Rural News 10 February 2026

Arable cash crisis looms

CANTERBURY ARABLE farmers are down by tens of millions of dollars after a rollercoaster of wild changeable January weather saw harvests delayed and some crops destroyed by violent hailstorms.

Federated Farmers arable chair David Birkett, who farms at Leeston, near Christchurch, said there was a period of two to three weeks of persistent stormy and wet weather after Christmas. Some crops were ruined by damp conditions before they could be harvested and others destroyed by an unusually high incidence of hail.

“Those are the guys we’re worried about the most,” he told Rural News

“Some of those guys have had 100 percent loss on some crops so they’re going to really struggle with this season.”

Birkett said arable farmers only get one shot at a harvest. The losses will “really start to hurt” later in the year when the money usually comes in but their cash flow will dry up.

“We’re just working with Rural Support and MPI to try and see what we can do for those guys who have been hit the hardest.

have been overshadowed by the widespread serious damage to land, crops and infrastructure in northern regions from the same persistent weather systems.

In late January, the Government announced a $2.2 million relief package to support affected regions through Mayoral Relief Funds and marae. The following day, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Rural Communities Minister Mark Patterson announced an additional $200,000 to Rural Support Trusts.

“Significant rainfall, flooding, slips, and hailstorms have caused damage to farms, crops, and rural infrastructure,” said McClay. However, that announcement specifically mentioned only Northland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, and Tairāwhiti.

“We’re just trying to work out whether we can get some of that,” said Birkett.

“Some of them you might be able to cut usable animal feed but you wouldn’t be able to get the grain or seed out of them. There’s not a lot you can do.”

Birkett said the hail damage was very random, with some fields

SPRAY UNITS

flattened beside fields that were untouched. The worst affected area was mid-Canterbury between the Rangitata and the Rakaia Rivers

but there were also reports of hail damage as far afield as Rangiora and Oamaru.

Canterbury’s troubles may

“It’s not going to be financial support to recuperate losses, it’s more around what can we do to give that moral and local and community support for these people. It’s just making them aware that people are aware of what they’ve gone through and that they’re going to have a tough year in front of them.”

In a summer of unreliable weather, Feds Arable chair David Birkett takes advantage of a hot day to lift a paddock of ryegrass seed from a leased block near Leeston.

NIGEL MALTHUS

by: Inkwise NZ Ltd

CONTACTS

Editorial: editor@ruralnews.co.nz

Advertising material: beckyw@ruralnews.co.nz Rural News online: www.ruralnews.co.nz

Subscriptions: subsrndn@ruralnews.co.nz

18-19

19

Bureaucracy threat to plant imports

PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

A HAWKE’S Bay apple orchardist supports the Government’s objective of doubling exports but says this won’t happen in the horticulture sector unless there’s a change in the process for bringing new plant material into the country.

Paul Paynter says plants are complex organisms and there’s a problem with the plant import health standards. He says it’s not so much that they are old, so much as they don’t exist at all. Many of them have been suspended, so there is no pathway for introducing new material at all.

“So, it’s the absence of import health standards that is the problem,” he told Rural News

“A report from the Northland region identified five new crops that could be grown there; four of the five don’t have health import standards,” he says.

Paynter adds that if you want to import blackcurrents there is no

pathway and the same applies to quince, which is also a rootstock for pears. There’s no pathway for pears either, he says.

Paynter says while biosecurity is paramount to all the primary sectors, this needs to be cost effective, and he questions whether MPI’s planned new quarantine facility in Auckland meets that criteria.

He says the emphasis should be on quickly reviewing the plant import pathways before investing in a new quarantine facility in Auckland. He says growers want an end to lengthy, costly and ponderous pathways to get new plant material into the country.

“The biggest impediment to imports is the kiwifruit industry. They consider all imports a risk and are making a fortune.

“So, they have the hermit kingdom approach. Competition is coming for them, and they don’t understand that they need new germplasm too – watch what happens in 10 years’ time,” he says.

@rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

CATCH THE HITCHHIKERS FIRST

PAUL PAYNTER says greater use could be made of overseas testing facilities which handle large volumes of plant material, have the latest technology and can thus reduce the cost to NZ.

Paynter says while Australia has made mistakes in this area in the past, it is now adopting more progressive technologies to test faster and more cost effectively. He says while importing plant material is regarded as high risk, the reality is that he’s not

Detach to Clean

aware of any problems in this area in the past 30 years.

Most of the problems that NZ has encountered in recent years, says Paynter, have come via passengers or goods arriving from overseas. The problem is there are a lot of “hitchhiker pests” such as the brown marmorated stink bug which could be a huge threat to our industry.

“We know that when importing any machinery in September or October when it’s getting cold in

Europe, pests fly inside and they are everywhere, including peoples’ bags. There is a lot of the fresh produce that comes into the country and some of it is fumigated, but we have found recently [with] imported grapes, the phytosanitary certificate was found to be not appropriate for NZ,” he says.

Paynter says there’s a belief that NZ is too permissive in regard to hitchhiker pests and too bureaucratically stringent on plant import pathways.

He says there needs to be a holistic

approach and not a bureaucrat-led risk adverse system where nothing gets done for fear of making a mistake. Paynter says NZ is losing good people to Australia because of the restrictive nature of our system. He says it is not always money that is the attraction –it’s the work opportunities.

“I’m sick of the virtue signalling by Wellington politicians. We need practical solutions and if we don’t, we’ll end being the basket case of the South Pacific,” he says.

• For Water Storage Tanks

• Adjustable levels from 50mm-2.5m

• Minimises pump operation

•Available in 20/25/32/50mm

Rugged and long lasting

Orchardist Paul Paynter says there’s a problem with plant import health standards.

Spud growers rise to the challenge

SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

NEW ZEALAND potato growers are prioritising value creation from high yields to meet a complex mix of challenges and opportunities, says Potatoes NZ chief executive Kate Trufitt.

“High-quality seed is vital for yield and disease management.”

She notes that the global potato industry is experiencing challenges and opportunities linked to production volumes, market conditions, climate variability and evolving global trends.

“New Zealand’s sector is responding by prioritising value creation from high yields, alongside responsible environmental and market management,” she told Rural News Like other commodities, supply-

GLOBAL

demand balance affects returns for potato growers.

Trufitt says that a record potato crop puts downward pressure on returns per kilo if demand and market access do not grow accordingly, a phenomenon seen worldwide.

Processing contracts help stabilise prices for growers, while openmarket potatoes feel price pressure first.

Despite higher volumes, increased costs keep margins tight, so higher yield does not automatically mean lower farm-gate prices, she says.

“Short-term volume growth can soften prices, but efficiency and market development protect returns in the medium term.

“At Potatoes New Zealand, and across the industry, our focus is on turning additional volume into value through exports, processing, product innovation and new market opportunities.”

In NZ, the processing and table potato split remains stable.

Fresh Facts records the production in New Zealand last season at 518,282 tonnes, split across seed 4%, table 40% and processed 56%.

Trufitt says that there are variations driven by seasonal and market conditions rather than industry structural changes.

