CountryWide CONNECT

15th October 2026 | Rural News

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 02:39:15 +0000

International Day Of Rural Women
Nine farms join virtual fencing trial programme
Auckland butchery wins NZ’s top sausage title

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International Day Of Rural Women

Today marks the International Day of Rural Women, established by the United Nations in 2007 to honour rural and indigenous women’s contribution to agriculture, food security and the environment.

Rural women make up about a quarter of the world’s population and nearly half of the global agricultural workforce, yet own just one in five parcels of farmland worldwide.

Here in New Zealand, women are running farms, driving trucks, treating stock as vets, and leading in paddocks and boardrooms, often balancing on-farm work with family and community commitments.

Many rural women say finding their feet in farming took time, but describe the journey as rewarding, with far more support now available than in generations past.

Tell us about a great rural woman in your life and she could win a Life and Leisure subscription.

Email connect@country-wide.co.nz.

Nine farms join virtual fencing trial programme

Nine commercial farms across the country are taking part in a new five-year programme testing virtual fencing technology under real farming conditions.

The LIFT programme, led by Pāmu, includes high country stations, Māori-owned farms and family operations from Northland to Otago

The programme is co-funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries, with results shared through field days and annual reports over the next five years.

Auckland butchery wins NZ’s top sausage title

Auckland’s Mapari Meats has been crowned Supreme Winner of the 2026 Great New Zealand Sausage Competition, for its Birria Taco sausage.

Co-owner Richard Healey says the win is five years in the making and a credit to the whole team, with judges unanimously praising the sausage’s balance of Mexican-inspired flavours, including chilli, clove and cinnamon.

A record eight hundred and sixty-nine entries were judged across thirteen categories this year.

Milford’s Well Hung Butchery took the People’s Choice Award for its Chicken, Brie and Cranberry sausage, while Westmere Butchery won the Dunninghams’ Choice Award for its Lamb Sicilian.

With summer approaching, organisers say the results give barbecue lovers a nationwide guide to some of the country’s best snags.

And who isn’t looking forward to the BBQ season!

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Tairāwhiti Whenua builds resilience three winters on | Hilton Collier, Tairāwhiti Whenua

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 02:24:00 +0000

Tairāwhiti Whenua Charitable Trust chief executive Hilton Collier says strong red meat prices are helping farmers build resilience, but recovery is uneven and some remote families still rely on river crossings. Hilton also talks forestry’s move to permanent cover on transition-zone country, and why rural people should be able to live where they choose.

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Rural coverage and safety after the 3G shutdown | Toby Williams & Harriet Bremner, Farmer Panel

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 02:14:25 +0000

This episode features Toby Williams & Harriet Bremner discussing the issues affecting farmers across the country.

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Virtual fencing on hill country: the LIFT trial | Charlie McCaig, Pāmu

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 02:12:01 +0000

This episode features Charlie McCaig, Lift Programme Lead, Pāmu discussing the organisation’s LIFT programme and virtual fencing trials, exploring the use of technology in farm management.

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What FoodHQ's closure means for the primary sector | Professor Troy Baisden

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 02:10:15 +0000

This episode features Professor Troy Baisden, Co-president New Zealand Association of Scientists discussing the closure of FoodHQ and reforms across the science sector.

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Rodeo welfare code review opens for consultation | Dr Matthew Stone, NAWAC

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 02:08:39 +0000

This episode features Dr Matthew Stone, Chair, NAWAC discussing the rodeo code review and new standards.

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Tabula marks 20 years in precision agriculture | Michael Whittaker, Tabula

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 02:07:34 +0000

This episode features Michael Whittaker, CEO, Tabula discussing the evolution from TracMap to Tabula and the future of connected agriculture, including the role of technology in supporting farming operations.

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What Aus mixed farms are selling for right now | Scott Petersen, McGrath Estate Agents

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 02:04:39 +0000

This episode features Scott Petersen, Rural salesperson, McGrath Estate Agents discussing farm expansion in Australia and rural market cycles.

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Teachers pushing to restore Year 11 ag | Rex Newman, HATA

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 02:03:06 +0000

This episode features Rex Newman, President, HATA discussing efforts to retain agricultural and horticultural science as a standalone Year 11 subject in the national curriculum.

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14th October 2026 | Rural News

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 03:11:31 +0000

Agriculture teachers back ACT push to keep Year Eleven standalone subject
Safer Farms urges farmers to check their footwear

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Agriculture teachers back ACT push to keep Year Eleven standalone subject

Agriculture and horticulture teachers are backing ACT’s campaign to retain agriculture as a standalone Year Eleven subject, warning its removal could limit student pathways into one of New Zealand’s most important industries.

Horticulture and Agriculture Teachers Association president Rex Newman says it’s bloody frustrating — if the subject is out of the curriculum, schools are no longer required to offer it, removing the incentive for schools to hire specialist teachers.

ACT agriculture spokesperson Andrew Hoggard says sixty-three percent of the more than one-hundred-and-eleven-thousand students who have studied the subject over the past nine years are at urban schools — making it far more than a rural offering.

Newman says Year Eleven is a student’s first formal exposure to agriculture in the curriculum — and losing that matters.

Safer Farms urges farmers to check their footwear

afer Farms is calling on farmers to make sure everyone on the farm has safe, suitable footwear — and has launched a #BootsOfShame competition to get the message across.

Safer Farms ambassador Lindy Nelson says boots with good grip, toe protection and ankle support are a simple but important line of defence. Surface contamination and worn footwear contribute to fifty percent of farm slip incidents, with most happening while interacting with livestock in paddocks, sheds and yards.

Enter by photographing your worst boots at saferfarms.org.nz for a chance to win boots worth $729. A fifty-dollar discount on eligible footwear is also available at PGG Wrightson until October 31st.

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NZ potato growers regain access to Taiwan | Kate Truffit, Potatoes New Zealand

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 03:10:00 +0000

This episode features Kate Truffit, CEO, Potatoes New Zealand discussing efforts to secure fresh potato access to Taiwan and what the 2026/27 planting season looks like for growers.

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ACT pushes to keep agriculture in Year 11 curriculum | Andrew Hoggard, ACT Party

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 03:08:42 +0000

This episode features Andrew Hoggard, Agriculture Spokesperson, ACT Party discussing the fight to protect Year 11 sector education.

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Wine industry mentoring the full supply chain | Nicky Grandorge, New Zealand Winegrowers

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 03:04:15 +0000

This episode features Nicky Grandorge, Leadership & Communities Manager, New Zealand Winegrowers discussing the 2026 New Zealand Winegrowers Mentoring Programme and its role in supporting people across the wine industry.

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Food system model tests future NZ land-use scenarios | Nick Smith, Bioeconomy Science Institute

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 03:02:53 +0000

This episode features Nick Smith, Senior Scientist at Bioeconomy Science Institute (Plant & Food Research) discussing system sustainability and land-use decisions.

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Inside NZ's domestic fresh produce supply chain | Emily Levenson

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 03:01:20 +0000

This episode features Emily Levenson, Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme Alumni discussing domestic food security, supply chain vulnerabilities and rural leadership.

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Farmers asked to report mobile black spots | Craig Young, TUANZ

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 02:59:37 +0000

This episode features Craig Young, Chief Executive Officer, TUANZ discussing the technical reality of decreasing rural mobile coverage and the connectivity challenges facing rural New Zealand.

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13th October 2026 | Rural News

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 03:16:06 +0000

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Federated Farmers is welcoming Labour’s promise to restore rural school bus routes but says farming families will want to see the detail before getting too excited.

Rural education spokesperson Greg Anderson says if Labour is talking about fixing fundamental flaws in eligibility criteria, that’s genuinely worth hearing more about. But if it’s a Band-Aid solution to score election points, it won’t be well received in rural New Zealand.

Anderson acknowledges bus route cuts have happened under the current Government — but similar cuts occurred when Labour was last in power. He says the system works well for most rural communities, but those who have lost routes face real pressure on families.

All three main rural-focused parties now have school bus policies on the table — Labour promising to restore cancelled routes, ACT pushing an Open Seat Rule allowing any child on a route to board if seats are available regardless of which school they attend.

Parts of New Zealand are enjoying their warmest spring day so far today, with Christchurch, Hastings and Napier reaching as high as twenty-seven to twenty-eight degrees — nearly ten degrees above average for this time of year.

A northwesterly flow over the South Island ranges is driving the warm, dry conditions across eastern areas of both islands. But farmers and growers shouldn’t get too comfortable — a significant cold front is on its way.

Temperatures in Christchurch are expected to drop to eleven degrees by Friday — a sixteen-degree swing in just three days. Buller is under an orange heavy rain warning from midnight tonight through to Wednesday evening.

Metservice is urging people to keep a close eye on watches and warnings as the front moves up the country over the next few days.

The eighth annual Agfest at Greymouth aerodrome this weekend is shaping up to be the biggest yet, with three-hundred-and-fifty sites and more than thirteen-hundred individual exhibitors — three extra pavilions added to cope with demand.

A charity auction on Saturday will raise funds for Ranui House and the Bone Marrow Cancer Trust, with heavy agricultural gear among the items on offer. About eighteen percent of Ranui House occupancy is West Coast people, making it a cause close to home for many attending.

There’s plenty on for all ages — the Agri Kids competition runs Friday, woodchopping Saturday, and Sturgeons Amusements will have dodgems, chair-o-planes and a ferris wheel. Scenic flights are also available through Andersons Helicopters.

CountryWide Connect will be broadcasting live from AgFest on Friday.

You can get more information at agfest.co.nz.

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Cold snaps remain for next month | Tony Trewinnard, Blue Skies Weather

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 03:14:29 +0000

This episode features Tony Trewinnard, Blue Skies Weather discussing the latest weather developments and what they could mean for rural communities and farmers.

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How this UK dairy farmer runs a New Zealand-style system | Amy Eggleston, thedairydaughter

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 03:12:51 +0000

This episode features Amy Eggleston, thedairydaughter discusses running a New Zealand-style system and how they coped with the extreme heat over the past summer.

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What’s on at Poverty Bay A&P Show | Stephen Thomson

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 03:07:31 +0000

This episode features Stephen Thomson, Poverty Bay A&P Spring Show discussing this weekend’s Poverty Bay A&P Spring Show.

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Half of Fed Farmers survey report mobile coverage drop | Mark Hooper, Federated Farmers

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 03:06:04 +0000

This episode features Mark Hooper, National Board Member & Telecommunications spokesperson, Federated Farmers discussing the 3G shutdown and rural New Zealand’s connectivity crisis.

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Australian pork producers seek compulsory origin labels | Libby Price

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 03:04:31 +0000

This episode features Libby Price, Australian Rural Commentator discussing the Guzman y Gomez backlash and the fight for menu transparency.

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Beef + Lamb NZ Inc marks 40 years | Kit Arkwright, BLNZ

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 03:03:11 +0000

This episode features Kit Arkwright, BLNZ, CEO discussing it’s legacy, supply chain collaboration and World Iron Awareness Week.

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Parents’ Alliance supports return of rural school bus routes | Cameron Bagrie, The Parents Alliance

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 03:01:43 +0000

This episode features Cameron Bagrie, Chair, The Parents Alliance discussing transport infrastructure, fiscal rigour and Labour’s pledge to restore rural school buses.

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Labour’s case-by-case return of rural school bus routes | Ginny Anderson, Labour Party

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 02:46:44 +0000

This episode features Ginny Anderson, Spokesperson for Education, Labour Party discussing the party’s pledge to restore rural school buses and protect school attendance.

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12th October 2026 | Rural News

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 02:13:43 +0000

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Labour has committed to restoring rural school bus routes cut under the current Government, with the Parents’ Alliance welcoming the announcement as one of the simplest attendance policies on the table.

Parents’ Alliance chair Cameron Bagrie says for rural families the school bus isn’t a convenience — it’s the difference between a child in class and a child stuck at home. He says the Government can’t make attendance a priority while removing the buses that get children there.

Labour says where a cancelled route can’t be fully restored, it will work with rural communities and local councils to find alternatives.

Bagrie says it’s not a left or right issue — it’s a rural kids issue — and urges whichever parties form the next government to both restore cut routes and fill empty seats under ACT’s Open Seat policy.

Rural mobile coverage has deteriorated significantly since the 3G network shutdown in March, with a new Federated Farmers survey of nearly six-hundred-and-fifty farmers painting a bleak picture of connectivity across farming New Zealand.

Half of farms now have mobile coverage on less than half of their property. A third of farmers report places on their farm that previously worked on 3G but no longer do. Nearly two in three say they can’t reliably reach 111 from most of their farm, and eight percent say connecting to emergency services is impossible anywhere on their property.

One in seven farms had to replace equipment relying on the 3G network — irrigation controls, cow collars and farm systems — with some spending thousands of dollars replacing gear that was still working.

Telecommunications spokesperson Mark Hooper says of one-hundred-and-twenty-six farms that reported problems to providers, just two had them resolved. He is holding urgent meetings with telcos to explore what can be done within existing infrastructure.

Beef and Lamb New Zealand Incorporated is marking forty years of keeping red meat front of mind for New Zealand consumers, with the organisation founded in 1986 as the NZ Beef and Lamb Marketing Bureau.

