Category Archives: Uncategorized

Despite all the claims and silly political games surrounding domestic milk prices the much anticipated report by the Commerce Commission has found retail and wholesale markets are competitive enough and do not require price controls. Unsurprisingly, in a bid to … Continue reading →

The strong Dutch influence on New Zealand’s dairy industry continues with the recent appointment of Fonterra’s new chief executive Theo Spierings. Spierings – from Holland – replaces outgoing chief Canadian Andrew Ferrier, who will step down in September after been … Continue reading →

While at risk of starting to sound like a stuck record, I am still hot on the topic of the rural sector better engaging with the general population about how important it is to New Zealand’s future. There is no … Continue reading →

  Ever heard of greenwash? It’s used to describe the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service. However, the greenwash term has been hi-jacked by the pro-environmental … Continue reading →

Federated Farmers has elected Hawke’s Bay sheep and beef farmer Bruce Wills as its new president. The farmer lobby’s much-hyped four-way contest for the top job gained a lot of media attention. However, the newly-elected Wills will have more to … Continue reading →

Remember MAdGE? This was a group of trendy, bored Remuera housewife-types Mothers Against Genetic Engineering led by former 1980’s pop star Alannah Currie, who were – unsurprisingly – against genetic engineering. MAdGE was probably more famous for its soft-porn poster … Continue reading →

The latest Situation and Outlook for New Zealand Agriculture and Forestry (SONZAF) paints an incredibly bright picture for NZ’s agriculture sector. During the six year period, from 2010 to 2016, gross agricultural revenue is forecast to expand by some 45% … Continue reading →

You know agriculture is recognised as the best way for the country to get out of the hole it is in when accountancy firm KPMG starts calling for urban dwellers to gain a better understanding of the rural sector. The … Continue reading →

It was great to see two of the agribusiness sector’s long-serving contributors acknowledged in this year’s Queen’s Birthday honours list. Normally, such gongs are dished out to an array of anonymous luvvies from the theatre and arts world under Labour, … Continue reading →

While the rest of the country slowly awakens from the mire of recession our agricultural sector keeps humming along. Latest reports show that New Zealand’s traditional exports such as dairy products and meat have lead the country to its largest … Continue reading →