“The processing sector supports technology investment, while the table sector, as well as seizing innovation, underpins regional jobs and New Zealand’s food security.

“High-quality seed is vital for yield and disease management.”

Like other farmers, potato growers are also at the mercy of the weather.

Trufitt says variable weather across regions continues to create challenges, such as waterlogging, increased disease pressure, and harvest delays, all of which affect yield and quality.

DAIRY PRICES SOAR

THE LATEST Global Dairy Trade auction results have delivered a boost to dairy farmers.

With the global market awash with milk, dairy prices recorded its third consecutive rise, with the GDT price index rising 6.7%.

The whole milk powder price, used as a benchmark to set the

farmgate price, rose a whopping 5.3% to US$3,614/metric tonne, a three-month high.

Skim milk powder performed better, rising 10.6% to US$2,874/MT, just a few dollars shy of recording a three-year high price.

NZX head of dairy insights, Cristina Alvarado, says the GDT

“While potatoes are a resilient crop, they are increasingly exposed to the risks of extreme weather events, prompting ongoing riskmanagement efforts by growers and industry bodies.

“This year has been particularly challenging, with a very poor summer season. Storm events have disrupted harvesting and damaged infrastructure; arable crops in the South Island have suffered significant losses,” she says.

CHASING HIGH YIELDS

FOR POTATO growers, high yields stem from natural and management factors.

Kate Trufitt says New Zealand’s temperate maritime climate, fertile soils, sophisticated agronomy, and strong certified seed standards contribute to yields of 50–80 tonnes per hectare.

High-performing potato varieties, carefully matched to local conditions and supported by good agricultural practices and integrated pest management, further underpin

event delivered the strongest average index increase since March 2021 when the first event of that month recorded a 15% gain.

“The scale of this move materially exceeded market expectations and reflected a combination of seasonally tightening supply from New Zealand, concentrated

these yields.

Yield improvements are also being achieved on less land.

Trufitt says that advances in genetics, precision farming, soil and rotation management, pest and disease control, and strong industry collaboration have lifted output per hectare, enabling greater food production from a smaller land footprint.

“Globally, innovations such as hydroponic growing systems are also being explored,” she says.

regional demand, and constrained availability across several key commodities, rather than a sudden shift in global milk production trends,” she says.

She notes that whole milk powder prices were similarly supported by seasonal supply tightening. European WMP production has

Land-use pressure from urban expansion is also impacting growers. Trufitt says high-quality cropping land is under increasing pressure from housing and infrastructure development.

“The industry continues to advocate for the protection of elite soils and for spatial planning that balances food production needs with development demands. Ongoing productivity gains help maintain production from a smaller land base.”

been materially lower year to date, limiting alternative origin availability and reinforcing buyer reliance on New Zealand supply.

“While futures markets had priced in modest gains, the reduced spot volumes offered at this event pushed prices beyond pre-event expectations.”

Potatoes NZ chief executive Kate Trufitt.

Months of work ahead for damaged Northland farm

ONE OF the country’s top Māori farms faces a long and costly rebuild to get the property back to where it was before recent storms ripped through it.

“The

issue we have is road access, with many slips, and I know that forestry trucks can’t get through. I suspect it may be the same for some of the stock trucks as well.”

The 360ha bullbeef farm owned by the Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust is located near the settlement of Whangaruru and last year won the prestigious Ahuwhenua Trophy for the top Māori farm in the country.

But a severe isolated rain deluge of 400mm hit the Whangaruru area causing massive damage to roads, homes and the farm. Co-chair of the Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust, Morris Pita, says it will take at least a month to repair the damage. He says they lost two 2000 metres of fencing and six culverts were destroyed and need replacing.

“The farm manager Matt Payne and his staff have got stuck in repairing the damage and they will repair the fences in due course,” he told Rural News

“We have had the insurance assessors in touch straight away they have responded quickly, and we have a digger

operator to make a start on the earthworks that need doing. This includes roads and washed out culverts and other parts of the farm infrastructure that took a big hit,” he says.

Pita says they are glad they have insurance, which is a big help, but

WELCOME RAIN

He

But

“In fact, Northland is in good shape. I

adds that there are things that cannot be insured and they are still working out the full cost of the damage bill, likely to be significant.

haven’t had any reports of major damage to orchards or farms in other parts of the region. Although I was told that some forestry operators were having difficulty getting logs out of certain areas,” he says.

McCallum says ironically some of the rain that fell in other parts of Northland was welcomed. But he says he feels for the people in the Whangaruru area that have been so badly affected by the storm.

He says they haven’t had to destock because of the storm but says moving animals around is not easy. Just after the storm, staff had to use kayaks to get to some parts of the property.

be the same for some of the stock trucks as well,” he says.

“But the issue we have is road access, with many slips, and I know that forestry trucks can’t get through. I suspect it may

Pita says the farm staff have been marvelous. He says not only have they worked hard to get the farm back in operation, but they have also helped the wider community deal with the effects of the storm. He also praised the help given by government agencies and local and regional councils.

NORTHLAND MP Grant McCallum says he’s visited the Whangaruru area and the area has been absolutely smacked by the storm.

Morris Pita (left) says they are still working out the full cost of damage on the farm.

Conference brainstorms catchment issues

PETER BURKE

THE QUEST to find innovative practical, scientific solutions to deal with water-related issues at a catchment level has been the theme of an important conference at Massey University last week.

Organised by the Farmed Landscapes Research Centre (FLRC) at Massey, the event attracted a wide range

of experts from research organisations, local and central government as well as farmers and rural professionals. Keynote speakers from Ireland, the US and Denmark provided attendees, plus those viewing online, with an international perspective on the issue.

Another keynote speaker was Associate Agricultural Minister and Manawatu dairy farmer Andrew Hoggard. He praised Massey for its

The two-day programme was themed around creating multifunctional farms and catchments.

initiative in staging the conference and noted the changes that have taken place for the better in the sector since he

first started milking cows. He says farmers are natural innovators and spoke about the Government’s plans to reduce the paperwork and duplication that farmers currently face.

FLRC director, Professor Chris Anderson, says the twoday programme was themed around creating multifunctional farms and catchments and saw the presentation of a huge range of mainly scientific

and technical papers delivered. Topics included dealing with nitrate leaching using diverse pastures, carbon storage, wood chip bioreactors, detainment bunds and future priorities for soil research in NZ.

He says one can’t look at farms in isolation and it’s necessary to take

a catchment approach which involves local people, scientists and regulatory groups who can pick the catchment apart and come up with multifunctional solutions.

He says that is what FLRC is all about –getting people together to put out their ideas and have some amazing

context put around with our international speakers.

Anderson says while FLRC can’t control the policy and regulations, it can provide a forum where people can come in and explain what it means so we get some first-hand information, not just hearsay.

AMAZING SCIENCE WEEK

PROFESSOR CHRIS Anderson says sadly last year they had to cancel the event, but this year it is back on with a lot of interest from the primary sector.