Chief executive Kit Arkwright says what makes the organisation globally unique is that farmers, processors and retailers — who compete every day — have set commercial priorities aside for four decades to promote their shared product.

The organisation is behind campaigns including the Iron Maidens featuring Olympic champions the Evers-Swindell twins and Sarah Ulmer, the National Lamb Day, and the Quality Mark introduced in 1997.

The anniversary coincides with World Iron Awareness Week, which BLNZ Inc started in 2014 and which is now backed by sixty partners across the food system.

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ECan upgrades 135 flood warning sites across Canterbury | Ian McKenzie, Environment Canterbury

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 02:07:08 +0000

This episode features Ian McKenzie, Councillor, Environment Canterbury discussing efforts to strengthen Canterbury’s flood warning network and improve preparedness for flooding.

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Consents deterring high-country farms from controlled burns | Kate Cocks, High Country Accord

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 02:05:06 +0000

This episode features Kate Cocks, Chair, High Country Accord discussing protecting remote stations and the role of aerial fire response in rural areas.

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Climate scepticism found in study of 10 high country farmers | Professor Rebecca Priestley

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 02:03:10 +0000

This episode features Professor Rebecca Priestley, School of Science in Society, Victoria University discussing the relationship between farmers, climate science and policy.

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Wool Online upgrades trading platform to handle more volume | Mark Hunter, Wool Online

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 01:59:46 +0000

This episode features Mark Hunter, Co-owner, Wool Online discussing plans to overhaul traditional wool auctions and give growers greater control.

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National pledges $300 million for regional water storage | Mike Butterick, MP for Wairarapa

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 01:53:23 +0000

This episode features Mike Butterick, MP for Wairarapa discussing water, fertiliser and backing New Zealand farmers.

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Pāmu protects capital stock as El Niño hits regions differently | Cam Walker, Pāmu

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 01:51:10 +0000

This episode features Cam Walker, General Manager, Upper South Island, Pamu discussing preparations for the season ahead.

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9th October 2026 // Rural News

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 03:19:10 +0000

National promises water storage loans and fertiliser security plan
ACT pushes to keep agriculture as standalone school subject
Canterbury flood warning network gets $2.5 million dollar upgrade

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Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.countrywide&hl=en_NZ

National promises water storage loans and fertiliser security plan

National is promising three-hundred million dollars in concessional loans for water storage projects and a new fertiliser security strategy if re-elected, as part of what it calls a plan to protect New Zealand’s sixty-five-point-two billion dollar food and fibre export sector.

Agriculture spokesperson Todd McClay says New Zealand receives more rainfall per person than almost any developed nation, yet only captures two percent of total annual rainfall. He says four-hundred-thousand hectares are ready for irrigation right now, waiting on storage projects and consents.

The water package includes five prioritised storage projects, New Zealand’s first long-term water infrastructure pipeline and a National Rural and Provincial Water Use Strategy to be published in 2027.

On fertiliser, associate spokesperson Mike Butterick says National will negotiate supply security agreements with key supplier countries and establish a ten million dollar Critical Inputs Fund to support domestic nitrogen production.

ACT pushes to keep agriculture as standalone school subject

ACT is campaigning to keep Agricultural and Horticultural Science as a standalone Year Eleven subject, after learning the subject will not be retained in its own right under the updated school curriculum.

Agriculture spokesperson Andrew Hoggard says removing the subject sends the wrong message for a food and fibre producing nation forecasting sixty-four-point-three billion dollars in exports this year.

More than one-hundred-and-eleven-thousand students have studied Agricultural and Horticultural Science across three-hundred-and-fifty-nine schools over the past nine years — and sixty-three percent of those students are at urban schools, making it a far broader offering than a rural-only subject.

Hoggard says schools like Feilding High School, which recently featured on Country Calendar, will face a real gap in their Year Eleven programme — and notes that dance remains a standalone subject while agriculture does not.

Canterbury flood warning network gets $2.5 million dollar upgrade

Canterbury’s flood warning network is being strengthened under a two-point-five million dollar upgrade programme, part of a twelve-point-eight-eight million dollar national investment across ten regions.

Environment Canterbury is coordinating the project on behalf of participating councils, with the Crown funding sixty percent and councils contributing forty percent. The funding comes from the Government’s Regional Infrastructure Fund announced last year.

One-hundred-and-twenty high-priority monitoring sites have been identified across Canterbury, with ninety to be upgraded over the next two years. Three critical sites are already complete, with work underway on the next three.

The upgraded sites feature duplicated power supplies, communication systems, data loggers and sensors — reducing the risk of outages during the severe weather events when flood warnings matter most.

For farming communities on Canterbury’s flood-prone plains, reliable early warning systems are critical to protecting stock, property and infrastructure.

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Pundits back All Blacks over confident Australia | Miles Davis & Brian “Gash” Ashby, Sport Panel

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 03:17:31 +0000

This episode features Miles Davis & Brian "Gash" Ashby discussing the latest sporting news and talking points.

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Wool prices hold as $9.5 million changes hands at auction | Dave Burridge, PGG Wrightson

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 03:16:08 +0000

PGG Wrightson National Wool auction manager Dave Burridge says prices held steady at the latest Christchurch sale, with $9.5 million of mostly fine wool changing hands.

About 9% of wool offered was passed in nationally.

He says strong wool sits at 630c/kg clean, about $5 greasy, while 18-micron merino is above $30 clean and 28-micron wool is about $10.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/wool-prices-hold-as-9-5-million-changes-hands-at-auction

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Hybrid drones spraying wilding pines on hour-long flights | Scott Spooner, SPS Automation

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 03:14:38 +0000

A drone maker says hybrid spray drones flying up to two hours can spot spray wilding pines and gorse in hard-to-reach country.

Scott Spooner, chief executive of SPS Automation, says most battery spray drones fly for eight to 10 minutes.

“Most of the places you find wildings, they wouldn’t even get to the first tree.”

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/hybrid-drones-spraying-wilding-pines-on-hour-long-flights

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Easing calving workload: Extended lactation trial results | Paul Edwards, DairyNZ

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 03:08:47 +0000

A DairyNZ scientist says three seasons of a farm trial calving cows every 24 months suggest it is a potentially viable system.

Paul Edwards, project sponsor and principal scientist at DairyNZ, says the aim is to flatten the spring labour peak by calving and mating half the herd each year, in exchange for milking the other half through winter.

He says modelling favours North Island farms with more winter pasture growth.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/easing-calving-workload-extended-lactation-trials-encouraging-results

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Canterbury farmers facing copper thefts from irrigators | Andrew Panasiuk, Waterforce Rangiora

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 02:55:06 +0000

An irrigation branch manager says thieves are stripping copper cable from Canterbury pivot irrigators, often from part-circle machines parked along fence lines.

Andrew Panasiuk, Branch Manager of Waterforce Rangiora, says some thieves snip the wiring to each motor, while others climb onto the span to remove the main feed cable, putting themselves in increasingly dangerous situations.

“These machines are now live; they’re running,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/canterbury-farmers-facing-copper-thefts-from-irrigators

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Tighter dry-off rules hold vets to account on antibiotics | Matt Buckley, MSD

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 02:48:50 +0000

A veterinary advisor says vets must now back dry cow antibiotic prescriptions with firmer evidence.

Matt Buckley, animal health veterinary technical advisor at MSD, says the thresholds and data needed are not changing.

“We’ve just been made to be held accountable around that dry cow,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/tighter-dry-off-rules-will-hold-vets-to-account-on-antibiotics

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Livestock financing reaching from Cape Reinga to Bluff | Andrew Brown

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 02:26:06 +0000

General Manager of Carrfields Financial Services Andrew Brown says the service has grown year on year since 2020. "We realised that times were changing and our farmer customers, as well as our livestock agents, needed more support around financial services and the funding of livestock.”

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8th October 2026 // Rural News

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 03:07:14 +0000

DairyNZ trial shows promise for extended lactation
Walter Peak fire significantly reduced, crews continue mop-up
Government seeks views on new dog confinement rules

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DairyNZ trial shows promise for extended lactation

A DairyNZ trial is showing extended lactation could reduce calving and mating pressure on farm teams without hurting profitability.

Senior Scientist Lydia Farrell says three years of results from the Scott Farm study in Waikato show Friesian cows on twenty-four-month calving intervals stayed within three percent below to four percent above a conventional system's profitability, while producing more milksolids per hectare.

Farrell says the approach could offer farms a practical way to ease pressure during calving and mating, though early Jersey results show more variation, with some cows continuing to milk much later than expected.

DairyNZ is continuing to monitor a larger group of Jersey cows and model how the system could perform across different regions.

Walter Peak fire significantly reduced, crews continue mop-up

Cooler temperatures and overnight rain have helped suppress the Walter Peak vegetation fire, with an early morning flight finding no visible flames around the perimeter.

District Commander Blair Kiely says it's a positive sign, but the fire isn't out, with ground crews and helicopters continuing to work through hotspots today. The fire has burned around one thousand four hundred hectares of tussock, scrub and some tree cover in the Queenstown Lakes area.

Kiely says Queenstown and lakeside communities were never at risk, and no homes, buildings or livestock have been lost. Fire and Emergency is asking the public and boaties to stay clear of exclusion zones to protect helicopter pilots and firefighters.

Investigators will carry out a formal inquiry into the cause once the fire is fully contained.

Government seeks views on new dog confinement rules

The Government is consulting on new rules to stop dogs being left in cages, crates and kennels for extremely long periods.

Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard says under the proposal, inspectors could issue a five hundred dollar infringement notice when they find two or more signs of prolonged confinement, including built-up waste, injuries or muscle wastage. SPCA received over four hundred complaints about prolonged confinement last year.

Hoggard says normal farm kennelling, or crating for travel, vet care or toilet training, isn't affected, as long as dogs get regular exercise, company and room to move. He says the rules target a small minority of owners whose dogs show clear signs of harm.

Consultation is open now and closes on the twenty-third of November, with details on the Ministry for Primary Industries website.

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Farmers want lasting rules on water and emissions | Duncan Humm & Chris Lewis, Farmer Panel

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 03:01:28 +0000

On this week’s Farmer Panel, Waikato farmer Chris Lewis and Mid Canterbury farmer Duncan Humm say the most urgent job for the next government is clear, lasting rules for freshwater, emissions and farm planning.

Lewis says farmers need practical rules that recognise good performance and give them confidence over the long term.

“Farmers like myself, we think in generations, decades, but people want to think in the election cycle,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/farmers-want-lasting-rules-on-water-emissions-and-farm-planning

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South Waikato farm with 2km of lake frontage to auction | Angus Kelly, Bayleys Hamilton

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 02:59:16 +0000

A 260 hectare South Waikato farm with more than 2km of lake frontage, a private boat ramp and duck shooting goes to auction on 19 November.

Bayleys Hamilton lifestyle, farm and country salesperson Angus Kelly says Rata Downs, in the Putāruru-Tokoroa area, is set up for one person to run.

“All the paddocks are one to two hectare sizes, so very, very easy for someone to come in and just run a pretty simple system where all they have to do is simply open gates.”Kelly says the farm suits local dairy farmers wanting a support block.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/south-waikato-farm-with-2km-of-lake-frontage-heads-to-auction

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Farmlands ties $1m AgriZeroNZ stake to manufacturing | Tanya Houghton, Farmlands

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 02:58:01 +0000

Farmlands says its $1 million AgriZeroNZ investment over three years is tied to its manufacturing and animal health and nutrition businesses.

Chief executive Tanya Houghton says the co-operative is in talks on four potential products that could be made at its New Zealand sites.

“One of the most exciting about those is actually biological, and we already have biologicals in our suite through Donaghys with ProCalf and ProDairy.”

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/farmlands-ties-1-million-agrizeronz-stake-to-manufacturing-plans

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WorkSafe’s advice as inspectors head onto sheep farms | Carl Baker, WorkSafe

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 02:53:11 +0000

WorkSafe will phone or door-knock sheep and beef farmers to book a time before inspectors visit from October to December this year.

General Inspectorate Manager for WorkSafe, Carl Baker, says the campaign covers vehicles, remote and isolated work and hazardous substances.

He says safety data sheets and a chemical inventory come first.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/worksafes-advice-as-inspectors-head-onto-sheep-and-beef-farms

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Are weaning calls the big El Niño play for sheep and beef? | Ed Harrison, BakerAg

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 02:51:52 +0000

A farm adviser says weaning decisions through to December are the big play left for sheep and beef farmers facing El Niño.

BakerAg Agribusiness consultant Ed Harrison says farmers have eased stocking rates, sold surplus ewes and exited trade stock earlier.

“We make most of our revenue by Christmas, so we want to capture as much of that as we can, while at the same time preparing for what summer may throw at us,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/are-weaning-calls-becoming-the-big-el-nino-play-for-sheep-and-beef

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Managing herbicide resistance in spring spray plans | Gary Bosley

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 02:42:41 +0000

Technical Specialist Agronomy at PGG Wrightson Gary Bosley walks through what to get right when putting spring spray programmes together to achieve good weed control, while protecting the existing chemistry’s effectiveness into the future. "It's not right, for the environment and farmer's pockets, to blanket spray everything.”

