Working together to end poverty and injustice

Fairtrade: a better deal for growers

Fairtrade is helping more and more producers in the developing world work their way out of poverty.

With many of the things we buy every day such as coffee, bananas, cotton and chocolate, just a tiny percentage of what we pay actually gets back to the growers. Multinational companies capture the lion’s share of profits from trade of these products and use their market power to push down the prices paid to growers. Growers are left struggling to feed their families or to send their children to school and sometimes to even cover their production costs.

But there is a fairer way. The Fairtrade way

Under the Fairtrade system, producers are paid a fair, minimum price for their goods. Producer cooperatives also receive an extra amount, known as the Fairtrade premium, that can be used to fund community development projects such as schools, water wells and health care clinics.

• What is Fairtrade? What is the Fairtrade Label? Should I expect to pay more for Fairtrade? Read our Frequently Asked Questions

Take action

You can now buy Fairtrade certified coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar, cotton and bananas at supermarkets and cafes throughout New Zealand.

• There are plenty of easy and effective ways for you to make a real difference - find out how

Fairtrade in action

Find out more about: 

• Fairtrade coffee
• Fairtrade bananas
• Fairtrade chocolate
• Forum Fair Trade Indonesia 
• Frequently asked questions

Oxfam and Fairtrade

Trade has the potential to lift millions of the world’s poorest people out of poverty – but only if it’s fair. Oxfam New Zealand works to make trade fair by challenging international trade rules, by working with marginalized producers in the developing world, and by promoting Fairtrade.

Oxfam was one of the early pioneers of fair trade, helping some of the world’s poorest communities achieve better terms of trade since the 1960s. Oxfam believes that Fairtrade is an effective way to empower growers and producers in the developing world, helping them to work their way out of poverty.

Oxfam New Zealand and our supporters play a major role in promoting awareness or Fairtrade, encouraging people to buy Fairtrade and asking supermarkets to stock more Fairtrade product lines.