Our story

Founded in 1876, Donaghys Industries Ltd started out as a small family-owned rope-works operating out of Dunedin. One of few New Zealand companies to continuously trade for over 140 years, Donaghys continues to lead the market in innovative products; on farms, in Aquaculture and manufacturing.

Establishing ourselves as a stand-out against competitors, by the 1890’s the company had cornered the New Zealand binder twine market. Renowned for its evenness and strength, our products became prized by farmers. This flourishing reputation in the farming community formed the foundation for our expansion into Agricultural Technologies, led by the launch of Donaghys’ first stock markers in 1985.

The next major development in Donaghys’ product line was our entrance into the Dairy Hygiene market; with the purchase of Tasman’s Dairy Chemical range, leading on to the innovation of our own patented formulas. N-Boost was launched in 2008, a product which doubles the pasture response to 40kg/ha of urea and can make a 15% reduction in nitrogen leaching on a typical 160ha Canterbury dairy farm. In 2015 PureFlush was launched, a dairy acid sanitiser made with highly concentrated active ingredients found naturally occurring in milk. Alongside UdderMAX, a teat spray formulated with half the amount of iodine used by traditional products existing on the market – while still providing the same effectiveness.

With the Dairy Mark range of high performance aerosols launched in 2019, 14 drenches registered to date, and 18 more in various stages of development. Donaghys continues to operate at the forefront of Agricultural Technology. With a highly diversified range of products focused on innovation, to enable the growth of sustainable, lucrative farming practice in New Zealand.