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7th October 2026 // Rural News

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 03:37:09 +0000

Global Dairy Trade index lifts 1.2 Percent
Copper thieves target Canterbury irrigators, risking electrocution
New heat-resistant apple variety launched by T&G

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Global Dairy Trade index lifts 1.2 Percent

Dairy prices rose at the latest Global Dairy Trade auction, with the overall index up one point two percent.

Skim milk powder led the gains, jumping four point three percent to its highest level in over four years. Whole milk powder, New Zealand's biggest export earner, rose one point two percent.

Milk fats continued to ease, with butter down zero point three percent and anhydrous milk fat down one point one percent. Cheddar fell three point seven percent, while lactose dropped six point nine percent and mozzarella eased three point nine percent.

North Asia was the dominant buyer this round, lifting its share of purchases to forty-four percent.

Copper thieves target Canterbury irrigators, risking electrocution

Canterbury farmers are being urged to check their pivot irrigators after thieves began stripping copper wiring from the machines, in thefts an irrigation specialist fears could end in someone's death.

Waterforce's Andrew Panasiuk says the three to four hundred volt cables sit three to four metres up on the irrigators, and thieves risk serious shock or death if a machine starts automatically while they're on it. He says the thefts have been happening since December, and police are aware.

One affected farmer said the irrigators are essential to growing grass through summer, and repair costs come on top of already rising fuel and fertiliser prices.

Panasiuk is urging farmers to check irrigators they haven't used recently, turn on anti-theft systems where fitted, and report any thefts to police.

New heat-resistant apple variety launched by T&G

T&G Global's VentureFruit business has launched ADORE, a new apple brand bred to handle hotter growing conditions, through an international partnership between New Zealand and Catalonia.

VentureFruit General Manager Morgan Rogers says ADORE will cover several varieties under one brand, letting growers pick whichever suits their climate and harvest timing. He says the apples still need to match existing varieties on yield, quality and price to be worthwhile for growers.

About one hundred and twenty hectares have already been licensed in Catalonia, with the first variety expected to reach European consumers within a few years. New Zealand trials are underway, though Rogers says meaningful local results are still several years off.

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2027 Dairy Industry Awards open with 30 entries already | Robin Congdon

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 02:52:14 +0000

Entries for the 2027 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards opened on 5 October, with about 30 already in.

Robin Congdon, general manager of the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards, says the programme enters its 38th year with a redrawn boundary creating a North Waikato Hauraki region.

“We had one super region of Waikato and really felt that to make it more sustainable we needed to readdress that,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/entries-open-for-2027-dairy-industry-awards-with-30-already-in

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Economist calls for tougher competition to lift incomes | Cameron Bagrie, Bagrie Economics

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 02:37:34 +0000

An economist says the cost-of-living crisis dominating the election campaign is masking a bigger income crisis.

Cameron Bagrie, lead economist at Bagrie Economics, says productivity growth has averaged 0.2% a year for the past decade.

“When your wages and incomes are too low and costs start to go up, you don’t have the flex within the family budget to get by,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/economist-calls-for-tougher-competition-policy-to-lift-incomes

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Former minister sees no merit left in leaders’ debates | Peter Dunne, Political Commentator

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 02:36:17 +0000

A former cabinet minister says Tuesday night’s TVNZ leaders’ debate between Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins produced nothing voters did not already know.

Peter Dunne, political commentator and former United Future leader, says the yes/no format left both leaders rehearsing long-stated positions.

“I think this was an extended interview rather than a debate,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/former-minister-sees-no-merit-left-in-televised-leaders-debates

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Skim milk powder leads GDT up 4.3% at auction | Cristina Alvarado, NZX

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 02:35:01 +0000

The Global Dairy Trade price index rose 1.2% at the latest auction, with skim milk powder up 4.3%.

Cristina Alvarado, head of dairy insights at NZX, says the result was expected, with powders forecast to rise and fats to fall.

North Asia took most of the whole milk powder, AMF and butter.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/skim-milk-powder-leads-gdt-higher-with-prices-up-4-3-at-auction

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DOC launches early warning tool to catch new weeds | Dr Kate McAlpine, Department of Conservation

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 02:33:33 +0000

A new web-based Smart Weed Alert Tool (SWAT) notifies landowners when a new weed turns up in their area.

Dr Kate McAlpine, senior science advisor at the Department of Conservation, says SWAT pulls records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, which draws on council and DOC weed data and the iNaturalist app.

“It’s like a personalised weed watchlist, and it does the searching for you,” she says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/doc-launches-early-warning-tool-to-catch-new-weeds-as-they-arrive

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Otago farmers win sludge vote, push to cancel Lauder consent | Anna Gillespie, Federated Farmers Otago

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 02:31:58 +0000

Central Otago District Council has voted down a plan to spread stored Cromwell sewage sludge on a farm at Lauder.

Anna Gillespie, president of Federated Farmers Otago, says the savings did not stack up once the consent holder told the council it lacked capacity to take all the sludge.

She says Wānaka sludge is still being spread at Lauder, and they are pushing for that consent to be cancelled when the Otago Regional Council reviews it from late October.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/otago-farmers-win-sludge-vote-push-on-to-cancel-lauder-consent

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Farm vehicles must be fit for purpose under new codes | Roger Barton, Safer Farms

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 02:30:34 +0000

A Safer Farms champion says two new approved codes of practice should push farmers to build safety into every job.

Roger Barton, Safer Farms Regional Champion, says the codes, covering roles and responsibilities and safe farm vehicle operation, give farmers more latitude.

“The most important thing to do in on farm safety isn’t actually ticking the box,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/farm-vehicles-must-be-fit-for-purpose-under-new-codes-of-practice

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AgriZeroNZ lifts funding to $308m as Alliance, Farmlands in | Rob Hewett, AgriZeroNZ

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 22:27:07 +0000

AgriZeroNZ has added Alliance Group and Farmlands as shareholders in a second funding round worth $117 million.

Rob Hewett, board chair of AgriZeroNZ, says half the new money comes from the Crown, with much of it earmarked for follow-on investment in existing ventures.

“We expect by 2030 to have half a dozen products, five, six products available for farmers to go and choose,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/agrizeronz-lifts-funding-to-308-million-as-alliance-farmlands-join

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Tatua opens at $10.50/kgMS amid shipping disruption | Stephen Allen

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 22:25:38 +0000

Tatua is paying its suppliers $12.42/kgMS for the 2025/26 season and retaining $1.51/kgMS, for total earnings of $13.93/kgMS.

Stephen Allen, chair of the Tatua Co-operative Dairy Company, says it is the highest cash payout the co-operative has made.

“The key thing is when we do make an investment that we execute on that investment really, really well and then pay the debt down.”

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/tatua-opening-forecast-set-at-10-50-kgms-amid-shipping-disruption

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Will coalition talks leave farmers guessing on farm policy? | Sudesh Kissun, Dairy News and Rural News

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 22:09:19 +0000

The editor of Rural News and Dairy News NZ, Sudesh Kissun, says farmers remain unsure which election promises will survive coalition negotiations, after last week’s Rural Issues debate at Mystery Creek.

He says the 300 farmers at the debate were subdued.

“The worry here is that these guys come up, turn up and say all the things they want to hear, but it’s what’s going to happen after the elections when coalitions are being put together, and then who pushes for which particular policy?”

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/will-coalition-talks-leave-farmers-guessing-on-farm-policy

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Tetraploid ryegrasses outlast expectations in Lincoln trial | Dr Tom Maxwell, Lincoln University

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 22:03:26 +0000

Tetraploid perennial ryegrasses are holding their own eight to 10 years after sowing in a Lincoln University pasture persistence trial against expectations that they would fade sooner.

Dr Tom Maxwell, Senior lecturer in grazing lands ecology and management at Lincoln University, says a new pasture has been sown every autumn since 2015 at the Ashley Dene Research and Development Station.

“Cocksfoot was the king performer,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/tetraploid-ryegrasses-outlast-expectations-in-11-year-lincoln-trial

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Labour excludes all farms from capital gains tax | Jo Luxton, Labour Party

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 21:26:43 +0000

Clarifying her answer from last week’s Rural Issues debate, Labour Party Agriculture Spokesperson Jo Luxton says Labour’s proposed capital gains tax would actually exclude all farms.

“All farms are excluded, and that’s orchards, that’s run-offs, that’s even part of your orchard that might have staff and accommodation.”

Water storage would have to be proactively considered in the development of the National Infrastructure Plan under a Labour-led government.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/labour-excludes-all-farms-from-its-proposed-capital-gains-tax

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Does National’s energy plan add up for rural? | Mike Casey, Rewiring Aotearoa

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 21:25:06 +0000

Farmers would be able to sell surplus solar power to whoever they choose, at whatever price they set, under National’s Electrify NZ 2.0 policy.

Rewiring Aotearoa chief executive Mike Casey says farmers currently sell exported power back to their own retailer, often for nine or 10 cents a kilowatt-hour.

“What if you could take that power and sign a contract directly with Fonterra and sell it at a price when Fonterra wants that price?” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/does-nationals-energy-plan-add-up-for-rural

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Southwest changes keep rolling across the South Island | Tony Trewinnard, Blue Skies Weather

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 20:59:30 +0000

Tony Trewinnard of Blue Skies Weather says Tropical Pacific temperatures across the equator are averaging 2.5 to 3.5 degrees above normal, unprecedented and record-setting, with subsurface temperatures peaking at about 10 to 12 degrees above normal.

He says the character of this El Niño is southwest changes pushing through the South Island, with fewer of them in October.

“Past El Niño seasons in Canterbury have had relatively wet changeable Septembers and sometimes Octobers,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/southwest-changes-keep-rolling-across-south-island-this-season

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Where high farm sale prices carry debt risk for dairy | DAIRY Country Panel

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 20:58:17 +0000

A West Coast dairy farmer says buyers paying top prices for farms are the ones most likely to bring risk back into the dairy industry as interest rates and costs climb.

Speaking on the DAIRY Country panel with Senior Journalist Anne Lee, Richard Reynolds says three-year interest rates are heading back towards 7% from 5%.

He says on debt of about NZ$20/kg milksolids (MS), that adds about 40c/kg MS in debt servicing.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/where-high-farm-sale-prices-carry-debt-risk-for-dairy

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Cutting the middle margin to make wool carpet competitive | John McWhirter, Wools of New Zealand

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 20:56:38 +0000

Wools of New Zealand is setting up a direct-to-consumer online carpet business to cut out the middle margin. Chief executive John McWhirter says farmers have been walking into carpet shops asking for wool and being offered solution-dyed nylon.

He says buyers can work out what it costs to carpet a house with wool in five minutes.

“We have cut out the middle margin, which allows us to have a more competitive option,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/cutting-the-middle-margin-to-make-wool-carpet-more-competitive

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Does NZ need an energy plan that includes fossil fuels? | Chris Gourley, Fern Energy

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 20:50:51 +0000

Fern Energy chief executive Chris Gourley says lifting the minimum diesel stockholding from 23 to 28 days is pushing up the price.

He says the government has postponed the change because of the current fuel crisis.

“The tank’s still the same size — you have just got to keep more fuel in it.”

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/does-nz-need-an-energy-plan-that-includes-fossil-fuels

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Swedish solar broccoli study could be trialled in NZ | Dr Ramesh Rayudu

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 20:45:38 +0000

Research has found broccoli grown under magenta solar panels takes about 25 days longer to reach marketable height. Dr Ramesh Rayudu, an associate professor at the Victoria University School of Engineering and Computer Science, says the Swedish study uses magenta panels because they are readily available.

He says the study lets red and blue light through and uses green to produce electricity.

The plants under the panels have less magnesium and two other minerals.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/swedish-colourful-solar-broccoli-study-could-be-trialled-in-nz

This podcast is solely for information purposes. It's not financial or other professional advice. No party, including BNZ, is liable for direct or indirect loss or damage resulting from the content of this podcast.

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Drench intervals well beyond 70 days on forage crops | Jason Leslie and Charlotte Westwood

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 19:20:25 +0000

Lambs on trial forage crops went well beyond 70 days without a drench, more than the usual pasture cycle. PGG Wrightson research found the crops likely break the parasite life cycle and grow lambs faster to a heavier, better protected weight, with clean paddocks leaving worm larvae fewer places to survive.

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Rural medicine’s strength lies in the communities and people | Dr Katharina Blattner

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 19:17:01 +0000

Rural GP trainees at Rawene spend four hours on the road each week to get to and from one day of training in Whangarei. Dr Katharina Blattner, a doctor at Hauora Hokianga Rawene Hospital, says GP training needs a focus built around rural communities.

She says GP year one already places trainees in rural general practice.

“It’s just shifting that focus and enabling things, like using technology better,” she says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/rural-medicines-strength-lies-in-the-communities-and-people

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Why FarmUp NZ’s Ben Purua is using SenseHub Dairy Ear Tags | Ben Purua

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 21:52:13 +0000

FarmUpNZ’s Ben Purua manages an intensive System 5 farm, milking 540 cows on 187ha near Tirau. He uses SenseHub Dairy’s monitoring Ear Tags to track the herd daily. “I see the SenseHub tags as a smart watch – it tracks that cow's information 24/7 just like it would with our smart watch.”

