Lichfield, New Zealand

Lichfield is a rural settlement in the South Waikato District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island.[1]

The community is centred around the Lichfield Fonterra facility, opened in 1995.[2]

The factory features the largest cheese factory in the southern hemisphere,[3] consisting of separate dry salt and brine salt plants.[4]

It also features the largest milk dryer in the world,[5] installed during a major expansion in 2016.[6] The dryer can process 30 metric tonnes of milk every year, and store 40,000 metric tonnes of whole milk powder.[2] The dryer is used during the peak season, with production varying based on prices.[7]

The Fonterra site employs 330 people, with extra staff being stationed there during installations.[5]

The local Lichfields Lands farm converted from sheep to dairy and beef farming in the 1960s.[8] It is now an Open Brethren operation,[9] donating its proceeds to charity.[10]

South African-born artist Sonnells Olls opened an art gallery in Lichfield in 2019.[11]

A Red Cross health shuttle transports Lichfield residents to health appointments in Tirau.[12]