Author Archives: david

FOR MORE than a year now the primary sector has been crying out for changes around immigration settings to help ease numerous critical worker shortages right across the country’s key export earning industries. The Government and immigration officials have badly … Continue reading →

RURAL NZ is again getting the rough end of the stick when it comes to services – this time in relation to Covid-19 vaccinations. It appears the boffins at the Ministry of Health and the Government’s Wellington-centric, top-down Covid-19 vaccination … Continue reading →

MORE AND more farmers around the country are doing the right things in regard to environmental management. Recent reports by a number of regional councils around NZ show positive results when it comes to managing effluent on farms. Meanwhile, despite … Continue reading →

DESPITE CLOGGING up traffic in towns and cities throughout NZ, the recent Groundswell NZ protest gained huge support from onlookers and the public. Organisers can take a bow. This was a massive turnout that was well supported, well managed and … Continue reading →

THE COUNTRY’S farmers are feeling disregarded, discontented, disrespected and disgruntled. On July 16, in more than 40 towns and cities (at the time of writing) around NZ, farmers will descend on to their main streets in their utes and tractors … Continue reading →

BUDGET 2021, for the primary and rural sector, was basically a non-event. While disappointing, it was not surprising. One would have thought that as the primary sector led and continues to lead NZ out of the Covid economic crisis we … Continue reading →

“WHERE THE bloody hell are you?” This was once the infamous catch-cry of an Australian tourism advertisement from a few years ago. However, it could now equally used by NZ farmers to question the performance (or lack of it) by … Continue reading →

MOVES BY the Government to end New Zealand’s live export trade is more about politics than ethics. Sure, it argues that the trade “does not uphold New Zealand’s reputation for high standards of animal welfare” and that is does not … Continue reading →

FINALLY THE Government has made a sensible move to temporarily pause the implementation of the impractical rules that accompany its proposed regulations on winter grazing.Last week Environment Minister David Parker and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor announced a temporary delay, until … Continue reading →

BEEF+LAMB NZ and the NZ Meat Board’s annual meeting, to be held in Invercargill on March 17, is likely to be a more fiery affair than the usual. Chair Andrew Morrison and his fellow directors will find themselves under the … Continue reading →