The Importance of Co-Operatives to the New Zealand Economy: Constructing a Co-Operative Economy
Posted: 22 Jun 2017
Date Written: June 21, 2017
Abstract
This paper measures the size of New Zealand’s co-operative sector, in terms of its direct contribution to output and employment as well as its indirect impact. The findings here are based on data derived largely from surveying the co-operative sector in 2012. It revises prior and incomplete estimates produced by Statistics New Zealand using a value added methodology and those available through the International Cooperative Alliance, based on earlier estimates provided by the New Zealand Co-operative Association. Our estimates on direct and indirect output and employment suggest that the cooperative sector is much larger, even in its direct impact on the economy than the prior estimates indicate. Internationally, there is an increasing demand for more rigorous estimates on the importance of the cooperative sector. Currently, estimates remain of a tentative nature. This paper is an effort to address the statistical gaps in the literature.
Keywords: Co-ops, Measuring co-op economy, Value added, Employment, New Zealand
JEL Classification: C8, O50, 056, P13
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation