Published Friday, 31 October 2025
Every day, millions of litres of milk from Canterbury farms pour into Fonterra’s Darfield plant for processing into highquality export products. With help from KiwiRail and LPC, those products are moved efficiently from a single inland plant out to120 markets worldwide.
As one of New Zealand’s largest exporters, Fonterra depends on reliable infrastructure and meticulous coordination to keep its supply chain moving. Lyttelton Port acts as a launch point to global markets, connecting inland dairy production with international demand.
From its Darfield site west of Christchurch, Fonterra processes up to 7.2 million litres of milk per day at the peak of the season. The plant produces whole milk powder and cream cheese for export, much of it bound for the Middle East and China.
“Darfield drinks milk like there’s no tomorrow,” says Brendan Miller, Fonterra’s GM of Logistics. “In peak season, we send 40 to 50 containers of product to Lyttelton. That’s two full trains, every single day.”
Constructed in 2012, Fonterra’s Darfield facility is built for high-efficiency logistics and includes rail on site. Brendan says the consistency and volume capacity of rail make it ideal for transport from plant to port.
“Rail turns up at the same time every day – you could set your watch by it. You load 20 containers, they leave, and you load the next 20. From a throughput perspective, it’s very efficient,” he says. It also benefits the community by reducing traffic congestion, removing around 40 trucks from Canterbury roads each day.
From Lyttelton Port, Fonterra ships to 120 global destinations using LPC’s connections to international shipping lines.
Collaboration between Fonterra, KiwiRail and LPC has been a focus in recent years, with strong results. The three organisations have worked closely to streamline the supply chain and create a highly efficient flow of containers.
Brendan says the partnership with LPC has improved significantly in the last two years. “We’ve seen a real turnaround in throughput, productivity and vessel
servicing. The investment in infrastructure is good to see. LPC is on the right path, and I definitely want to see that trajectory continue.”
Looking ahead, Brendan believes that strategic capital investment in South Island infrastructure is critical to ensuring an efficient supply chain.
“The investment plan I’ve seen with LPC just makes sense. New Zealand is two small islands, very far away from our customers. We need to be efficient, with a cost-effective supply chain that keeps us competitive globally.”