating New Zealand’s dairy industry. This week it launched on Re: and TVNZ OnDemand. Re: journalist and host of the series Baz Macdonald explains why he made it.

After spending a year and a half researching the dairy industry for our documentary series Milk and Money, Re: journalist Baz Macdonald decided to put his money where his mouth is and work as a dairy farmer for a week. He shares the insight it gave. Milk and Money is a six-part documentary series by Re: investigating New Zealand’s dairy industry. You can watch it now on Re: and TVNZ OnDemand.

It’s true farmers are facing a lot of regulation but only after decades of fighting off smaller reforms – we need them to change.

We all know a huge chunk of our country and economy is dedicated to producing and exporting dairy. But not many people know that we also import a lot of dairy. If we’re making it here, why do we need to buy it from overseas? Re: journalist Baz Macdonald got sucked down the dairy rabbit hole trying to find the answer. This article is part of Milk and Money, a documentary and article series about the true cost of dairy in Aotearoa. You can watch it now on Re: and TVNZ OnDemand.

Mental health is a big issue in the dairy industry. A recent DairyNZ report found 62 percent of dairy farmers said they, or someone on their farm, had experienced mental health issues in the past 12 months. This article is part of Milk and Money, a documentary and article series about the true cost of dairy in Aotearoa. You can watch it now on Re: and TVNZ OnDemand.

Re: Journalist Baz Macdonald explores what regenerative farming is, and if it might be the answer to the environmental impact of our dairy industry. This article is part of Milk and Money, a documentary and article series about the true cost of dairy in Aotearoa. You can watch it now on Re: and TVNZ OnDemand.

To make milk, cows have to give birth once a year. We don’t often like to discuss the uncomfortable reality of what happens to many of these calves. Re: journalist Baz Macdonald explores what the life of many of our calves looks like, and if there is a better way forward. This article is part of Milk and Money, a documentary and article series about the true cost of dairy in Aotearoa. You can watch it now on Re: and TVNZ OnDemand.