New Zealand’s farmed deer sector provides one of the clearest quantified windows into the game meat market. Deer NZ statistics track the national herd, breeding animals, young deer, farmed venison production, schedule prices, and export revenue across the 2015–2024 period. Together, the figures show a smaller production base in 2024 than in the middle of the period, alongside a deer industry that still generated NZ$332.1 million in exports in the year ended September 2024.
Table of contents
- Herd size and direction
- Breeding hinds and fawn numbers
- Farmed venison production
- Schedule prices
- Venison export value
- Total deer industry export revenue
Herd size and direction
The total farmed deer herd reached 900,100 at year ended June 2015, the highest figure in the supplied series. It then moved below that level throughout the remaining observations. The herd was 834,608 at year ended June 2016 and 836,337 at year ended June 2017. It stood at 851,424 at year ended June 2018 before declining to 810,443 at year ended June 2019.
The next two year-end observations were 833,258 deer at year ended June 2020 and 814,993 at year ended June 2021. The herd was 794,109 at year ended June 2022 and 741,598 at year ended June 2023. The latest observation in the series was 709,000 at year ended June 2024.
The year-end herd figures are useful context for cooks, retailers, and anyone following venison availability because they describe the size of the farmed deer base rather than a single harvest or sales period. In the supplied series, the herd declined from 900,100 in 2015 to 709,000 in 2024, while the 2024 figure was also lower than each of the 2016–2023 observations.
| Year ended June | Total farmed deer herd |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 900,100 |
| 2018 | 851,424 |
| 2020 | 833,258 |
| 2022 | 794,109 |
| 2024 | 709,000 |
Source: Deer NZ statistics.
Breeding hinds and fawn numbers
The number of hinds mated followed a broadly similar downward path. There were 430,500 hinds mated at year ended June 2015 and 405,858 at year ended June 2016. The count was 392,289 at year ended June 2017, then rose to 400,778 at year ended June 2018. It fell to 378,592 at year ended June 2019 and 374,070 at year ended June 2020.
At year ended June 2021, the number of hinds mated was 360,344. The figure was 334,000 at year ended June 2022, 294,000 at year ended June 2023, and 290,000 at year ended June 2024. Thus, the latest reported breeding count was below the 2015–2023 observations in this series.
Deer NZ also reports fawns born and alive at four months. The count was 352,568 at year ended June 2015, followed by 321,031 in 2016 and 313,212 in 2017. It increased to 320,281 at year ended June 2018, then measured 304,621 in 2019 and 313,649 in 2020.
The four-month fawn count was 297,707 at year ended June 2021 and 288,112 at year ended June 2022. It declined to 255,000 at year ended June 2023 and 247,000 at year ended June 2024. These figures identify the age and timing used by the source: they are fawns born and alive at four months, measured at the stated year-end, not a general annual birth estimate.
The breeding and fawn series can be read alongside the herd series. The 2024 observations were 290,000 hinds mated, 247,000 fawns alive at four months, and 709,000 total farmed deer at year ended June. Each is a separate measure and should not be added together.
Source: Deer NZ statistics.
Farmed venison production
Farmed venison production is reported in tonnes CWE, meaning the source’s stated carcass-weight-equivalent measure. Production was 21,799 tonnes CWE in 2015, the highest value in the ten-year series. It was 17,693 tonnes CWE in 2016, 16,630 tonnes CWE in 2017, and 16,733 tonnes CWE in 2018.
Output measured 16,518 tonnes CWE in 2019 and 18,258 tonnes CWE in 2020. It increased to 18,328 tonnes CWE in 2021 and 18,480 tonnes CWE in 2022. Production then fell to 17,566 tonnes CWE in 2023 and 15,319 tonnes CWE in 2024, the lowest observation supplied.