“Last year was a difficult year for NZ science in general. We saw a lot of budget constraints and a lot of restructuring taking place within science organisations. The result was that we didn’t have the interest in terms of papers, so we decided to pause and take a year off,” he says.

During the intervening year, Anderson says they sought feedback from past participants and the word from them was very encouraging.

“They said this conference was a critical part of the science landscape and is unique on the calendar,” he says.

Anderson says there is no other

forum that gets science, government researchers, farmers and public in one place without any bias or set agenda with the objective of brainstorming about the future.

Anderson says the cool thing about the conference was that it attracted other sub events such the NZ Society of Soil Science holding a council meeting on Monday. Then on Thursday after the conference, Massey hosted a field day on its $26 million, seven-year, flagship study on pastoral farmingWhenua Haumanu. Coincidently the NZ Agricultural Aviation Association was holding a demonstration at a nearby Fielding aerodrome.

“What we have ended up with is an amazing science week here in Palmerston North,” says Anderson.

A catchment approach, involving local people, scientists and regulatory groups, will pick the catchment apart and come up with solutions, says Chris Anderson (below).

Red meat on a roll but volatility looms

PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

WHILE

THINGS

are looking positive for the red meat sector in 2026, volatility in global trade remains a concern, says the Meat Industry Association (MIA).

Chief executive Sirma Karapeeva believes the sector will still face some unpredictability and volatility along the way.

She says Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) outlook for the sector which shows that revenue from meat and wool exports to the end of June will be up 7% to $13.2 billion and the fact there will be a further increase in the following year is a positive sign.

Karapeeva says the good returns is helping to off-set lower production caused by a drop in sheep numbers.

“However, I think there are several challenges in the trade space that are coming our ways. We still have limited clarity on what the US Supreme Court will [decide] around President Trump’s tariffs and whether those were legitimate or not - and what they might mean going forward,” she says.

Karapeeva says this

is concerning, as is the impact that China’s import restrictions might have. She says they still don’t have clarity on this.

What is becoming apparent is the importance of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) in a world where rules-based trade is becoming more problematic, she says.

The FTAs guarantee optionality for exporters, help mitigate risk and provide good economic returns for farmers, processors, exporters and the overall NZ economy. She points to the past year when trade agreements were signed for Middle East countries, and the FTA with India which still has to be ratified.

“Once the Indian FTA is ratified, the challenge will be how the industry can take advantage of this opportunity. In my opinion, FTAs are coming into their own because they have very good dispute resolution mechanisms and in the absence of global trade rules from the WTO, the FTAs provide a guard rail for our trade,” she says.

Looking back at 2025, Karapeeva describes it as turbulent but positive.

She says it was a tough year for members of

MIA with a lot of what she calls ‘moving pieces’. She says it’s a credit to them that they were able to navigate their way through all the challenges and in the

end produce an excellent result – lifting revenue from the sector by nearly a billion dollars on the previous year.

@rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

Sirma Karapeeva

High-value deal for wool

JESSICA MARSHALL

KERATIN

BIOMATERIALS

company Keraplast and Wools of New Zealand have signed a new superpremium wool contract which is said to deliver a boost to wool growers. The contract

includes a $6.88/ kilogram clean price for the 2025/26 financial year – approximately a 40% premium to 2025 marketing.

It covers an estimated 400 tonnes of wool over five years from approximately 30 New Zealand growers.

John McWhirter, chief executive of Wools of New Zealand, says the contract represents a significant lift for strong wool growers and a clear vote of confidence in the future of New Zealand wool.

“For participating growers, the agreement

provides price certainty, demand security and access to a rapidly growing global biomaterials market,” McWhirter says.

“This price is around $2/kilogram ahead of the current market, which is a meaningful premium for farmers.

“It shows that when wool is connected directly to high-value end uses, returns can lift well beyond traditional commodity pricing. That is exactly where Wools of New Zealand is focused,” he says.

The wool will be supplied to Keraplast, which manufactures advanced biomaterials using keratin.

Through a controlled

manufacturing process, keratin extracted from strong wool is transformed into a range of high-value materials used in medical, nutraceutical and personal care applications, including wound care products, tissue repair and hair and skin care. These products are sold into global markets, including the United States, Europe and Asia.

Keraplast chief executive Howard Moore says New Zealand wool offers clear advantages over alternative keratin sources used globally.

“Wool-derived keratin ingredients, manufactured through Keraplast’s science-

based process technology, deliver functionality that is highly suited for medical, nutraceutical and personal care uses,” Moore says.

“The consistency, traceability and quality of New Zealand wool is critical to Keraplast’s product performance,” he adds.

“New Zealand strong wool gives us a reliable, high-performing raw material and the regenerative farming systems behind it align strongly with our values and our customers’ expectations,” he concludes.

John McWhirter, Wools of NZ chief executive (left) and Keraplast chief executive Howard Moore have stitched a new superpremium wool contract.

Kiwifruit sector on track for solid year

WHILE THE recent storms in the upper and eastern part of the North Island have hit a few kiwifruit growers, it is unlikely to have a major impact on the overall industry.

That’s the view of NZ Kiwifruit Growers chief executive, Colin Bond. He says at an industry level it is still looking like a very strong year.

Bond says it is expected that more than 200 million trays of kiwifruit will be produced.

But Bond says the

storms have been a disaster for a small number of kiwifruit orchardists.

“We know of a couple of orchards that have been badly hit by landslides around Welcome Bay in the Bay of Plenty. One has lost their full crop, another their house and in another case they can’t get onto their property to assess the damage because of a landslip,” he says.

Bond says there are some orchards which are waterlogged due to the rain and the growers are waiting for the water to dissipate to reveal the

extent of the damage and the future of the vines. He says this problem

exists in orchards from Northland, the Bay of Plenty and down to

But he says, remarkably, there is no widespread damage like

Bond says they are still awaiting a report from Zespri on what

ROADING ISSUES

ACCORDING TO Colin Bond, roading remains a huge issue – especially in the case of Gisborne where SH2 through the Waioweka Gorge from Gisborne to Opotiki remains closed due to slips.

Much of the kiwifruit produced around Gisborne is sent by road to a packhouse in Opotiki and Bond says unless SH2 is open in time for the main picking of the crop, it will cause serious issues for local growers.

He says the alternative route to Opotiki is south to Napier, across the Napier-Taupo Road and then to Opotiki, which adds an additional 211km to the journey.

returns to growers might be. He says on the face of it, the quality of the crop looks like it will be excellent.

“There is limited capacity to pack kiwifruit in Gisborne, and it could certainly not handle all the fruit that is produced there,” he says.

However, Bond says the overall mood of the kiwifruit industry is extremely positive. He says they acknowledge that some growers are going through tough times at present but notes that there is a strong appetite for kiwifruit worldwide. He says everything points to the industry continuing to have a period of sustained success which helps make up for the challenging couple of years around covid.

Tairawhiti on the east coast of the North Island.

there was with Cyclone Gabrielle.

NZ Kiwifruit Growers chief executive, Colin Bond.

EDITORIAL

RMA reforms uproar

THE EUPHORIA over the Government’s two new bills to replace the broken Resource Management Act is over.

On December 9 last year the Government introduced the Natural Environment Bill and Planning Bill (Bills) set to replace the RMA.

The announcement was welcomed with joy and relief in the farming sector.

It came with the promise of a stronger focus on property rights, a tighter scope, fewer resource consents, more standardisation and less litigation – sounding like the reset farmers have been calling for.

But with more than 700 pages of legislation to wade through – and a Christmas break in the middle – farmer groups have been very busy getting their heads around what’s really in these bills.

And what they have found is alarming: some big fishhooks which could make the new rules set by regional councils more restrictive.

Federated Farmers, which says its completely on board with the aims of the reform, is now casting doubts on some of the key aspects of the reforms.

The farmer lobby says it’s become clear that what officials have delivered does not always match Cabinet’s intent.

As currently drafted, the new system may be more permissive where environmental limits are comfortably met, but potentially more restrictive where a catchment is at its limit or in breach.

Given councils often set limits that aim to maintain current water quality levels, this could mean most catchments are immediately at or beyond environmental limits from the outset.

Most concerning of all are provisions allowing freshwater rights to be auctioned, tendered, or levied – effectively enabling freshwater to be taxed.

Federated Farmers is alarmed at clauses in the bill that give future ministers sweeping powers to tax water to manage demand.

Expect the farming sector to submit in droves, opposing some of the planned reforms.

The message from farmers to the Government is clear – promising one thing and delivering another is unacceptable to them.

HEAD OFFICE POSTAL ADDRESS: PO Box 331100, Takapuna, Auckland 0740

Phone 09-307 0399

PUBLISHER: Brian Hight .......................................... Ph 09 307 0399

GENERAL MANAGER: Adam Fricker ....................................... Ph 021-842 226

EDITOR: Sudesh Kissun ......................................Ph 021-963 177 sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

“I was against it for years – till Edna pointed out it isn’t actually called ‘White

THE HOUND EDNA

Where is Luxon?

WHY CAN’T Christopher Luxon stand up to Winston Peters over the latter’s high-profile attack on the proposed Indian FTA? No surprise that Peters has pulled out the immigration card and linked it to the FTA - and his narrative is gaining traction. If Parliament does not approve the FTA as it stands, it will be detrimental to all Kiwis, not to mention sheep farmers and orchardists, among others, and will rob NZ of an important, stable market. In terms of the battle, Winston has been hard hitting –throwing verbal hand grenades at Luxon and promising to derail the deal. Luxon’s response seems to be to throw verbal powder puffs back, coming across as lacklustre and weak for not taking Peters head on.

A mate of yours truly reckons Luxon needs to grow a pair and claim the high ground on this issue. Time to act like a politician and not a play-itsafe corporate manager.

Time and place

FIRST ON the scene after the recent devastating storms in parts of the North Island were emergency services and selfless members of the public. Close behind them were the increasingly tone-deaf climate activists – not to lend a hand or support, but to push the same single-issue obsession that they bore people with at parties. Most decent Kiwis know there’s a time and place for pushing your political agenda and it’s not while volunteers are still clearing roads and digging slip victims out of the rubble. Unfortunately, there were likeminded climate obsessives in the media and in Parliament doing the same thing. Your old mate has seen this tone-deaf barracking here and overseas and reckons their lack of common decency and respect is a key reason people are tiring of their ‘the sky is falling’ message.

No good news?

ECAN DATA was released a few days ago showing Canterbury farmers have made “giant strides on environmental performance”. The number of farms receiving A-grades in Farm Environment Plan audits in the province has surged from 14% in 2017 to 77% during 2024/25. ‘Surely, news this good would be making headlines across the major media outlets?’ your canine crusader naively pondered. A quick search on Google revealed the sad truth – a total of zero news items about the stunning improvement. The Feds’ VP Colin Hurst called them out for it: “Our sector is constantly being bagged by certain greenie groups as uncaring stewards of land and water, yet these results show completely the opposite. Maybe the findings from this independent monitoring by the regional council will blunt some of the carping we face from some quarters.”

Want to share your opinion or gossip with the Hound? Send your emails to: hound@ruralnews.co.nz

Bulldust!

HERE

WE go: the election date is set for November 7 and the politicians are out of the gate with the bulldust and empty promises. There’ll be plenty more, from all the contenders, but this old mutt choked on a giant porky put out there by Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins. Chippy’s claim that New Zealand’s structural deficit was created by the current Government rather than inherited from Labour is a beauty, even for him. In 2023, Treasury briefed Nicola Willis as incoming finance minister that the deficit was structural, not temporary. This was not due to Covid measuresTreasury’s numbers were based entirely on Labour’s spending and revenue settings. As one astute commentator noted, a ‘structural deficit did not magically appear when Willis became finance minister!’

EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Peter Burke ...........................Ph 021 224 2184 peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

REPORTERS: Nigel Malthus ........................Ph 021-164 4258 Leo Argent

MACHINERY EDITOR: Mark Daniel ..............................Ph 021 906 723 markd@ruralnews.co.nz

PRODUCTION MANAGER: Becky Williams ......................Ph 021 100 4381 beckyw@ruralnews.co.nz

AUCKLAND SALES CONTACT: Stephen Pollard .........................Ph 021 963 166 stephenp@ruralnews.co.nz

WAIKATO & WELLINGTON SALES

CONTACT: Lisa Wise .................................. Ph 027 369 9218 lisaw@ruralnews.co.nz

SOUTH ISLAND SALES CONTACT: Kaye Sutherland .......................Ph 021 221 1994 kayes@ruralnews.co.nz

DIGITAL STRATEGIST: Jessica Marshall ..............Ph 021 0232 6446

Hangi Day’.”

Celebrating 40 years of ‘friendly field days’

so that we can be here for another 40 years,” he told Rural News

A 40TH ANNIVERSARY event to remember.

That’s what organisers of this year’s Northland Field Days are promising to visitors and exhibitors.

Dubbed ‘The Friendly Field Days’, the threeday event kicks off on February 26th.

Organising committee president John Phillips says over 400 exhibitors have signed up and final preparations are underway for the event which starts in just over two weeks.

Several major gate prizes will be up for grabs; Dargaville Honda Motorbikes and Marine is offering one winner a choice of either a Honda Outboard or a Honda Quad Bike.

A holiday giveaway worth $9,500 is being offered by North Travel from Whangarei.

Phillips is urging people to come and support the event.

“Come and support us

Phillips says this year’s field days will be the biggest ever. He also expects a good crowd given the farming sector, especially beef farmers, are doing well.

“The farming sector particularly sheep and beef and Fonterra will be returning capital to farmers in the coming months,” he says.

“When the agricultural community is prosperous, then the exhibitors have good sales.”

Phillips notes that tractor sales are also up, another sign of a healthy agricultural sector.

On farm, he says weather has been kinder to most Northland farmers this year.

Above average rainfall has kept grass growth up and means emergency water won’t be carted to the event.

Phillips says water supply isn’t an issue this year.

“It’s almost too much

rain now,” he adds.

