Most New Zealand cows are in the North Island. I grew up in Hamilton, NZ - we were told at school that the countryside immediately around us had the highest density of cattle in the world. I can well believe it, though probably the battery farms for cattle they have in the Czech Republic have beaten the record now. NZ had huge problems with land erosion due to overstocking, whole hillsides slipping away.

One of the most repulsive things I've ever seen done to an animal was at the agricultural research institute at Massey University (Palmerston North, NZ). It was a cow with a foot-wide rubber bung surgically implanted in its side. This connected to its stomach. The idea was that it made it easier for the researchers to analyze the stomach contents. Yes, it was free-range, but.