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How farms are preparing for peak agritourism season | Marijke Dunselman

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 20:13:42 +0000

Bookings show international visitors are back on farms this season, and farmers increasingly see agritourism as a serious income stream, says Agritourism New Zealand Founder and Chief Executive Marijke Dunselman.

“It’s not just a little … fluff. It’s actually generating substantial income for farmers,” she says.

“When farming is going a bit better, it’s a really great time to invest in future possible infrastructure that can really help create income for the future.”

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/how-farms-are-preparing-for-peak-agritourism-season

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Why NZ isn’t first in line for Bayer’s new herbicide | Fenton Hazelwood, rural commentator

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 19:08:17 +0000

New Zealand’s absence from the launch list for Bayer’s new herbicide reflects the size of the market rather than regulatory hurdles, says rural commentator Fenton Hazelwood.

He says the new active ingredient, icafolin-methyl, is probably the biggest discovery in its space in about 30 years.

He expects it to act as a “bodyguard to glyphosate”, tank-mixed with it to give two modes of action against resistant weeds.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/why-nz-isnt-first-in-line-for-bayers-new-herbicide

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‘Puts our reputation at risk’: Labour on EU complaint | Hon Damien O’Connor

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 19:00:58 +0000

Labour Trade Spokesperson Damien O’Connor says a complaint to the European Commission over New Zealand’s environmental record should be taken seriously.

O’Connor, who signed the New Zealand–European Union (EU) free-trade agreement as Trade Minister, says the deal commits New Zealand not to downgrade its standards to gain a trade advantage.

“You might say that removing or indicating that agriculture won’t be part of our emissions reduction … means that we’ve stepped back to give advantage to our agricultural exporters,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/puts-our-reputation-at-risk-labour-on-eu-trade-climate-complaint

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The 10 national farming standards Feds are calling for | Colin Hurst, Federated Farmers

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 03:21:17 +0000

Federated Farmers wants the next government to set 10 national farming standards so farmers following good practice don’t need resource consents for routine work.

National President Colin Hurst says the standards would link back to a certified farm plan under the new resource management system. Anyone doing something outside normal practice would still need a consent.

The 10 standards cover farm plans, vegetable growing in rotation, on-farm water storage, gravel extraction from rivers on farm, drain maintenance, dairy effluent management, fertiliser application, on-farm quarries, wetland restoration and small to medium-scale solar.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/breaking-down-the-10-national-farming-standards-feds-are-calling-for

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Dairy Goat Co-op targets China and US infant formula markets | Alastair Hulbert, Dairy Goat Co-operative

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 03:18:50 +0000

Dairy Goat Co-operative has secured investment from United States agribusiness investor AGR Partners while staying 100% farmer-owned.

Chief Executive Alastair Hulbert says the Hamilton-based co-operative spent a year looking at investors. Some would have meant giving away part of the co-op or changing its structure.

He says the capital lets the co-op “run hard” at China and the US. Chinese registration will take two to three years, and a clinical trial for the US market will cost US$4 million.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/dairy-goat-co-op-targets-china-and-us-infant-formula-markets

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Be alert, not alarmed: Prepare early for El Niño | Danny Donaghy

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 03:13:59 +0000

Feed budgets and stock reconciliations should be done now ahead of what could become the strongest El Niño in years.

Danny Donaghy, Professor of Dairy Production systems at Massey University, says previous El Niños have left Northland, the midlands and the east coast drier and Southland and the west wetter.

He says farmers should talk to their bank manager or accountant, silage and fertiliser contractors, and check the silage on hand.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/be-alert-not-alarmed-prepare-early-for-el-nino

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Adverse event declaration in Southland unlocks help | Deane Carson

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 03:11:42 +0000

A third wet winter and spring in a row is taking a personal toll on Southland farmers, says Farm Management Consultant Deane Carson.

The government has classified conditions across Southland and the Clutha district as a medium-scale adverse event after the region’s wettest winter since 1980.

Carson says Woodlands rainfall records show this is the wettest August–September in 52 years, with about twice the average. That’s 300mm over the two months, and some places had 500mm in September alone.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/adverse-event-declaration-in-southland-unlocks-help

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1st October 2026 // Rural News

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 03:27:47 +0000

New health and safety guidance launched for farms
Southland, Clutha Declared Adverse Event Zone
Dairy Goat Co-op secures US investment, stays farmer-owned

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New health and safety guidance launched for farms

Two new codes of practice have been launched to help farmers, contractors and workers meet their health and safety responsibilities ahead of law changes taking effect next April.

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says the codes, Roles and Responsibilities in Agriculture and Safe Farm Vehicle Operation, clarify overlapping duties on farms and set out practical ways to manage vehicle-related risks.

Van Velden says the guidance isn't creating new duties, but making existing responsibilities clearer around who needs to do what, particularly when contractors are on farm or conditions change.

Following an ACOP won't be compulsory, but from April it could provide safe-harbour status, meaning businesses that follow it would be treated as meeting their legal obligations.

Southland, Clutha Declared Adverse Event Zone

The Government has classified Southland and the Clutha District as a medium-scale adverse event, unlocking extra support for farmers after the region's wettest winter since 1980.

Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says up to fifty thousand dollars will go to Southland and Otago Rural Support Trusts, with the classification also enabling tax relief and Rural Assistance Payments for farmers unable to meet essential living costs.

Rural Communities Minister Mark Patterson says this is the third tough spring in a row for the region, and he's urging farmers to check in on family, neighbours and staff, and ask for help if needed.

Farmers needing support can call the Rural Support Trust on 0800 787 254, or MPI on 0800 00 83 33 for animal welfare concerns.

Dairy Goat Co-op secures US investment, stays farmer-owned

Dairy Goat Co-operative has completed a capital raise with US agribusiness investor AGR Partners, while remaining fully farmer-owned.

Chief Executive Alastair Hulbert says the deal gives the co-op capital to fund its growth strategy, including re-entering China and expanding into the US, without giving up ownership like several other New Zealand co-operatives have in recent years.

Hulbert says shareholder feedback has been positive, with no vote needed since the investment doesn't change the co-op's structure. AGR gets a board observer seat, but no voting rights.

The co-op has guaranteed suppliers a payout of fifteen dollars a kilogram of milksolids this season, and says it's actively looking for more milk.

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Good neighbour rules need a nuanced approach to pests | Laura Morrison & Craig Hickman, Farmer Panel

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 03:13:08 +0000

On this week’s Farmer Panel, sympathy is coming from around the country for the deluge Southland is facing, with farmers bringing calves back into sheds amid constant rain.

Craig Hickman, who milks 1,000 cows in Mid Canterbury, says an early but successful calving is putting pressure on feed and leaving covers low.

“800 in by the end of August is just phenomenal,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/farmer-panel-good-neighbour-rules-need-a-nuanced-approach-to-pests

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Report says financial literacy can make or break succession | Brett Robinson

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 03:11:34 +0000

Are profitability and viability missing from farm succession conversations? Brett Robinson, a Kellogg Rural Leadership alumnus and partner at Rural Coach, says that recurring gap led him to research the financial conversations held at the kitchen table.

“9 out of 10 times the kids have got no idea what the balance sheet looks like until we start having these conversations,” he says.

He says leadership sits with the parents, who need to share the hardships behind the family’s story.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/report-says-financial-literacy-can-make-or-break-succession

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DAIRY Country Panel – Breaking down Fed Farmer’s Ag debate | Peter Morgan, DairyNZ Tutor, DAIRY Country Panel

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 03:02:52 +0000

Environmental progress, international accords, biosecurity and exports drew agreement across the parties at the Federated Farmers Rural Issues Debate last night. Waikato dairy farmer Pete Morgan says the lack of clarity on land and wealth tax at the debate is one of the areas of concern for farmers.

“That part was nice to see them being pragmatic rather than actually try and go for cheap shots,” he says.

Watch the full panel breakdown with Pete, CountryWide Senior Journalist Anne Lee and host Sarah Perriam-Lampp.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/dairy-country-panel-breaking-down-fed-farmers-ag-debate

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Zanda McDonald Award winner urges young farmers to apply | Karn Dhaliwal, 2026 Zanda McDonald Award

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 03:01:16 +0000

New Zealand winner of the 2026 Zanda McDonald Award Karn Dhaliwal says some of the large-scale farmers he met in Australia focus on only two or three things and do them extremely well. He says one mentor told him there is no secret sauce, just a dedicated team, a few priorities each year and 10% growth year in, year out.

His own business runs four lanes: annual cropping, kiwifruit, export blueberries and a farming lane scaling up in dairy and dairy beef.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/zanda-mcdonald-award-winner-urges-young-farmers-to-apply

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How back-to-basics farming delivered Pāmu’s profit | Mark Leslie, Pāmu

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 02:49:45 +0000

Productivity drove about 60% of Pāmu’s gain this year as profit tipped over $113 million. Chief Executive Mark Leslie says livestock and dairy units are 15% to 20% ahead on production in the last three years, with protein prices adding a tailwind.

He says Pāmu has paid down $36 million of debt and returned a record dividend to the Crown. Dairy cost of production averaged $706 last year, with conventional at $699 and organics at $751.

“Given who we’re owned by, which is all of us as New Zealanders, we’ve got to be quite transparent around that data.”

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/how-back-to-basics-farming-delivered-pamus-profit

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Aquaculture needs a bespoke statute to reach scale | Shane Jones, Minister for Oceans and Fisheries

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 02:39:59 +0000

Minister for Oceans and Fisheries Hon Shane Jones says aquaculture needs its own statute to reach the scale the sector is targeting. He says New Zealand has the fourth-largest sovereign oceanic zone and is consistently hitting limits on how many more cows it can milk.

“To create this hitherto unknown, unseen scale of industry, we need a bespoke statute that encourages money, represents a one-stop shop,” he says.

He says the investment needed runs to many billions of dollars over 15 to 20 years. He says he genuinely believes Labour sees the value and will want to support it because of its job-rich outcomes.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/minister-says-aquaculture-needs-a-bespoke-statute-to-reach-scale

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30th September 2026 // Rural News

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 03:43:26 +0000

Dutch group files EU climate complaint against NZ
Red meat exports hit $867m in August, up 23 percent
US beef boom boosts NZ farmgate returns

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Dutch group files EU climate complaint against NZ

Trade Minister Todd McClay is flatly denying claims New Zealand has broken its climate promises in the free trade deal with the EU, after a Dutch environmental group lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission.

McClay says New Zealand is fully compliant with the agreement, and it's not for overseas groups to dictate how the country meets its climate obligations. He says it's deeply disappointing to see New Zealand organisations and the Green Party join foreign actors in what he calls an attack on exporters and the jobs they provide.

The complaint, from group Both ENDS, points to policy changes including a weaker methane target and removing agriculture from carbon pricing.

Two-way trade with the EU was worth around twenty-one point five billion dollars last year, and the agreement allows trade benefits to be suspended if breaches persist.

Red meat exports hit $867m in August, up 23 percent

New Zealand's red meat and fifth-quarter exports reached eight hundred and sixty-seven million dollars in August, up twenty-three percent on last year, as the sector gathered in Wellington for its annual conference yesterday.

Meat Industry Association Chief Executive Nick Beeby says the lift reflects stronger returns across all major markets, with gains for both sheepmeat and beef in China.

Sheepmeat exports rose twenty percent to three hundred and nine million dollars, driven by strong growth in China and the UK. Beef exports climbed twenty-six percent to four hundred and three million dollars, with the US remaining the top market.

Beeby says the sector is generating more value from a smaller livestock base, with around ninety-seven percent of exports now high-value chilled or frozen cuts.

US beef boom boosts NZ farmgate returns

Meanwhile US beef prices have hit record highs, with the US cattle industry telling this week's Red Meat Sector Conference in Wellington that government moves to import cheaper beef are hurting local producers, not lowering prices.

National Cattlemen's Beef Association's Kent Bacus says New Zealand's trade relationship with the US remains strong, with lean New Zealand beef trimmings complementing fattier US product to meet ground beef demand.

Beef and Lamb New Zealand expects strong returns to continue, forecasting beef prices easing slightly to two thousand one hundred and forty dollars a head, while cattle processed for export are expected to rise nearly eight percent to two point six five million.

Analyst Brett Stuart told the conference booming US demand, fuelled partly by a consumer protein craze, means tighter supplies and higher prices are likely to continue into next year.

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Greens warned of case against breaking Paris promises | Steve Abel, Green Party

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 03:41:52 +0000

Green Party Agriculture Spokesperson Steve Abel says the Greens are not part of the complaint Dutch group Both ENDS has lodged with the European Commission over the EU free trade agreement.

“It’s not inconsistent with our view of the failure of this government to hold up to its commitments,” he says.

The Greens have been saying for some years there is a risk a case could be brought in the European Union. He says the government weakened the methane target in its first year.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/greens-not-involved-but-had-warned-of-case-against-breaking-paris-promises

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Rural GP pathway now sits with Health NZ for funding | Dr Luke Bradford

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 03:40:20 +0000

A proposed rural GP training pathway adds no extra time to the three-year programme.