The 40th year anniversary theme has also been adopted for the Fosters Home Décor silage bale painting competition.

Northland Field Days coordinator Luciana

Schwarz says there are three categories for registrations: individuals, pairs and groups of three to seven people.

She says entries closed on January 30 and all entrants must adhere to the 40th anniversary

theme. Painting must be done between the 10th & 24th of February. Entrants will be provided with paint, paintbrushes, trays and water. Everything must be returned when the project finishes.

The Sponsor’s Choice trophy, which is kept at the Northland Field Days headquarters, comes with a $100 Fosters Home Decor Voucher.

For the top individual painting, where one silage bale is painted, the

bales painted mural style, they get $200 and $50 Fosters voucher.

winner gets $100 plus a $50 Fosters voucher. For the top pair, who must submit three silage

Northland Field Days president John Phillips (left) with committee members Robert Yates, Ross Newlove and Basil Cole and event coordinator Luciana Schwarz.

The sound system man

SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

WHEN IT comes to arranging the sound system at Northland Field Days, no one does it better than Colin Finlayson.

The 72-year-old tradesman has been setting up the sound system at the field days for 40 years.

Finlayson holds the distinction of being the only person to have served on the committee from day one. The first field days was held at Dargaville Racecourse 40 years ago.

For Finlayson the biggest change has been the way the venue is set up for the annual event.

“Well, the infrastructure is easier to set up on our ground, because out at the old ground, the racecourse, you had to run all the pipes on the ground,” he told Rural News

“All the power and stuff, we had to leave it flat, so we had to put all the posts in and take them all out.

“It was much harder work back then because nowadays all the power, all the posts just stay in the ground where

they are.”

Finlayson feels proud to have served on the organising committee for the past 40 years.

He says buying a greenfield site to run the field days was a turning point for the Northland Field Days committee.

“Back then, there was discussion that we had overgrown where we were.

“Also, we had to pay a sort of a lease thing to the racing club, which went up every year, as things do.

“The then president, Dave Phillips, elder brother of the current

president, suggested that we just buy our own, and put the money into that.”

Finlayson is looking forward to the 40th field days this month.

He’s also looking forward to playing his part in the organising committee – putting up the poles and getting the speakers going.

Finlayson’s task has been increasing over the years.

He recalls putting up eight speakers during the first field days. This month, he will be putting up 32 speakers at the 33ha site.

LUCKY 40-YEAR-OLDS

FOR FOURTY year olds, there’s no excuse to miss this year’s Northland Field Days.

To mark the event’s 40th anniversary, all 40-year-olds get free entry to the three-day event.

Northland Field Days coordinator Luciana Schwarz says photo identification with birth date will be required for free entry.

Tickets for the event have gone on sale via the Northland Field Days website. Prizes are same as last year.

For each day, adults pay $13, child

between six and 14 pay $5, family with two adult and two children pay $30. Children under five have free admission.

Highlights at this year’s include an outdoor zone featuring hunting, fishing, camping and boating equipment and gear.

Live music will be playing at the event. Sheep dog trials, lawn mower racing and tractor pull are also the cards.

Three food court areas will be available during the event.

Colin Finlayson

A trip down memory lane

SUDESH KISSUN

NORTHLAND FIELD

Days patron Ross

Newlove remembers the inaugural field days he attended 40 years ago.

“I can remember huge tractor wheel marks down the main access, full of Water.”

“I just went as a visitor and it was a bit like the weather we had recently; it just rained and rained,” Newlove told Rural News He recalls the challenging conditions at the Dargaville Racecourse – the venue for the first field days. There were about 80 exhibitors, and the venue wasn’t ready for an influx

of people, tractors and machinery.

“I can remember huge tractor wheel marks down the main access, full of water.”

Organised by Dargaville Jaycees, the management of field days was handed over to the Northland Field Days

committee. In 2006, the committee purchased a 33ha site at the junction of State Highway 14 and Awakino Point East Road, a permanent home for the three-day event.

Newlove says Dargaville Jaycees launched the event, not knowing what to expect.

“They weren’t expecting anything great. But it was a success and it’s grown from there.

“It’s still around 40 years later.”

He praised the foresight Jaycees and the original group of organisers.

Newlove says

the Jaycees went to agricultural firms, tractor dealers and ute traders to market the event.

“They said, ‘we’re going to put this on, will you support us?’ And they did.”

Another committee member Basil Cole was also at the first field days, as an exhibitor and recalls the weather woes.

“I remember a couple

of women walking down the road carrying their high heeled shoes.”

Cole, who was then working for Lands and Surveys, had developed a weed wipe system for rush control. A tractor company hosted him on its stall at the inaugural field days.

As the Northland Field Days celebrates its 40th anniversary this month,

Cole notes that social media and technology have impacted field days all over the country.

“Social media has hit us hard: a farmer can come and sit down to his coffee with his iPad and buy a brand-new tractor.

“The field day specials aren’t what they used to be. That’s probably one of the big changes over the past 40 years.”

Northland Field Days committee members Ross Newlove (left) and Basil Cole attended the first event 40 years ago.

A highlight on the regional council’s annual calendar

pest management guidance.

AS THE Northland Agricultural Field Days celebrates an impressive 40 years, Northland Regional Council (NRC) extends its congratulations to the current and past organising committees for reaching this milestone.

The event has long been a highlight on NRC’s annual calendar, with the council proudly supporting and attending the Field Days for more than two decades. It provides significant opportunities for staff and councillors to connect face‑to‑face with communities from across the region, as well as visitors from further afield.

Over the years, NRC’s presence at the Field Days has continued to grow and evolve. The council’s stand has showcased a wide range of business areas from land management advice on highly erodible soils to hands‑on

Northland Regional Council consistently uses the event to raise awareness of pests and diseases threatening the region, including freshwater threats like the invasive clam.

Visitors have come to expect engaging displays, memorable features, and practical demonstrations.

Highlights from past years include a towering kauri tree complete with a wash‑down station, the much‑talked‑about ‘pest hut’ and trap shop, impressive sculptures such as Guy Bowden’s ‘Hinaki Waharua’, fish tanks featuring unwanted pest species like ‘Snappy the Turtle’ and the ever‑popular weed garden and trap demonstrations.

Regular attendees return each year to see what’s new whether it’s the latest pest‑food giveaway, updated advice, or simply to share stories of their own environmental progress,

from possum trapping successes to wetland restoration photos.

In 2024, NRC’s site won “Best Outdoor Site,” recognising the significant planning, coordination, and dedication of staff across multiple teams.

The Field Days are also a valuable economic driver, drawing exhibitors and visitors from outside the region who support local businesses across Kaipara and beyond. Adding to the community experience, NRC has collaborated with various agencies over the years one of the most popular partnerships being with NorthTec cookery students, who helped create the council’s well‑loved pest‑based food giveaways.

In 2025, the wallaby quesadillas proved a standout attraction, drawing large crowds and sparking meaningful conversations about pest impacts and biosecurity.

