Joe Schmidt is one Kiwi coach making his mark overseas © Getty Images

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Concentrated milk and sheep are New Zealand's chief exports and they feature at dinner tables the world over, but the feeding frenzy on the country's top rugby coaches is garnering far greater attention.

From Japan to Australia, across to Africa and all over Europe, New Zealanders are building and leading cutting-edge rugby programs at both club and Test level; and in the cases of Joe Schmidt, Warren Gatland and Vern Cotter, they are receiving the praise their efforts deserve.

But how do Kiwis back home feel about the spread of rugby knowledge? Do they have a right to feel betrayed that the expertise they hold dear, is now exported as freely as a bottle of Marlborough sauvignon blanc?

The answer, according to one All Blacks great anyway, is a resounding 'no'.

"I'm an absolute advocate of sharing knowledge; that's the quickest way to grow," Murray Mexted, the founder of International Rugby Academy (IRANZ), told ESPN from South Africa as he oversaw a camp.

The 34-Test former All Blacks forward built a career in the media with Sky New Zealand following his retirement before deciding to set up IRANZ in 2001. And after originally planning to do it for just a few years, he's still enjoying a journey that was originally met with plenty of anxiety.

"Well I mean that's what we were accused of, initially, when I first set [IRANZ] up; that we were giving away rugby property," Mexted told ESPN. "But the thing about rugby coaching and rugby playing is that it's an evolving picture and what we did last year is not what we're doing this year.

"And New Zealand, we have a small population and we have a small number of coaches and players comparatively; so for an organisation like the International Rugby Academy which has a clear alliance with [New Zealand Rugby], to focus solely on the development of coaches and players, you know we needed to open our doors to allow information to come in from outside, and around the country, so information could be shared and, maybe, challenged."

That "small number" of coaches and players remains the envy of countries the world over as the All Blacks continue their dominance of Test rugby under the guidance of Steve Hansen. But the reality is there are only so many professional coaching jobs on offer; staying at home is often the desired outcome, but the chance to coach overseas is proving harder to resist. And it's here where Mexted believes the New Zealand pathway perhaps puts Kiwi coaches ahead of their international rivals.

"That's exactly right because there aren't many of them," he said when asked how tough it was to land a professional gig in New Zealand. "But what we do have is a structure that right from when children first start playing … they've got to have coaches from five years of age. And you can build that through primary-schools rugby into high-schools rugby or you can go the other route which is through the clubs. And then there's lower-provincial opportunity, and things like under-20s and development teams, colts teams and ITM Cup teams.

"There's a genuine pathway in New Zealand for coaches and there's a couple of different directions. Once you get to provincial rugby, if you can't break into Super Rugby because there are only four or five coaches involved at each Super Rugby team then a lot of coaches do look for options overseas. And if you've got a solid grounding as a coach, you know normally New Zealand coaches do very well overseas. They go away and because they're good, they have some success and then that leads to greater opportunity."

That greater opportunity has been found by the likes of Gatland, Schmidt and Cotter, Kiwis who coach Wales, Ireland and Scotland respectively. Gatland has won Six Nations crowns with Wales and was also in charge of the victorious 2013 British & Irish Lions in Australia, while Schmidt is receiving plenty of praise following a 12-month period that includes a Six Nations triumph as well as wins over South Africa and Australia. Cotter, meanwhile, seems to be turning Scotland around after a hugely-successful stint with French giants Clermont.

Murray Mexted now has International Rugby Academies in New Zealand and South Africa © Image Supplied: Albert Heenop

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And then, of course, current All Blacks coach Steve Hansen first coached Wales while his predecessor and Rugby World Cup-winning coach Graham Henry travelled the same path and threw in the 2001 Lions tour to Australia for good measure.

Is an overseas stint necessary for those looking to be the next All Blacks coach, an appointment put off until at least the end of 2017 following Hansen's contract extension?

"[Going overseas] it's an optional pathway," Mexted said.

"I'm not saying that coaches need to leave New Zealand; it's just an option. If you are successful enough building your coaching resume in your local environment where your family is or where your support network is then that's the ideal scenario. But not everyone can become the [Wellington] Lions coach and then the Hurricanes coach; some coaches, though, had to go offshore; they didn't have any other option.

"So it's another pathway and of course any experience in a different environment, irrespective if it's overseas or closer to home, say in Australia or at another [New Zealand] province, is beneficial without doubt because it takes time to build your coaching philosophy; there's no quick fix. So experiences are valuable without doubt, but not necessarily overseas."

If the status quo remains and the All Blacks continue to dominate world rugby then one can only imagine that the spread of New Zealand coaching talent will increase, and perhaps then also, improve the standard of international rugby. Rugby coaching is now a business in itself and New Zealand just happens to boast a seemingly never-ending stream of hungry applicants.

As for which one will be lucky enough to succeed Hansen when the time comes for a change?

"I think it should go to the best option - it's as simple as that. And there could be as many as 10 or more different options. And by the time Steve Hansen steps aside, there could be others that we don't know about. There could be any number of [applicants]; I mean if you go through the provinces in New Zealand, there are some very promising coaches and guys that a lot of people probably haven't even heard of; guys like Jason O'Halloran and Kieran Keane …so I think there's any number of options.

"It doesn't matter whether he's coaching overseas or in New Zealand. But I will say, though, that if you are overseas, you are removed from the local New Zealand environment; and knowledge of your environment is pretty bloody important. So a lot of those coaches who go overseas, the next step is to get a role back in New Zealand. I mean Gatland is a little bit of an exception as he's done so much time [at Test level] over there. But most of them are looking to come back as an All Blacks coach or maybe a Super Rugby coach … and that's ideally what I want to see."

Any player or coach interested in learning more about the International Rugby Academy should check out the website www.iranz.co.nz