Dr Luke Bradford, President of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, says trainees keep the first year, spend a year in rural general practice, then split six months in an emergency department with six months of electives such as paediatrics, psychiatry or obstetrics.

“Rural communities need people trained to work for them,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/proposed-rural-gp-pathway-now-sits-with-health-nz-for-funding

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A European agriculture perspective – an Irish case study | Lucie Douma, FMG

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 03:38:54 +0000

Watch the full webinar with Institute of Rural Professionals here.

Lucie Douma, Head of Client Propositions & Loss Prevention at FMG, recently spent two weeks travelling Ireland and engaging with their farming systems and values, and brings her insights to the show.

She says an example of this is that value flows back to Irish dairy farmers because seven of the country’s 12 dairy co-operatives own Kerrygold.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/a-european-agriculture-perspective-an-irish-case-study

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Costs squeezing Aus cropping farmers before a bumper harvest | Libby Price, Australian Rural Commentator

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 03:37:34 +0000

Australia exports 80% of its canola and imports 80% of its diesel, yet biodiesel from that canola will not happen without a government mandate.

Australian rural commentator Libby Price says regional diesel is up to $3 a litre and Australia’s canola refineries make oil, not biodiesel.

“I really think the government needs to make the decision and force it.”

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/costs-squeezing-aus-cropping-farmers-before-a-bumper-harvest

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Another year of positive pricing for red meat exports | Simon Quilty, Global Agritrends

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 03:36:12 +0000

Another year of positive pricing is coming for beef and lamb. Simon Quilty of Global Agritrends says cattle have another 50c a kilo of upside to October next year.

“Next year for lamb in particular is what I would call rinse and repeat,” he says.

A 30% United States tariff would take $1 a kilo off next year’s lamb peak, and global slaughterings are forecast to fall 15% over 2027 and 2028 as cattle cycles rebuild.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/another-year-of-positive-pricing-forecast-for-red-meat-exports

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What natural capital means for the farm gate | Rikki Stancich, Deloitte

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 03:34:38 +0000

Farms with strong natural capital baselines are more resilient to climate and market shocks.

Rikki Stancich, Partner, Climate & Sustainability at Deloitte says a study of 113 Australian farms, led by Meat & Livestock Australia, shows natural capital is positively correlated with production efficiency, gross margin and EBIT.

“Natural capital, when it’s in a healthy state, can provide quite profound financial benefits at no or very little cost to businesses or farmers,” she says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/what-natural-capital-means-for-the-farm-gate

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Feds call for minister to step in on rural sludge spreading | Anna Gillespie, Federated Farmers Otago

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 03:33:24 +0000

This episode features Anna Gillespie, President, Federated Farmers Otago discussing the growing sewage sludge crisis and the fight to protect the Manuherekia catchment.

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29th September 2026 // Rural News

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:44:28 +0000

Federated Farmers opposes plan to truck sludge to Lauder
Freight group calls for bigger diesel reserves
New training pathway proposed for rural GPs

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Federated Farmers opposes plan to truck sludge to Lauder

Federated Farmers is urging Central Otago District Council to vote down a plan, at tomorrow's meeting, to truck thousands of cubic metres of treated sludge from Alexandra and Cromwell onto farmland near Lauder.

Feds Otago president Anna Gillespie says it follows outrage over a similar consent that lets Wānaka truck its treated sewage to a Lauder farm, in what she calls a sensitive catchment where landowners have spent years improving water quality.

Gillespie says the council could save around six hundred thousand dollars by spreading the sludge rather than trucking it to landfill, but argues the farm's dry, gravelly soils can't realistically absorb the volumes involved.

She's renewing calls for Local Government Minister Simon Watts to step in, and wants the existing Lauder consent re-investigated.

Freight group calls for bigger diesel reserves

Transporting New Zealand is calling for New Zealand's diesel reserves to be doubled, as global fuel volatility pushes pump prices back above three dollars a litre for the first time since June.

Policy and Advocacy Advisor Mark Stockdale says diesel prices have risen more than fifty cents a litre in the past month, driven by ongoing conflict in the Middle East and attacks on Russian refineries. With around ninety-three percent of freight moved by road, he says any supply disruption would hit farms, exports and supermarkets hard.

The group's election platform calls for reserves to rise from thirty to sixty days' supply, funded through a one cent per litre fuel levy, along with formal supply agreements with countries like South Korea.

New training pathway proposed for rural GPs

Health leaders are calling for a dedicated training pathway for rural GPs, as many rural practices struggle to recruit doctors and a large share of the workforce nears retirement.

Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners President Dr Luke Bradford says strengthening the rural GP workforce is one of the most effective ways to improve access and reduce health inequities for rural communities, including rural Māori.

The College has proposed GP Rural, a postgraduate training pathway to better prepare doctors for rural practice. Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network Chief Executive Dr Grant Davidson says rural communities can't afford to wait for the workforce gap to widen further.

College Chief Executive Toby Beaglehole says the shortage won't be solved overnight, but the proposal is a practical step toward long-term change.

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NZ food safety and welfare rules earn beef a US premium | Kate Acland, B+LNZ

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:42:57 +0000

Kate Acland, chair of Beef + Lamb New Zealand, says premiums for calves with good beef genetics are what will drive change.

She says sheep and beef farmers, dairy farmers, red meat processors and, to a lesser extent, milk processors are funding it.

She says New Zealand beef in the US is commodity beef and lean beef trim.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/nz-food-safety-and-welfare-rules-earn-a-premium-for-beef-in-the-us

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Why trade matters more than ever | Killian Destremau, BERL Deputy Chief Economist

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:41:25 +0000

A 90-day US diesel export ban would add 2% to the diesel price every week, based on a European estimate.

Killian Destremau, Deputy Chief Economist at Business and Economic Research Limited (BERL), says the ban will ‘probably’ not happen, but is a genuine consideration that could be planned for.

He says oil inventories are cushioning the Strait of Hormuz closure, but prices are moving higher.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/why-trade-matters-more-than-ever

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US cattle herd at its lowest as beef demand hits records | Kent Bacus

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:39:49 +0000

About 20% of the beef Americans eat is imported, much of it for ground beef.

Kent Bacus, Executive Director of Government Affairs at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, says New Zealand is a reliable source.

The US herd is at its lowest numbers while demand for beef is at an all-time high.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/us-cattle-herd-is-at-its-lowest-while-beef-demand-hits-records

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Standardised assurance strengthens red meat’s position | Craig Hattle, NZFAI

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:38:22 +0000

Six different audit demands are what the New Zealand Farm Assurance Programme (NZFAP) was created to standardise.

Chair Craig Hattle says wool producers can still be part of the standard on the same basis as meat members, with the cost shared between fibre and meat pathways.

Hattle says whole-chain traceability is required for fibre re-exported out of India.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/standardised-assurance-gives-red-meat-a-stronger-market-position

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Data and traceability build confidence in beef on dairy | Simon Limmer, Indevin Group

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:36:29 +0000

Better genetics is the low-hanging fruit in beef-on-dairy.

Simon Limmer, chair of the Dairy Beef Opportunities Group, says New Zealand produces 1.8 million dairy replacement calves that are pretty much a lost opportunity.

He says sexed semen is part of the solution.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/provable-data-and-traceability-build-confidence-in-beef-on-dairy

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US lamb safeguard investigation decision due in November | Diana Reaich, MPI

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:35:02 +0000

A US decision on injury in the lamb investigation is likely in November, with the remedy decision early next year.

Diana Reaich, Associate Deputy Director-General of Trade and International Relations at MPI says the government is putting its case forward and respecting the formal process.

She says the Paris Agreement targets are written into the UK and EU free trade agreements.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/us-lamb-safeguard-investigation-decision-due-in-november

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Meat quota system behind UK, EU and US access gets upgrade | Esther Guy-Meakin, New Zealand Meat Board

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:24:24 +0000

A new digital quota management system replaces a platform first implemented about 20 years ago.

Esther Guy-Meakin, Chief Executive of the New Zealand Meat Board, says the board issues about 18,000 certificates a year across the UK, EU and US quota markets.

She says quotas valued at about $4.2 billion were administered last year, saving $1.4 billion in tariffs.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/meat-quota-system-behind-uk-eu-and-us-access-gets-upgrade

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Ag Trade Envoy heads to India as 33% lamb tariff goes | Nathan Guy, Meat Industry Association

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:23:26 +0000

India’s 33% tariff on lamb will be wiped on 20 October, opening a market with 700 million consumers.

Nathan Guy, Independent chair of the Meat Industry Association, says he boards a plane to India today as the Special Agricultural Trade Envoy to promote lamb and meet Kiwi growers at a wool textile expo.

India is not a beef market because of religious reasons.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/special-ag-trade-envoy-heads-to-india-as-the-33-lamb-tariff-comes-off

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Moving stock early gives options ahead of dry summer | Tony Trewinnard, Blue Skies Weather

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 03:38:26 +0000

Tony Trewinnard of Blue Skies Weather says the drought risk for Canterbury by the end of December remains.

“It’s bought two weeks’ worth of feed that you’d otherwise have to find in December,” he says.

He says soil moisture deficit compromises pasture growth without meaning drought and lighter soils in Canterbury have even odds of drought by early December.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/moving-stock-early-gives-farmers-more-options-ahead-of-dry-summer

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Potassium chloride spreads less evenly than DAP in blends | Allister Holmes

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 03:37:09 +0000

The individual components of a blended fertiliser spread differently to each other. Allister Holmes, agronomist at Lincoln Agritech Precision Agriculture, says DAP and sulphate of ammonia spread quite uniformly and in a similar way.

“The potassium chloride spread a lot differently and was less able to be spread at a wider width,” he says.

He says potassium chloride is an angular particle that varies in size and spreading each component separately gives absolute uniformity.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/potassium-chloride-spreads-less-evenly-than-dap-in-fertiliser-blends

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Seedling Investments takes majority stake in dairy farm | Sebastian Chapman, Seedling Investments

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 03:35:44 +0000

Seedling Investments is the majority shareholder in an $11.4 million dairy farm. Sebastian Chapman, founder and managing director, says an equity manager will buy shares in the farm over time and can buy out the fund within about 10 years.

He says the fund lists the role on a job board and has had about half a dozen approaches by word of mouth.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/seedling-investments-takes-majority-stake-in-next-gen-agri-dairy-farm

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Is it time for wool to have a helping hand? | Dave Burridge, PGG Wrightson

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 03:34:16 +0000

This episode features Dave Burridge, National Wool Auction Manager, PGG Wrightson discussing the results of the latest wool auction and what they mean for the wool market.

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Aviation body opposes notification-only drone rules | Dr Isaac Henderson

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 03:32:42 +0000

The Government is proposing moving some agricultural drone operations from Part 102 certification to a notification system. Dr Isaac Henderson, Vice President of the Aviation Industry Association of New Zealand, says the association supports reform but wants licences and ratings for drone pilots.

“If you remove certification, you’re removing some of the most important safeguards around pilot competency, maintenance and risk management,” he says.

He says an association petition asks the government to abandon the notification-only pathway.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/aviation-industry-association-opposes-notification-only-drone-rules

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Regional Councils react to amalgamation pause | Deon Swiggs, Local Government New Zealand

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 03:31:28 +0000

The Government is pausing council amalgamations until after the election.

Deon Swiggs, regional chair of Local Government New Zealand, says the government should have settled the direction in May rather than ask for more time.

He says the environment chapter of the RMA reform starts with regional councils as the governing body and then changes halfway through.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/regional-councils-react-to-amalgamation-pause

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Consultant wants dispute agency back in Sharemilking Act | Louise Gibson

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 03:26:31 +0000

Labour’s plan to review the Sharemilking Act is drawing calls for a dispute agency to be reinstated. Louise Gibson, managing director and co-founder of The Sharefarming Consultant, says the review should have happened 10 years ago.

She says contract milkers do not have the protection of the Employment Protection Authority.

“They are required to litigate any disputes themselves,” she says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/consultant-wants-dispute-agency-restored-in-sharemilking-act-review

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28th September 2026 // Rural News

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 03:21:42 +0000

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Dairy processor Synlait has posted a seventy-five point four million dollar net loss for the year, though it says the business has now returned to operational stability.

Chair George Adams says the result reflects the impact of last year's manufacturing issues at its Dunsandel site, with performance improving sharply in the second half. Acting Chief Executive Leon Fung, in the role since May, says the company remains cautious but is focused on continuing its recovery.

Synlait sold its loss-making North Island assets to Abbott for three hundred and seven million dollars, using the proceeds to pay down debt, which now sits at two hundred and fifteen million dollars.

Farmers received a final milk price of nine dollars sixty-nine a kilogram of milksolids, in line with Fonterra, with incentives lifting the full-year price to ten dollars and seven cents.

New rules coming into force from January next year will make it harder for farmers to justify treating every cow with antibiotics at dry-off, under updated Veterinary Council guidance.

DairyNZ says blanket treatment only benefits fewer than five percent of herds, those with high and rising somatic cell counts, with selective treatment plus teat sealant recommended for the rest.