This year, NRC will once again

located at its familiar sites I1 and I2, with a strong focus on current biosecurity threats including Madagascar ragwort and the invasive freshwater clam. Alongside the regular features pest plants, pest animals, biodiversity, climate action, and land

forward to welcoming visitors to celebrate the 40th anniversary of this iconic Northland event.

• Natasha Stubbing is marketing and engagement manager, Northland Regional Council.

be

management. The team looks

A tasty conversation starter - NRC staff hand out wild venison mini pies while connecting with visitors at a past Northland Field Days.

Great place to connect with farmers

THIS YEAR’S Northland Field Days marks an important milestone – 40 years of bringing farmers, growers, innovators and rural communities together. For Gallagher, it’s a milestone they’re proud to be part of.

Gallagher has been attending Northland Field Days since the beginning, and over that time, the event has become more than a date on its calendar,

“For us, Northland Field Days has always been about listening first”, says Mike Ward, Gallagher territory manager for Northland.

“It’s where farmers are open about what’s working, what’s not, and what they actually need

to make life a bit easier on farm.”

This reflects what Gallagher values most, strong connections, collaboration and a genuine focus on helping farmers build productive, profitable farm businesses.

Like many parts of the country, Northland has faced its share of challenges in recent weeks, a Ward says those moments reinforce the importance of community.

“Events like Field Days really show the strength of the Northland farming community,” says Ward. “Even when times are tough, people come together and support each other. For

Gallagher we have the chance to be alongside farmers as a partner, not just a supplier.”

Everything Gallagher

JCB BAGS MAJOR US MILITARY CONTRACT

BRITISH INDUSTRIAL and agricultural machinery manufacturer

JCB has won a £152 million (NZ$348m) military contract with the US Marine Corps as part of the Tractor, Rubber Tired, ArticulatedSteering Multi-Purpose (TRAM) vehicle programme.

The contract calls for 535 militarised versions of JCB’s 437HT wheeled loader to be supplied to the USMC over the next decade. The contract is the third signed by the USMC, that five months ago placed a $NZ$75m order for a militarised version of JCB’s 4CX backhoe loader. In 2024, followed a NZ$65m deal for militarised versions of the JCB Teleskid compact tracked loader.

A spokesman for JCB’s Govern -

ment & Defence Department said:

“We are delighted to have secured our third contract from the USMC, as it’s testament to the reliability, robustness and suitability of JCB machines in military applications worldwide.”

Initially, JCB will supply several test machines later this year, with an anticipation that full production will begin in 2027. This latest contract with the USMC, which was secured after an extensive evaluation period, is part of JCB’s long-standing support of defence organisations around the world, the manufacturer explained. JCB’s defence business has grown significantly over the past decade, with almost 10,000 machines sold to militaries around the world.

does is grounded in practical farming realities, Ward says.

“From improving animal welfare, saving

time, increasing safety, or making farm systems more efficient, our goal is always to deliver practical, reliable

solutions that work in the real world.”

He says that this year, they’re excited to be showcasing the upcoming launch of three new highperformance solutions “designed to tackle real problems on farm”.

“While we’re keeping some details under wraps for now, visitors to the Gallagher site can expect to see technology that reflects our ongoing investment in performance, durability and ease of use.

“There’s definitely more appetite for technology on farm, and it’s exciting to see how farmers are putting it to use,” says Ward.

“What I enjoy most is seeing farmers share

practical solutions and new ideas with each other – from established farmers passing on what works, to the next generation bringing fresh perspectives. There’s a real drive to keep improving and progressing, and Gallagher’s role is to provide the tools and support to help make that possible.”

As Northland Field Days celebrates its 40th year, Gallagher is proud to stand alongside the region and the farming community that makes it what it is, and looks forward to many more years of innovation, collaboration, and progress on farm, adds Ward.

■ Ideal for shearing sheep, alpacas, goats and cow tails.

■ Variable speed from 2600-3500 rpm.

■ Latest brushless motor technology means minimal heat build up

■ 1400gms means 100-200gms lighter than standard handpiece.

■ At 2800 rpm the 12-volt lithium battery will crutch 300-400 sheep or trim 400-500 cow tails.

■ We customise cables for lifestyle shearers.

Northland Field Days

See us on Site H9

The Northland Field Days has been bringing farmers, growers, innovators and rural communities together for the past 40 years.

HIGH PERFORMANCE TANK / RESERVOIR VALVE

Protect Your Pump

✔ Adjustable Minimum & Maximum on/off control

✔ Lengthen your pumps life with less on/off cycles

✔ Delivers high volumes of water (1275 lpm @ 12 bar)

Monitor Water Levels

✔ See at a glance your tank water level

✔ Protect your system from water loss damage

✔ Suitable for any type or size tank

✔ 50% STRONGER - 16mm stainless steel tubes offer 50% more strength than 12mm tubes HEAVY DUTY TANK LEVEL INDICATOR

Bauer offers full effluent package

AUSTRIAN COMPANY

Bauer, well known for its effluent and slurry equipment, recently exhibited a 21,000 litre poly-tanker, configured with a tandem axle unit featuring a new contactless forced steering system for the rear axle.

The tanker was equipped with a Vogelsang 24m Swing Max5 dribble bar, illustrating the range of application hardware which can now be chosen to go with the company’s machines.

The company’s extensive range of highspecification poly and steel tankers is aimed at larger farms and contractors handling high volumes of slurry from dairy, pig, and

other livestock units, or digestate from anaerobic digestion (AD) biogas plants.

Bauer resin tankers are made to be tough and resistant to both slurry and the elements, with the tank constructed from hand-layered, woven polyester sheets, a method which saves weight and incorporates a gelcoat outer layer which protects against the corrosive effects of its contents, as well as exterior contaminants and the elements.

A further claimed advantage for this method of construction is a unit that is easy to keep clean and looking fresh, ensuring a reduced cost of ownership and increased resale value.

In addition to robust build, Bauer also offers a considerable range of

options and equipment layout, delivering a bespoke solution to meet owner and operator individual requirements.

The company has also developed new field application control software enabling variable application rate, proof of application and applied volumes.

Alongside tankers, the company also offers a comprehensive range of Helix, submersible and power take-off (PTO)driven pumps alongside slurry separators. One of its subsidiaries, Fan Separator, offers the Fan PS3.3 Green Bedding unit capable of producing a soft lining material for cow cubicles, and an Elevator fully integrated mobile set-up with variable discharge height.

The company’s Rainmaster A4 series

reel irrigator enters the market, slotting into the range between the current compact A series and larger

T series. Featuring a galvanised chassis, it is available with Bauer’s own polyethylene (PE) hose in diameters up to 75mm and in lengths up to 250m. Flow rates of between 12-48m3/h will aid fine tuning of irrigation schedules

while Bauer’s wideangle SR101 sprinkler delivers uniform water distribution across runs up to 70m wide.

More gongs for recordsetting forage harvester

MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

AFTER ITS flagship 1200 model set a Guiness World Record in forage harvesting, mopping up 4096 tonnes of whole crop silage in 12 hours, Claas has picked up a brace of awards from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ASABE).

