The purpose of this research paper is to assess the role and level of collective action within New Zealand's dairy industry, in comparison to other major international dairy exporters, including Australia, and other players in North America and Europe. Our research focuses on the following three key objectives: firstly, to discover the current extent of collective action; secondly, to determine how successful collective action is in the dairy industry in New Zealand; and finally, to compare the situation in New Zealand with that elsewhere. Factors leading to successful collective action in New Zealand include the strong influence of vertical integration structures, increasing competition between cooperatives, high and continuous levels of education among cooperative members, and the absence of government support coupled with a supportive New Zealand culture.