MSD Animal Health Veterinary Technical Advisor Matt Buckley says vets will increasingly need evidence before treating with antibiotics, with individual-cow data helping farmers make that call.

Buckley says it's about the right treatment for the right cow, not withholding antibiotics from those that need them. DairyNZ says New Zealand farmers already rank among the lowest antibiotic users internationally, protecting their effectiveness for both animals and people.

And the latest national wool auction saw crossbred wool give back some of the gains from June and July, with a larger offering and cautious buyers keeping prices unsettled.

Mid-micron and Merino wool held firm, with strong bidding for better-style lots pushing Merino's eighteen-micron price up two percent.

PGG Wrightson’s National Auction Manager Dave Burridge joins us shortly to break down what it means for growers.

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Long-term rebuild of rugby from the grassroots up | Sports Panel

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 04:27:30 +0000

This episode features Brian "Gash" Ashby & Graeme "Sportsfreak" Beasley discussing the big sporting stories and a look ahead to the weekend.

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Supplement export rules to be modernised for sector | Samantha Gray, Natural Health Products NZ

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 04:26:27 +0000

Dietary supplement exporters will be able to make health claims that meet importing country regulations.

Samantha Gray, Government Affairs Director at Natural Health Products New Zealand, says current rules require exports to comply with New Zealand regulations even when the importing country’s differ.

She says an identical joint product can claim only to support joint health on a New Zealand shelf but can claim to reduce mild joint pain overseas. Colostrum, probiotics, collagen, keratin and green lip mussel extract are among the products.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/supplement-export-rules-to-be-modernised-for-sector

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AgriZeroNZ seeks a model to reward cutting methane | Ruth Leary, AgriZeroNZ

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 04:24:39 +0000

AgriZeroNZ has launched a request for proposals to design a model where the costs and benefits of reducing livestock emissions are shared across the value chain.

Ruth Leary, Head of Strategy and Engagement at AgriZeroNZ, says the model is still in the design phase and would pay farmers to use technologies such as a bolus.

“They won’t actually be out of pocket by using the bolus.”

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/agrizeronz-seeks-a-model-to-reward-farmers-for-cutting-methane

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Industry seeks early consultation on new ACVM regulations | Dr Liz Shackleton

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 04:23:30 +0000

Early consultation, visible time limits and accountability settings are what matter now the ACVM Amendment Bill has passed, according to industry.

Dr Liz Shackleton, Chief Executive of Animal and Plant Health New Zealand, says the bill sets the framework and the real test lies in the regulations to come.

She says a Ministry for Regulation review found some people waited 5.6 to 8.3 years for a decision.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/industry-seeks-early-consultation-on-new-acvm-regulations

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Ingredients and food service drive Fonterra profit growth | Dr Nic Lees, Lincoln University

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 03:56:55 +0000

Fonterra’s ingredients and food service business made $1.3 billion in underlying profit, up from about $1 billion last year.

Dr Nic Lees, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Agribusiness and Markets at Lincoln University, says the $2.6 billion headline figure includes $1.3 billion from an accounting revaluation of the consumer business.

He says food service demand was good, so Fonterra pushed more milk into it at much higher margins. Lower milkfat prices also cut input costs.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/ingredients-and-food-service-drive-fonterra-profit-growth

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Meet the Farmlands field officer who’s a first-class referee | Kaitlin Bates, Rugby Referee

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 03:55:23 +0000

Northland meet Hawke’s Bay in the Farah Palmer Cup on Saturday with a former Hawke’s Bay Tui player refereeing.

Kaitlin Bates, a Farmlands technical field officer, debuted two weekends ago. She says this is her first time refereeing Hawke’s Bay, her old team.

“There are three girls that I played with that are still playing,” she says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/the-farmlands-field-officer-whos-a-rural-rugby-legends-referee

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How Labour plans to fix sharemilking law | Jo Luxton, Biosecurity and Customs

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 03:54:06 +0000

Labour will review and fix the Sharemilking Agreements Act if it forms the next government.

Jo Luxton, Labour Party Spokesperson for Agriculture, Biosecurity and Customs, says the Act dates from the 1930s. Contract milkers sit outside it and are paid a negotiated rate rather than a share of the returns.

She says a survey found many contract milkers had faced what they said was abuse or bullying and says contract milkers would get the same protections.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/how-labour-plans-to-fix-sharemilking-law-for-contract-milkers

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24th September 2026 // Rural News

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 04:33:52 +0000

Fonterra posts strong FY26 result
New dairy welfare code sets higher standards
ACVM Amendment Bill passes third reading

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Fonterra posts strong FY26 result

Fonterra has posted its FY26 annual results, delivering twenty-seven billion dollars in revenue and returning nearly twenty billion dollars in cash to farmer shareholders.

Chief Executive Richard Allen says profit after tax rose one hundred and forty-two percent to two point six billion dollars, with the final farmgate milk price landing at nine dollars sixty-nine a kilogram of milksolids. Farmers also received a fully imputed dividend of seventy-three cents a share, up from fifty-seven cents last year.

Chairman Peter McBride says the result reflects strong execution despite the Mainland divestment and a major leadership transition.

New dairy welfare code sets higher standards

New Zealand dairy cattle will be covered by a revised Code of Welfare, lifting minimum standards for calf feeding and cow body condition.

Acting Agriculture Minister Nicola Grigg says calves must now be fed at least twice a day for their first two weeks, while the minimum body condition score for milking cows rises from three to three point five out of ten. She says the changes reflect good industry practice and match consumer expectations.

Grigg has also recommended new regulations banning the tethering of dairy cattle and restricting electrified backing gates in milking sheds, with public consultation to follow.

The new Code takes effect in April twenty twenty-seven, giving farmers time to prepare, with the Ministry for Primary Industries supporting the transition with guidance and practical tools.

ACVM Amendment Bill passes third reading

The ACVM Amendment Bill has passed its third reading, by a hundred and one votes to twenty-one, opening the door to faster access to agricultural innovation.

APHANZ Chief Executive Dr Liz Shackleton says the strong cross-party vote reflects broad support for modernising the system farmers, growers and vets rely on to fight disease and manage pests.

She says the legislation doesn't lower standards, but avoids unnecessary duplication while still assessing New Zealand-specific risks and animal welfare requirements.

Shackleton says the focus now shifts to the regulations that will follow, with APHANZ calling for early engagement between officials and industry to get the detail right.

She says wider reform, including changes to the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms framework, still remains unfinished.

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‘Good framework’: HortNZ welcomes ACVM Amendment Bill | Kate Scott, Horticulture New Zealand

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 04:31:27 +0000

This episode features Kate Scott, CEO, Horticulture New Zealand discussing how changes to the RMA will deliver for horticulture and what the reforms could mean for growers.

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Extended episode: Breaking down Fonterra’s FY26 | Anne Lee, Fonterra Panel

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 04:30:34 +0000

Join hosts Andy and Sarah alongside Senior Journalist Anne Lee as they break down Fonterra’s full results, as they happened.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/extended-episode-breaking-down-fonterras-fy26

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Fonterra council vows to keep pressure on after record year | John Stevenson, Fonterra Co-operative Council

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 04:24:54 +0000

This episode features John Stevenson, Chair, Fonterra Co-operative Council discussing his tenure before stepping down in November and his time representing Fonterra farmers.

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VAWA’s critiques of new dairy cattle welfare code | Dr Helen Beattie

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 04:23:03 +0000

This episode features Dr Helen Beattie, Managing Director, Veterinarians for Animal Welfare Aotearoa discussing how the new Dairy Cattle Welfare Code delivers for farmers and the herd.

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Ag spokespeople face on-record debate ahead of election | Tim Fulton, NZAGJ

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 04:20:32 +0000

This episode features Tim Fulton, Chair, NZAGJ discussing the election debate for rural New Zealand and the key issues facing rural voters.

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New dairy code matches global consumer welfare expectations | Nicola Grigg, Acting Minister of Agriculture

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 04:19:09 +0000

This episode features Nicola Grigg, Acting Minister of Agriculture discussing the changes to the New Dairy Cattle Welfare Code.

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Primary sector missing from major party policies | Blair Drysdale

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 04:23:27 +0000

Southland arable farmer Blair Drysdale says none of the major parties have policy that will lift the rural sector, other than ACT, while Labour and National stick to the status quo.

“There’s nothing from any party that’s going to set the rural landscape of New Zealand on fire,” Drysdale says.

He says Labour is “very much status quo” and so is National, while ACT offers “a glimmer of hope for rural policy.”

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/primary-sector-missing-from-major-party-policies

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New alliance unites honey sector | Murray Bush, Honey and Bees New Zealand

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 04:21:17 +0000

The honey industry has voted a new representative body into place after a quarter-century of fractured industry structures, alongside a separate MPI-led alliance bringing beekeepers, exporters and pollination users to the same table.

Honey and Bees New Zealand replaces the old ApiNZ and New Zealand Bee Inc structures, and its new leadership, including chair Murray Bush, was elected eight weeks ago. Both it and the wider supply-chain alliance are voluntary, unpaid roles, Bush says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/new-alliance-unites-honey-sector

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Rural governance needs longer-term generational thinking | Brodie Davis, Kellogg Rural Leadership Alumni

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 04:20:03 +0000

A new Kellogg report says rural governance in New Zealand relies on a small number of highly committed people staying at the table through generational change, and that succession conversations on family farms and within iwi and hapū often start too late.

Author Brodie Davis, General Manager of Project Porirua, compared a historical case study involving his ancestor with modern examples including his family farm’s 100-year plan. He says the underlying principles of enduring governance have not changed in 200 years.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/report-says-rural-governance-needs-longer-term-generational-thinking

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Hunting app’s new tool predicts animal locations in a block | Oscar Goodman, WildVision

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 04:18:47 +0000

A New Zealand-developed hunting app is about to go a step further than telling hunters which block to head into, predicting the exact spot within it where game animals are most likely to be. WildVision uses AI, weather and terrain data to identify huntable areas, and its new animal location intelligence tool launches in the US this month before coming to New Zealand and Australia.

Founder and chief executive Oscar Goodman says the biggest factor in a hunter’s success is where they look.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/hunting-apps-new-tool-predicts-exact-animal-locations-in-a-block

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Organic sector eyes doubling exports with funded growth | Brendan Hoare, OANZ

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 04:15:02 +0000

Organics Aotearoa New Zealand has taken a seven-point election manifesto to Parliament, saying the sector is worth a billion dollars and is being held back by a lack of policy and investment. It wants funding for the organic national standard, dedicated ministerial responsibility, investment in market development and farmer transition, better overseas market access and protection of New Zealand’s GE-free status.

Brendan Hoare, advisor and spokesperson for Organics Aotearoa New Zealand says that unlike sheep, beef, dairy or horticulture, organics has no levy body to fund this work. The sector is growing at 9% a year without the infrastructure other primary industries have.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/organic-sector-eyes-doubling-exports-through-funded-growth-path

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22nd September 2026 // Rural News

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 04:22:21 +0000

New Zealand and India ratify free trade agreement
Election scorecard lets voters compare party organic policies
Southland records wettest winter In 45 years

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New Zealand and India ratify free trade agreement

New Zealand and India have formally ratified their free trade agreement, with Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay confirming New Zealand has completed all its domestic procedures.

Mr McClay says fifty-seven percent of New Zealand's exports to India will be tariff-free from day one, including sheep meat, wool, coal and most forestry and wood exports. A second round of tariff cuts follows on the first of January.

Exporters will also get preferential quota access for albumins, apples and kiwifruit, with McClay calling it a strong result for New Zealand businesses and access to one point four billion Indian consumers.

The agreement enters into force on the twentieth of October.

Election scorecard lets voters compare party organic policies

Organics Aotearoa New Zealand has launched an election scorecard, giving voters a side-by-side view of where political parties stand on supporting the country's one point two billion dollar organic sector.

OANZ advisor Brendan Hoare says the scorecard, built from parties' responses to seven questions, will help around a hundred and twenty thousand organic-connected voters make their decision ahead of the seventh of November election.

Hoare says organic export earnings are growing more than twice as fast as the wider food and fibre sector, with nine percent growth recorded across multiple categories at home and abroad. He says the scorecard shows some parties backing the sector well, and others with room to improve.

The scorecard will be updated through the campaign as parties release further policy.

Southland records wettest winter In 45 years

Southland has just recorded its wettest winter in over forty-five years, with rainfall running thirty-three percent above average after a dry start to the year.

Environment Southland principal scientist hydrology Chris Jenkins says the region swung from very low rainfall in May to high and very high rainfall from late June onwards, making it the wettest winter since 1980 and the second wettest since 1970.

Compliance manager Donna Ferguson says farmers have managed winter grazing well this season, with buffers observed and critical source areas largely left ungrazed. With the grazing season ending on the thirtieth of September, she's urging farmers to limit stock movement over bare paddocks to protect soil and prevent runoff.

With El Niño still influencing the weather, farmers needing support can call the Southland Rural Support Trust on 0800 76 88 45.

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Westerlies increase from mid-October with West Coast gales | Tony Trewinnard, Blue Skies Weather

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 04:17:43 +0000

Westerly winds will crank up from mid to late October, driving gales and heavier rainfall on the West Coast.