The production record does not move upward in a straight line. It includes a rise from 16,518 tonnes CWE in 2019 to 18,480 tonnes CWE in 2022, followed by two consecutive annual declines in the supplied observations. For market readers, the 2024 production figure is the relevant latest measurement: 15,319 tonnes CWE for the 2024 reporting year.
| Production year | Farmed venison production |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 21,799 tonnes CWE |
| 2018 | 16,733 tonnes CWE |
| 2020 | 18,258 tonnes CWE |
| 2022 | 18,480 tonnes CWE |
| 2024 | 15,319 tonnes CWE |
Source: Deer NZ statistics.
The farmed venison measure is distinct from export value. Tonnes CWE describe production volume, while export value describes the value assigned to venison exports over a different reporting period. Comparing the two without keeping their measures and dates separate would blur volume and revenue.
Schedule prices
Deer NZ reports the farmed venison average schedule price in New Zealand dollars per kilogram. The supplied price series begins at NZ$7.60/kg in 2020. It declined to NZ$5.72/kg in 2021, then increased to NZ$8.27/kg in 2022 and NZ$9.05/kg in 2023. The 2024 average schedule price was NZ$8.90/kg.
The lowest observation supplied was NZ$5.72/kg in 2021. The highest was NZ$9.05/kg in 2023. The 2024 figure of NZ$8.90/kg was slightly below the 2023 observation but above the 2022, 2020, and 2021 figures.
| Year | Farmed venison average schedule price |
|---|---|
| 2020 | NZ$7.60/kg |
| 2021 | NZ$5.72/kg |
| 2022 | NZ$8.27/kg |
| 2023 | NZ$9.05/kg |
| 2024 | NZ$8.90/kg |
Source: Deer NZ statistics.
An average schedule price is not the same thing as a supermarket price, restaurant price, or household cost for a particular cut. It is also not a claim about every animal or every transaction. The unit and label matter: the reported statistic is an average farmed venison schedule price measured in NZ dollars per kilogram.
Venison export value
Venison export value is reported for the year ended September. It was NZ$151.0 million in the year ended September 2020 and NZ$151.0 million again in the year ended September 2021. The value rose to NZ$175.7 million in the year ended September 2022 and NZ$216.2 million in the year ended September 2023.
The latest supplied observation was NZ$205.3 million in the year ended September 2024. That figure was below the 2023 value but above the values reported for the years ended September 2020, 2021, and 2022.
The September reporting date is important when comparing these values with the June year-end herd and production statistics. The periods are not identical. A June year-end herd count and a September year-end export value should be described using their own dates rather than treated as measurements from one common annual endpoint.
Source: Deer NZ statistics.
Total deer industry export revenue
Total deer industry export revenue is broader than venison export value. Deer NZ reports NZ$241.5 million for the year ended September 2020 and NZ$254.0 million for the year ended September 2021. The figure increased to NZ$284.5 million in the year ended September 2022 and NZ$340.1 million in the year ended September 2023.
For the year ended September 2024, total deer industry export revenue was NZ$332.1 million. This was below the 2023 observation of NZ$340.1 million but above every earlier value in the supplied five-year series.
| Year ended September | Venison export value | Total deer industry export revenue |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | NZ$151.0 million | NZ$241.5 million |
| 2021 | NZ$151.0 million | NZ$254.0 million |
| 2022 | NZ$175.7 million | NZ$284.5 million |
| 2023 | NZ$216.2 million | NZ$340.1 million |
| 2024 | NZ$205.3 million | NZ$332.1 million |
Source: Deer NZ statistics.
The two revenue measures should remain separate. Venison export value is the narrower named category in the supplied figures, while total deer industry export revenue is the broader industry measure. Both are in New Zealand dollars and both use a year ended September period, but they answer different questions about the market.
Taken together, the reported series describe a 2024 market with 709,000 farmed deer at year ended June, 290,000 hinds mated, 247,000 fawns born and alive at four months, and 15,319 tonnes CWE of farmed venison production. The average schedule price was NZ$8.90/kg, venison export value reached NZ$205.3 million for the year ended September, and total deer industry export revenue reached NZ$332.1 million for that same September year-end period.