The society has awarded AE50 Awards to two innovations from CLAAS – the Jaguar 1000 forage harvester series and the Orbis 10500 corn header.

Dennis Ogle for Claas of America said the awards confirm that

CLAAS continues to “set standards in performance, efficiency, and intelligent machine design for the harvesting of forage crops”.

Both the Jaguar 1000 series and the Orbis 10500 were developed in close collaboration with farmers and contractors, says Ogle, with a focus on real productivity gains and ease of use, with a high degree of automation.

With four models, the Jaguar 1000 series offers engine outputs of up to 1110hp, complemented by the widest crop flow on the market, fully hydraulic pre-compression, homogeneous chopping

quality and a 310mm diameter corn cracker for optimum grain conditioning. As part of the package, the 1000 Series also includes the choice of a newly developed, highthroughput pick-up header, or with the Orbis, a row independent unit.

The ASABE jury also highlighted the Orbis 10500 header for its contribution to increasing overall harvesting efficiency. The rowindependent corn header with a working width of 10.50m - harvesting 14 rows with 75cm spacing - uses an independent variable drive of the knife and transport discs.

The Jaguar 1000 forage harvester - another innovation from Claas.

Return on R&D investment

FARMERS ARE the biggest investors in research in New Zealand. Whether through taxes, rates, co-operative company retentions, or industry-body levies… or the time they spend ‘in kind’ working with researchers, or the dollars they invest in start-up companies or their own ideas, the financial commitment is considerable.

Naturally they want to know that there is a return on that investment – that the money foregone will give a boost in the future.

Return on investment (RoI) is important. It helps with evaluation of investment profitability, comparison of different opportunities, effective allocation of resources, and making decisions for sustainable growth and improved efficiency based on data.

The problem with taxes, rates, retentions and levies is that the farmers paying them aren’t in control of the decisions – the government, councils, co-operatives and levy-body organisations to make the investments on their behalf… and then justify the investments.

Doing so can be difficult in research because of time lags, the presence (or

not) of intangible benefits (for example to do with the environment or simply the acquisition of knowledge), difficulty attributing gains to specific research, and the inherent uncertainty and risk in research outcomes.

Tracking becomes even harder with the biological complication of agriculture; weather, pests and market shifts all affect the outcome. Further complicating the calculation is that benefits are likely to diffuse widely and then decay as new technologies emerge.

Given the difficulties, it isn’t surprising that results from attempts at RoI calculations are greeted with scepticism, with the ongoing ques-

tion of ‘could I have used that money better myself?’

The answer is ‘probably not’, at least in terms of advancing sector knowledge.

Reliable research results are underpinned by team expertise, infrastructure and scientific understanding. Individual farmers might have a new idea but developing and rolling that idea into the wider community is a different matter.

Almost everything done on farm has been the subject of research at some time or another, from soil and pasture management, to milking/shearing frequency and precision topdressing. Ideas have come from everywhere, and been integrated, developed and refined in a way that tangles any calculation of RoI.

In 2009, AGMARDT funded a book conceived by Agricultural Journalist Alan Emerson. Future Food Farming contained short pieces by academics, scientists, researchers and businesspeople. All gave their words freely because they wanted to contribute to agricultural development in New Zealand. Professor Richard Archer, then Head of the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health (now retired) wrote a section on fenceless farming: “Each cow wears a

device – perhaps an ear-tag, perhaps a cowbell. The device measures the cow’s activity level and orientation and perhaps some health indices. It might even sniff for methane. Most importantly the device emits sounds to guide a cow forward, right, left; perhaps guide a cow to drink, to urinate, to defecate, or to rest.”

The concept hit the media and scepticism was rife.

Cow Manager, the ear tag, had its genesis in 2004 in the USA. Halter, Craig Piggot’s version of Fenceless Farming, was launched in 2016. Ideas circulate between people. A change in thinking and advances in technology allow development of a concept that was previously not possible. RoI depends on the starting point chosen… 2004? 2009? 2016?

Further, the calculated value is different in a plot from on farm, from a region and for the country. Extrapolation from plot results is affected by farm management, weather and adoption. Adoption depends upon how the new research can be integrated into a farm system… and whether it solves a problem that is actually being experienced or makes things easier in some

way without affecting the bottom line negatively.

Despite the difficulties, attempts have been made to calculate RoI. In Treasury’s 2006 report, the economists concluded that “there is typically a significant positive relation between domestic knowledge and the growth of productivity” and estimated (based on their preferred model) an annual rate of return of 17%.

All models depend on constraints and assumptions. Starting points are important, as is the time frame considered and the end point.

Whatever the actual figure is, we are on the right side of the ledger – farmers do together what no farmer can do alone. Farmer investment means that the ‘sunset industry’ of the 1990s has continued to supply a bigger portion of an inflation-adjusted bigger economic pie in New Zealand. There’s research on that, too.

• Dr Jacqueline Rowarth, Adjunct Professor Lincoln University, is a farmer-elected director on the boards of DairyNZ and Ravensdown, and a member of the Scientific Council of the World Farmers’ Organisation.

HORTNEWS

MPI’s big shout-out to the hort sector

Peter Burke peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

MINISTRY FOR Primary

Industries (MPI) Director General Ray Smith is giving a big shout-out to the horticulture sector, especially kiwifruit. His comments come in the light of his organisation’s sixmonthly report on the state of the primary sector and predictions for the future. The outlook report shows revenue from the horticulture sector will pass the $9 billion dollar

mark by the end of June this year – a 5% increase on last year’s massive 24% increase. And the news gets even better with horticulture exports predicted to reach $9.5 billion by 2027.

The charge is being led by kiwifruit exports which rose by 45% a year ago and will rise a further 4% this year.

Smith says kiwifruit is an amazing story.

“It just continues to grow - over $4 billion now with the result that per hectare returns for

ROSY TIMES FOR APPLES

APPLES ARE also a great story because not so long ago we were talking about the devastating effects of Cyclone Gabrielle on Hawke’s Bay. Ray Smith says apple exports by June 30 will reach over $1.2 billion dollars.

China remains the major export market for our apples, followed by Vietnam and Taiwan and now Indian sneaking into fourth place. The latter is significant given that tariffs on apples to India will be reduced considerably when the FTA with India comes into effect – probably later this year.

The avocado industry is still in roller coaster mode, according to MPI. Export revenue almost tripled to

$109 million to June 2025, driven by a bumper crop of around 7.6 million trays and strong export prices. But revenue to June 2026 will see revenue drop 16% to $91 million due to higher production and price pressure in Australia – the sector’s main market. But a compensating factor is that exports to Asia and Canda are off to a good start.

Also positive are cherry exports that are expected to make $130 million – a 5% increase on last season, which was a very good one for the sector. At the same time, fresh and processed vegetable exports are showing resilience says MPI with export revenue to be $750 million in 2025/26.

orchards are at great levels. This is phenomenal, it’s grown so rapidly and it’s growing at billions of dollars a year –and it’s not just out of NZ but also Zespri’s international growing areas such Italy,” he says.

