Co-operating to compete in the wine industry : a case study of the Matakana region, New Zealand

Introduction: The wine industry in New Zealand is mixed in terms of its supply side market structure. More than half of all output is produced by one dominant market leader; there are two main market challengers and a handful of medium sized market followers; and there is a plethora of smaller producers scattered throughout the country. Specifically, there were 369 'small' producers in 2002, defined by the Wine Institute of New Zealand as those with an annual production of less than 22,000 cases (WlNZ lnernet website).