LUXTON CONGRATULATES DAIRY BOARD ON AWARD

"The New Zealand Dairy Board is a deserving winner of the 1999 New Zealand Exporter of the Year Award. It has flown the New Zealand flag in the far corners of the globe, providing consumers world-wide with a top quality product for most of this century," Mr Luxton said.

Food and Fibre Minister John Luxton today extended his congratulations to the New Zealand Dairy Board for winning the supreme exporter award at last nights Trade Development Board ceremony in Auckland.

"With 23% of New Zealand's exports, a figure which has steadily increased over recent decades, New Zealand's largest exporter is living proof that agriculture is the engine room of the economy and that New Zealand's future lies in its competitive advantage. Namely doing what we do best."

"The Dairy Industry is a prime example of using the knowledge economy to good effect as its use of technological and marketing innovations have consistently added value to New Zealand's largest agriculture commodity - milk."

Mr Luxton also noted the dairy industry's restructuring plan and its expectations of achieving even greater success by increasing sales and profit for farmer shareholders.

"With the use of outside capital, better use of market signals, and the spur of competition from rival exporters, the dairy industry will become even better than it is today," Mr Luxton said.