Or do we knowingly and willingly go along with blatant exaggeration and marketing hogwash?
This thought arises as Fonterra, the dairy co-operative, agrees to sell its consumer brands — including Mainland and Anchor — to global giant Lactalis for $3.845 billion.
Mainland trades on its southern origins and links to the land. It has tried to mirror Otago’s supposedly understated, resilient character — the stoicism, the quiet pride, the no-fuss ethos.
"Good things take time," we were assured in beloved television ads, just like matured vintage cheese. The campaigns of the 1990s and 2000s featured older cheesemakers and slow-speaking farmers.
As time went on, the image drifted further from any original semblance to reality that might have existed.
Pending approval, the overseas sale marks a final severance from local ownership. So much for the palaver about heritage, regional identity, time and craft.
Let’s not forget that Tip Top was Fonterra-owned until sold overseas in 2019.
★★★
It’s disheartening, too, that Fonterra’s executives, leaders of a large company in the dairy world, felt compelled to sell. These brands should add value, helping the company and the country decrease reliance on commodity trading.
Instead, the dependence deepens.
What does this say about the calibre of management and leadership in New Zealand? The captains of industry proclaim the need to diversify and then to divest and then diversify. On it goes.
Another of this country’s largest businesses, Fletcher Building, has a similar inglorious history of buying and selling.
★★★
Mainland, founded by Pete McConnon, was born in Dunedin in 1954. His sons, Baird and Alan, helped turn it into a company worth about $650 million.
Mainland cheese became a household brand name in both Australia and New Zealand.
Kiwi Co-op Dairies acquired an 83% stake in Mainland in the late ’90s. Kiwi became part of the merger which created Fonterra. The rest of Mainland was bought in 2002, and Fonterra subsequently sold off the non-dairy divisions.
★★★
Even Shane Warne might have been staggered by the degree of spin generated by New Zealand Rugby following the test in Argentina last Saturday.
Civis last year warned how bereft we’d be without independent media, not just for politics but for sport. But even Civis was flabbergasted by this latest example.
The first sentence of the introductory summary of the match didn’t deviate from the straight too much: "On a night that marked Codie Taylor’s 100th test cap, the All Blacks fell just short against Los Pumas, who seized their chances and stood strong in Buenos Aires to secure their first-ever home win over New Zealand."
However, the second and third are astounding given the dysfunctional backline, failures under the high ball and the severely criticised performance. "The forwards powered over for two of the three tries, showcasing brilliance and resilience. A valuable bonus point keeps the All Blacks on top of the leaderboard, carrying momentum back to New Zealand for the next round."
Such blatant misrepresentation does the All Black "brand" more harm than good.
★★★
As for Mainland’s own narrative, you’d need a cellar of salt to swallow this from its website.
"We built Mainland on the traditions of craftsmanship, integrity, care and a huge amount of Kiwi pride. It’s a simple philosophy really, use ‘the best of everything Kiwi.’ You see, as New Zealander’s [sic] we know that good things take time — and at Mainland over 70 years later we’ll take as long as you want us to, so you can enjoy the finest cheese in the country."