Two southwest changes bring a colder fortnight first, Blue Skies Weather forecaster Tony Trewinnard says. The first puts snow on some South Island hills and brings the chance of a heavy frost in the east on Thursday morning, with a second, colder change and the chance of low-level snow on the plains over the weekend. Vineyards in Canterbury, Otago, Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay are most exposed.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/westerlies-to-increase-from-mid-october-with-west-coast-gales

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Southland dairy farmer shares life with online following | Tracy Henderson, Legendairies Ltd, DAIRY Country Panel

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 04:16:15 +0000

A growing online audience is following one Southland dairy farm through one of the region’s wettest winters in more than 45 years.

Tracy Henderson runs the Legendairies page with husband Steve, posting through the season as they live it.

She joined CountryWide’s Senior Journalist Anne Lee on this week’s DAIRY Country Panel to talk to how it came about amongst a busy life.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/southland-dairy-farmer-shares-life-with-growing-online-following

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Citrus sector urging quality over cheaper imports | Hugh Ritchie, Citrus New Zealand

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 04:10:32 +0000

Citrus New Zealand’s industry forum brought growers together in Gisborne last week to ask ‘what it will take for citrus to become a genuinely investable, high-growth sector?’. Citrus New Zealand independent chair Hugh Ritchie says the sector must compete on value rather than volume.

“If we want to play in a low-cost commodity basis, we are going to struggle, and we are probably going to be outcompeted by Australia and many of the other exporting nations in terms of their scale,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/citrus-sector-urging-quality-over-cheaper-imports

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Greens and ACT fronting firearm group town halls | Hugh Devereux-Mack, spokesperson

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 04:08:01 +0000

Only ACT and the Green Party have agreed to front the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners’ live town hall meetings before the election.

The events are part of the group’s election-year work, spokesperson Hugh Devereux-Mack says.

“One of the things we’ve started doing is making sure that we do our part to ensure voters are informed as possible about who they are voting for,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/green-party-and-act-fronting-firearm-group-town-hall-meetings

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Beef-on-dairy genetics climb towards 15% of dairy market | Peter van Elzakker, CRV

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 04:06:39 +0000

Beef-on-dairy genetics have climbed towards 15% of CRV’s dairy sales, up from 8% in 2021, with stronger beef prices reshaping mating decisions.

“With the markets the way they are, it’s a no-brainer for farmers to invest in quality beef on dairy genetics,” CRV grass-fed genetics manager Peter van Elzakker says.

Sexed semen is the enabler behind the shift, he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/beef-on-dairy-genetics-climb-towards-15-of-dairy-market

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Should Douglas fir be outlawed to curb wilding spread? | Pete Oswald, Central Wilding Pines

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 04:05:21 +0000

The collaborative goodwill approach to curbing wilding conifer spread has failed, and Douglas fir should be outlawed to needing exemptions, a control group says.

Central Otago Wilding Conifer Control Group programme director Pete Oswald says enforcement is the missing piece.

“Without a robust backstop, so a big stick as we normally call it, you’re going to have bad actors,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/should-douglas-fir-be-outlawed-to-curb-wilding-spread

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Why Feds reject Opportunity Party methane pricing | Richard Dawkins, Federated Farmers

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 04:04:02 +0000

Federated Farmers will not accept emissions pricing on farmers in any form, and rejects the Opportunity Party’s 35 to 47% methane target and cap and trade plan.

Climate change spokesman Richard Dawkins says they back the government’s lower target instead.

“When you actually consider the warming impact of methane, they recommended that 14 to 24% reduction,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/why-feds-are-rejecting-opportunity-party-methane-pricing-plan

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What the Opportunity Party’s climate policy means for farms | Daniel Eb, Opportunity Party

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 04:01:24 +0000

The Opportunity Party would adopt the Climate Change Commission’s range of cutting biogenic methane, and target well above the government’s revised 14 to 24%.

Deputy leader Daniel Eb says the party has committed only to exploring how it would get there.

“We are not applying a tax. We’re not applying any blanket restrictions,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/breaking-down-what-the-opportunity-partys-climate-policy-means-for-farms

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21st September 2026 // Rural News

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 04:45:44 +0000

Fonterra Lifts Milk Price Forecast
ACT launches Make Farming Fun Again campaign
Opportunity proposes methane cap-and-trade scheme

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Fonterra Lifts Milk Price Forecast

Fonterra has lifted its farmgate milk price forecast for the new season, to nine dollars fifty a kilogram of milksolids, with a narrower range of eight dollars fifty to ten dollars fifty.

That's still below May's opening forecast of nine dollars seventy-five, but an improvement on the lower figure announced in July.

Chief Executive Richard Allen says the lift reflects recent gains in Global Dairy Trade results, particularly for milk powders, with global demand holding strong. Allen says geopolitical volatility remains a risk, and the forecast could still change with only two months of the season complete.

Meanwhile, Fonterra has confirmed four candidates for this year's board election, including incumbent director Cathy Quinn, with two seats up for grabs. Voting closes on the tenth of November.

ACT launches Make Farming Fun Again campaign

ACT has launched its Make Farming Fun Again campaign, with agriculture spokesperson Andrew Hoggard promising to cut red tape across the farming sector.

Hoggard says successive governments have piled rules onto farmers, from freshwater regulations to winter grazing and emissions pricing.

He points to changes already made under this Government, including scrapping the ute tax, simplifying freshwater farm plans, and keeping agriculture out of the Emissions Trading Scheme.

ACT's six campaign pledges include keeping agricultural emissions out of the ETS, cutting rural crime with extra police patrol hours, and continuing to reduce environmental compliance costs for farmers.

Opportunity proposes methane cap-and-trade scheme

The Opportunity Party has released its climate policy, including a proposal to explore a cap-and-trade or levy scheme for agricultural methane.

The party says design details are still being worked through, with climate spokesperson Kayla Kingdon-Bebb saying it wants to work with farmers and industry before settling on a model. Any scheme would likely include fair allocations for existing methane emitters.

Opportunity leader Qiulae Wong says the party wants to back farmers to cut emissions through technology, rather than forcing a choice between cutting emissions and economic growth.

The policy also includes a five billion dollar climate resilience fund and a one billion dollar transition fund for industrial gas and coal users.

Labour and the current Government have both ruled out a methane tax.

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Hauraki Plains dairy farm to auction as first-farm option | Karl Davis, Bayleys Hamilton

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 04:44:02 +0000

An 80ha dairy farm at Turua on the Hauraki Plains goes to auction, pitched as a first-farm option, Bayleys Hamilton country and lifestyle salesperson Karl Davis says.

Davis says the flat block is a traditional Hauraki Plains farm with two houses and two titles.

“Only milking once a day probably creates a better lifestyle, and less power and equipment use,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/hauraki-plains-dairy-farm-goes-to-auction-as-first-farm-option

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High bar needed before breaking up grocery co-operatives | Saya Wahrlich, Cooperative Business NZ

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 04:42:04 +0000

More competition in groceries should come through new co-operative models rather than breaking up existing ones, Cooperative Business New Zealand chief executive Saya Wahrlich says.

“There’s a feeling perhaps that competition and co-operation are two separate things that are at odds, when we do not believe that that’s the case at all,” she says.

She wants new models such as consumer co-operatives incubated alongside any Commerce Commission process. Any intervention must clear a heavy burden of proof, she says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/high-bar-needed-before-breaking-up-grocery-co-operatives

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Economist warns supermarket break-up risks hidden costs | Alan Renwick, Lincoln University

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 04:40:44 +0000

Breaking up New Zealand’s supermarkets risks unintended consequences that could leave rural communities worse off, Lincoln University Professor of Agricultural Economics Alan Renwick says.

He says the supermarkets are not the whole story, with logistics, packaging and labour costs widening the margin between producers and shoppers.

“I don’t think we can put all the blame on the supermarkets for high prices that we are facing,” Renwick says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/economist-warns-breaking-up-supermarkets-risks-unintended-costs

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Rural health manifesto sets out six election priorities | Dr Grant Davidson

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 04:38:30 +0000

The rural health funding gap could be closed for less than $100 million, Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network chief executive Dr Grant Davidson says.

Davidson says the network has put six priorities to political parties this election, from a rural-trained workforce to funding the higher cost of rural general practice.

Rural New Zealand produces more than 80% of export earnings yet carries some of the worst health outcomes, he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/rural-health-manifesto-sets-out-six-election-priorities

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Staged dairy herd tech paying off for Southland farm | Hamkee Dairies

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 04:37:01 +0000

Winton dairy farm owners Caleb and Paula Hamill milk 460 cows and have adopted technology in stages, adding Protrack drafting, SenseHub Dairy Collars and milk sensors. The system helps identify issues early; last autumn it caught IBR and Salmonella before an outbreak. Caleb says milk sensor data delivers herd test-level insights every day, guiding his breeding and feeding decisions.

This episode is a paid partnership with SenseHub® Dairy powered by MSD Animal Health. To learn more about SenseHub® Dairy’s modular dairy system that combines animal behaviour monitoring, milk intelligence and automation in one connected platform, visit www.sensehub.co.nz

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Agri Women’s Development Trust to wind down by March | Julia Jones, Agri-Women’s Development Trust

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 04:35:06 +0000

The Agri-Women’s Development Trust will cease operations after delivering its remaining programme commitments to March 2027, general manager Julia Jones says.

Jones says the wind-down follows a 56% funding reduction since 2022 and fewer people going on programmes.

“It’s not really one reason. It’s been coming for a number of years,” she says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/agri-womens-development-trust-to-wind-down-by-march

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Breaking down ACT’s ‘Make farming fun again’ policy | Andrew Hoggard, ACT Party

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 04:27:50 +0000

ACT has launched its rural campaign under the banner Making Farming Fun Again, promising less regulation and agriculture permanently outside the Emissions Trading Scheme, agriculture spokesperson Andrew Hoggard says.

He says the next term is what will decide whether the resource management overhaul works.

“Basically we’re back to the RMA under a new name if we just leave it up to the courts and regional councils to decide,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/breaking-down-acts-make-farming-fun-again-policy

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18th September 2026 // Rural News

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 03:57:44 +0000

Northland braces for dry spring as El Niño strengthens
Rural confidence holds steady for ninth straight quarter
Federated Farmers calls for sharemilking law review

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Northland braces for dry spring as El Niño strengthens

Northland farmers are being warned to prepare for a dry spring, with a strengthening El Niño already affecting the region's weather.

Northland Regional Council says this El Niño is shaping up to be among the strongest on record, similar to the drought-causing event of nineteen ninety-seven to ninety-eight. Below-average rainfall is now the most likely outcome for spring, with conditions expected to peak in early summer.

August brought welcome rain, with Northland recording just over its long-term average, though most fell late in the month. River flows across western, mid-north and southern Northland remain below normal to very low, and groundwater levels are still extremely low near Kaitāia.

The council says soil moisture is high after the August rain, giving farmers some buffer heading into spring, though that cushion may not last if dry conditions continue.

Rural confidence holds steady for ninth straight quarter

Farmer confidence in the wider agri economy has held steady for a ninth straight quarter, according to the latest Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, with sentiment unchanged at a net positive fourteen percent.

The bank's New Zealand chief executive, Todd Charteris, says farmers remain upbeat thanks to strong returns, with tighter global supply expected to support dairy and meat prices in the months ahead.

Confidence in farmers' own businesses lifted slightly, with growers now the most optimistic sector group, followed by sheep and beef and dairy farmers. Around three in ten farmers plan to increase investment over the coming year, mostly in on-farm infrastructure.

Rising input costs remain farmers' biggest concern, along with overseas market conditions and the growing risk of drought as El Niño takes hold. Just under half expect the election outcome to significantly affect their business.

Federated Farmers calls for sharemilking law review

Federated Farmers is calling on political parties to commit to reviewing the Sharemilking Agreements Act, saying the nearly ninety-year-old law hasn't kept pace with how dairy farming works today.

Sharefarmer chair Sam Ebbett says contract milkers now perform much the same role as variable-order sharemilkers, but sit outside the Act because they're paid a negotiated rate rather than a share of returns, leaving them without the same legal protections. Contract milkers operated over thirteen percent of herds last season.

Sharefarm owner chair Brendan Attrill says sharemilking and contract milking are critical entry points into farm ownership and succession, and the law needs to reflect how those arrangements actually work today.

Federated Farmers wants clearer minimum protections and dispute-resolution processes.

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Playoff tickets gone in ten: Did the Warriors get it right? | Dave Worsley & Graeme Beasley, Sports Panel

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 03:55:54 +0000

This episode features Dave Worsley & Graeme Beasley discussing the latest sporting talking points and previewing this weekend’s action.

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Deer herd stabilising with 3.1% more hinds mated | Rhys Griffiths, Deer Industry New Zealand

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 03:54:33 +0000

New Zealand’s deer herd is stabilising for the first time in years, with Stats NZ reporting a 3.1% increase in hinds mated. Deer Industry New Zealand chief executive Rhys Griffiths says the figure marks a halt in the herd’s long decline, not a return to growth.

“It’s early days, so I’m taking that as a stabilisation, rather than that continued contraction,” he says.

He says the share of hinds slaughtered has dropped below 50%, and processing is budgeted at 235,000 to 240,000 animals over the next year or two, against about 400,000 previously.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/early-days-of-deer-herd-stabilising-with-3-1-increase-in-hinds-mated

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Wairarapa and Kaikoura farmers’ flood recovery journeys | Shane McManaway, Zanda McDonald Award

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 03:53:08 +0000

Shane McManaway MNZM says farmers in the Wairarapa and around Kaikoura are still working through storm recovery months after the floods. The Growing Future Farmers chair has been close to the response in both regions, himself in the Wairarapa and his son Adam’s farm being heavily impacted near Kaikoura.

He says despite the major setbacks, Adam’s herd is milking better this year than last, with fencing done and water systems back in place.

“It’s incredible who just comes out of the woodwork to want to help,” Shane says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/wairarapa-and-kaikoura-farmers-flood-recovery-journeys

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Why NZ wine exports have risen despite a global glut | Dr David Jordan, Vine to Wine to Market Ltd

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 03:51:46 +0000

New Zealand wine exports have risen in volume and value for three straight years, even as global consumption falls. Viticulturist and 2023 New Zealand Winegrowers Fellow Dr David Jordan says the country’s Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc sits exactly where the market is heading.

“Consumers are voting with their feet, and maybe their palates, to move away from full-bodied red wines into lighter, fresher white wine styles,” he says.

“With about 90% of the industry in that one variety, the trend has run in New Zealand’s favour.”

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/why-nz-wine-exports-have-risen-for-three-years-despite-global-glut

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Funding cuts put sealed West Coast roads at risk | Tania Gibson, Grey District Mayor

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 03:50:25 +0000

Sealed roads on the West Coast could be turned back to gravel as cuts hit small councils’ budgets. Grey District Mayor Tania Gibson says the district faces a funding assistance rate from NZTA dropping 1% a year for the next two years.

“The costs have gone up, and our funding is going down,” she says.

Bitumen, labour and fuel have all lifted while the rating base stays small.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/future-funding-cuts-put-sealed-west-coast-roads-at-risk-of-gravel

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Market pulling milk fat and protein values apart | Stu Davison, HighGround Dairy

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 03:49:11 +0000

Cheap butter and expensive protein are pulling the two halves of New Zealand’s dairy income apart. HighGround Dairy quantitative analyst Stu Davison says milk fat, normally the value driver, is now weighing on the Fonterra midpoint.

“We are in a very precarious spot globally on milk production and the whole dairy industry, to be honest,” he says.

He says butter has turned cheap while protein runs high, and Europe shipped record volumes in July.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/market-pulling-milk-fat-and-protein-values-in-different-directions

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Catch up with ex-Special Ag Trade Envoy on state of arable | Hamish Marr

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 03:47:52 +0000

Methven arable farmer and former Special Agricultural Trade Envoy Hamish Marr says the current arable mix is not viable as it stands, and growers are already shifting to suit. Some are grazing more cows or changing crops, while Canterbury sees dairy conversions, most of them off cropping ground.

“Arable farmers have always got options,” he says.

He says grain has lifted, with wheat up $120 a tonne, but input costs have run ahead of it. Urea now sits about $1,400 a tonne against $350 when he repped for Ravensdown in the early 2000s.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/catch-up-with-ex-special-ag-trade-envoy-on-state-of-arable

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Economist: Duopolies breed laziness across grocery sector | Cameron Bagrie, Bagrie Economics

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 04:20:41 +0000

More competition in the grocery sector would help keep inflation low and drive productivity.

Cameron Bagrie, lead economist at Bagrie Economics, says the economics support National’s proposal to break up Foodstuffs.

“When you get down to duopolies, you tend to get a little bit of laziness into the system,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/economist-duopolies-breed-laziness-across-grocery-sector

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India FTA clears Parliament by 93 votes to 29 | Todd McClay, Minister for Trade and Investment

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 04:15:05 +0000

The New Zealand-India Free Trade Agreement has passed through Parliament by 93 votes to 29.

Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay says the scale of the majority is as telling as the result.

“It’s a real sense of accomplishment, I think, for all of New Zealand,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/india-fta-clears-parliament-by-93-votes-to-29

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‘Confronting’: 600-plus hectares of Gisborne vineyards gone | Dana Kirkpatrick, National MP for East Coast

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 04:08:12 +0000

More than 600ha of vineyards have been removed from the Gisborne region, about half of Tairāwhiti’s vineyard production.

East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick says the change has reshaped the Poverty Bay Flats.

“There is a bit of an oversupply, the younger generation don’t drink wine the way that we have,” she says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/confronting-600-plus-hectares-of-vineyards-gone-from-gisborne

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Macca’s ‘shopping list’ sourced 90% locally | Simon Kenny, McDonald's New Zealand

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 04:06:31 +0000

New Zealand farmers, growers and food producers supplied $580 million worth of ingredients to McDonald’s restaurants here and overseas in 2025, the biggest total on record.

Simon Kenny, head of impact and communications at McDonald’s New Zealand, says the chain has tracked what it calls its shopping list for a decade.

“Virtually everything on our menu, over 90% of what you eat in McDonald’s, is sourced locally,” he says.Beef drove the increase, with McDonald’s taking about 10% of all New Zealand’s beef exports.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/maccas-shopping-list-sourced-90-locally

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Outgoing WoolSource CEO leaves in a ‘fantastic place’ | Tom Hooper, WoolSource

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 04:04:50 +0000

WoolSource is moving from pilot-scale research into commercial production as it prepares to change chief executive at the end of the year.

Tom Hooper, who has led the strong wool company since its 2021 launch, is stepping down and says the programme is ready for its next stage.

“The programme’s in a fantastic place. In five years we’ve moved forward significantly,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/outgoing-woolsource-ceo-leaves-programme-in-a-fantastic-place

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How would supermarket split impact rural New Zealand? | Catherine Beard, BusinessNZ

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 04:02:17 +0000

Rural and remote communities could end up paying more for groceries if Foodstuffs is broken up.

That’s the concern of Catherine Beard, director of advocacy at BusinessNZ, who says the current co-operative model cross-subsidises remote stores.

“You could go into Four Square on Stewart Island, and you’ll be paying the same price for your groceries as you would in Invercargill, Dunedin, or Christchurch,” she says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/how-would-supermarket-split-impact-rural-new-zealand

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Growers seek supply-chain transparency in supermarket split | John Murphy

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 04:00:05 +0000

The National Party’s proposal to break up Foodstuffs is aimed at consumers, not the growers who supply the country’s food.

“We’re really all about seeing more transparency and visibility of the supply chain,” says John Murphy, chairman of Vegetables New Zealand, director of the New Zealand Vegetable Council and a Marlborough vegetable grower.

“And this proposal doesn’t really speak to that.”

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/growers-seek-supply-chain-transparency-in-supermarket-split

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/countrywide-connect/id6761033881

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.countrywide&hl=en_NZ

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16th September 2026 // Rural News

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 04:19:17 +0000

Farmer profitability hits decade high, but confidence dips
New QEII National Trust Chair appointed
DairyNZ opens applications for Māori internship programme

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/countrywide-connect/id6761033881

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.countrywide&hl=en_NZ

Farmer profitability hits decade high, but confidence dips

Farmer profitability is at its highest in a decade, according to Federated Farmers' latest Confidence Survey, with seventy-two percent of farms now making a profit.

Federated Farmers president Colin Hurst says dairy, sheep and beef farmers are enjoying strong returns again, though confidence about the year ahead has dropped sharply, with almost thirty percent expecting conditions to worsen.

Dairy farmers are the most pessimistic, driven by concerns over rising costs, the upcoming election and ongoing regulation. Arable farmers are faring worst overall, with only one in five reporting a profit.

Just under a third of farmers say these pressures are affecting their mental health, down from around seventy percent in twenty twenty-three.

Hurst says farmers want the Government to finish reforming the Resource Management Act and simplify consents, calling it the clearest path to easing pressure on the sector.

New QEII National Trust Chair appointed

Waikato dairy farmer Susan O'Regan has been appointed the new Chair of the QEII National Trust Board.

O'Regan will provide sound leadership and strengthen the Trust's connections with the rural sector and iwi, adding the Trust is in good hands.

O'Regan brings extensive rural and governance experience to the role. She's a former Mayor of Waipa District and currently holds a Crown appointment to the Waikato River Authority, alongside strong ties to the rural community.

She takes over as Chair following the death of previous Chair Alan Livingstone in April.

The QEII National Trust works alongside private landowners across the country, helping protect open spaces of special significance through conservation covenants that safeguard land for future generations.

DairyNZ opens applications for Māori internship programme

DairyNZ is opening applications for its Māori internship programme, giving rangatahi Māori the chance to gain paid, hands-on experience in New Zealand's dairy sector.

Now in its sixth year, the programme combines summer fieldwork with mentoring and professional development, and has supported eleven rangatahi Māori so far. DairyNZ's Head of Māori Engagement and Partnerships, Julian Reti Kaukau, says interns work alongside DairyNZ experts and industry partners, building connections that can support their future careers.

Last summer's intern Amber Murfitt says she learned how mātauranga Māori and Western science can work together, gaining hands-on skills in water testing, eDNA sampling and biodiversity surveys.

Reti Kaukau says the programme reflects a growing recognition of mātauranga Māori across the sector, and aims to help more rangatahi Māori build careers in dairy.

Applications are open now, with more details available on the DairyNZ website.

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Where rising input costs are pushing farmers to precision ag | Tom Andrews, Connected Farms

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 04:17:03 +0000

Rising fertiliser and fuel costs are pushing New Zealand farmers towards precision agriculture.

Connected Farms’ Tom Andrews says New Zealand has been slow to adopt precision tools, until now.

“There hasn’t been that need to actually zoom in and start looking at the advantages that precision ag can bring,” he says.“Now we’re seeing New Zealand farmers are putting their head up and having a little look around.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/where-rising-input-costs-are-pushing-farmers-to-precision-ag

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/countrywide-connect/id6761033881

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.countrywide&hl=en_NZ

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Who’d you trust to run your farm, and who wouldn’t you? | Toby Williams & Dean Rabbidge, Farmer Panel

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 04:15:43 +0000

Hand your farm over for six months and pick any well-known New Zealander to run it: who gets the keys, and who gets nowhere near the gate?

For Gisborne’s Toby Williams, the trusted pick is former Air New Zealand boss Rob Fyfe.

“He took Air New Zealand from being a basket case to an amazing airline,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/whod-you-trust-to-run-your-farm-and-who-wouldnt-you-let-near-it

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/countrywide-connect/id6761033881

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.countrywide&hl=en_NZ

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DairyNZ’s Māori internships growing talent for dairy sector | Pounamu Anaru, DairyNZ

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 04:14:08 +0000

Applications are open for DairyNZ’s Māori internship programme, entering its sixth year this November.

Māori development advisor Pounamu Anaru says the internship now spans science, projects and policy.

“The key focus this year is around building a range of experiences for the students that we bring on board,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/dairynzs-maori-internships-growing-talent-for-dairy-sector

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/countrywide-connect/id6761033881

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.countrywide&hl=en_NZ

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GDT eases 1.1% as cheddar and powders hold firm | Cristina Alvarado, NZX

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 04:12:41 +0000

The latest GDT auction eased 1.1%, held up by a 16.5% jump in cheddar.

NZX Head of Dairy Insights Cristina Alvarado says the demand came from an unusual quarter.

“The biggest demand came from the African region for cheddar,” she says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/gdt-eases-1-1-as-cheddar-and-powders-hold-firm

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/countrywide-connect/id6761033881

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.countrywide&hl=en_NZ

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‘Truly disappointing’: Is labelling the pork problem? | Rainer Kravets, Animal Policy International

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 04:08:08 +0000

A supermarket audit has found imported pork sold under New Zealand branding, with some bacon products listing as many as 14 possible countries of origin.

Animal Policy International co-executive director Rainer Kravets says the labelling leaves shoppers unable to tell where their pork comes from.

“The findings were truly disappointing,” he says.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/truly-disappointing-findings-is-labelling-the-symptom-of-pork-problem

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/countrywide-connect/id6761033881

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.countrywide&hl=en_NZ

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Across the ditch: Record $420,000 bull tops stock prices | Libby Price, Australian Rural Correspondent

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 03:53:58 +0000

A New South Wales Angus bull has sold for $420,000 AUD ($521,000 NZD), an Australian record.

Australian rural correspondent Libby Price says livestock values are running hot across the Tasman.

“Cattle prices are great and sheep prices even better,” she says.First-cross breeding ewes sold at West Wyalong in New South Wales for $620 a head last week, with a shortage lifting demand.

Read the full story: country-wide.co.nz/across-the-ditch-record-420000-bull-tops-surging-stock-prices

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/countrywide-connect/id6761033881

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.countrywide&hl=en_NZ

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15th September 2026 // Rural News

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 04:27:28 +0000

Farmer profitability hits decade high, but confidence dips
New QEII National Trust Chair appointed
DairyNZ opens applications for Māori internship programme