Smith notes that kiwifruit is on a real high and says when you travel around the world and have breakfast in a hotel, kiwifruit is on the menu.

“I certainly have had kiwifruit on the other side of the world, so everyone is eating kiwifruit,” he says.

According to the report, export volumes of kiwifruit in the 2025/26 growing season are projected to grow by at least 9% to 215 million trays. The report notes that Zespri is projecting that per hectare returns for green kiwifruit in the 2025/26 season will be $111,471 (up 24%), Gold $182,538 (up 7%) and $77,598 for Red (also up 7%). Zespri notes that the the lower returns for Red are due to lower average yields as the newer Red variety plantings mature.

MPI head Ray Smith is giving a big shout-out to the hort sector.

Lots to celebrate - Scott

Burke peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

REFLECTING ON the past year, Horticulture

New Zealand chief executive Kate Scott says there has been a lot to celebrate.

She says it’s hard to ignore the success of kiwifruit this year which has had wonderful growth and continues to be the backbone of the hort sector in NZ.

“But then when we look at apples, they too have had a great year as well pushing through that one billion dollar mark,” she told Hort News.

“I think that is testament to apple growers, particularly if they have been recovering from the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle,” she says.

Scott says at the end

of last year there was a wonderful celebration of 20 years of HortNZ at Parliament which drew in people from

across the sector. She says the past 20 years have been great because they brought the whole of the sector together

and enabled it to promote how valuable horticulture is to the community and the rest of the world.

THE FOCUS FOR 2026

CLIMATE CHANGE

adaptation is an area Kate Scott believes there is a need for more work to be done. She says HortNZ will frame up a project around this. She says there is a need to better understand the challenges around this.

“We only have to look at how horticulture continues to be impacted by changing adverse weather events - so what does that look like in terms of supporting growers on the ground to recover from those events and be ready to grow through them and be stronger at the end of

them?” she says.

Scott says adverse climatic events particularly affect those of our growers who are more domestically focused.

Also on Scott’s agenda for 2026 is the range of regulatory challenges that many vegetable growers will have to navigate. She says there’s the issue around pricing in supermarkets which is something HortNZ hears from them on a regular basis.

RMA changes are also front of mind for HortNZ says Scott. She says the Government’s plan to roll over some consents until the new regulations are in place is a good

outcome for growers. She says, for example, several growers have water permits that are due to expire between now and when the new system is introduced and says for them it will give a little bit of certainty that they can continue to operate without having to go through an uncertain consent process.

“This is certainly beneficial to them,” she says.

In terms of the overall RMA, Scott thinks some of the proposed changes coming through are a step in the right direction but warns that the devil is always in the detail.

WE’LL SORT YOUR HORT.

TALK TO NZ’S HOMEGROWN HORTICULTURE INSURER.

FMG is a New Zealand insurer, through and through. We began looking after New Zealand farmers and growers over 119 years ago. All these years later, we’re still 100% NZ-owned and still fully dedicated to protecting you against many of the risks your business faces every day. If that sounds like the kind of insurer you’d like looking after your livelihood, ask around about us. Or better still, give us a call on 0800 366 466 to talk to our team about the cover you need. We’re here, there and everywhere to sort your hort.

We’re here for the good of the country.

HortNZ chief executive Kate Scott.

Peter

The cherry on top

Leo Argent

DESPITE SOME trying circumstances recently, the cherry season looks set to emerge on top of things.

In recent months, strong winds and unseasonable rainy spells have caused headaches for many summerfruit growers across the country, leading to unusually late harvests and crop damage across the board.

Mike Casey of Electric Cherries orchard in central Otago said that because of high winds in spring many of their cherries ended up rubbing against each other causing damage.

“Usually when we pick for export we are packing about 95% of the cherries and this year, we’ve had more like 20% end up as waste rather than 5%.”

Meanwhile, Summerfruit New Zealand’s recent market update said that weather events had led to only intermittent harvesting so far, which combined with delays in the Cook Strait ferry, led to first day sales

being below expectations.

Sounds like a bad time, but these storm clouds may have silver linings.

Many cherry orchardists grow for export, with Chinese New Year being a very important date for the season (cherry exports to China and Taiwan alone reached 559.5 tonnes in 2025). As Chinese New Year moves around each year, getting product ready for the occasion can sometimes be difficult; too early and no crop is ready, too late and the best product is gone.

However, this time

Casey,

Chinese New Year is particularly late (17 Feb-3 March). As such a late crop has gone from a curse to a boon.

“This late season could be to grower’s advantage, especially if the weather really heats up in Central Otago,” said Andrew Bristol of Summerfruit New Zealand. Additionally, even in the domestic market the low supply has been balanced out by strong demand keeping prices in check.

Casey said that while cherries are most commonly thought of as a Christmas and New Year’s

treat, the best ones are actually harvested in midJanuary.

“As a result, we’re trying to do our part to change the culture and the knowledge of New Zealand that cherries are a great treat to start the year on a high note.

“Going back to work having cherries in the fruit bowl is a fantastic way of keeping people’s spirits up when they may have a bit of post-holidays blues. That’s what we’re trying to work on at the moment; we’re doing a lot of mail orders of our

A SLICE OF THE DOMESTIC PIE

MIKE CASEY said that this season has been particularly exciting for Electric Cherries, in operation for six years now and selling its cherries for three, because it is their first year supplying local supermarkets like Wanaka.

“My goal is to try scale up the amount of cherries we sell of our

export mind to New Zealanders. What we try and do is sell at the same gate return as what we would get if we shipped to Taiwan or China.

“The farmer has to pay to ship all their produce overseas to market. The exporter handles shipping overseas, the importer

buys cherries from the exporters and the retailer buys the cherries from the importer. Usually, the retail customer is paying something like three times what the farmer gets by the time it’s done.

“If we can avoid air freight to because a New Zealand family is

export buying to New Zealanders.”

Moving ahead, Bristol said the last weeks’ sales volumes were reporting very strongly, with good quality, large fruit moving very well.

“[Fruit is] not hanging around in cool stores

buying our cherries, that means that family gets the best cherries possible and we get a small premium because we don’t have to pay for transport.”

Casey claims that Electric Cherries, with its complete lack of fossil fuel energy in its farm system, is “probably one of the

looking for a home. The slight general shortage is helping all our fruit types, and even fruit on promotion is selling at relatively high values.

“The sun has been shining in Auckland, people are happy and they are buying summerfruit.”

most profitable cherry orchards in New Zealand”.

“I think I want to use that electrification story, scale that profitability even more and show the rest of New Zealand that going down the path of running electric machines is just the smart business decision to make.”

Kaitlin Bates, Farmlands,

Electric Cherries says the best ones are harvested in January.

Mike

Partnership to help boost calf rearing practices

A NEW partnership between Dairy Women’s Network (DWN) and NZAgbiz aims to make evidence-based calf rearing practices accessible to all farm teams.

A Fonterra subsidiary, family, NZAgbiz specialises in manufacturing and supplying dairybased animal nutrition products, including milk replacers and supplements. The company says it achieves this by transforming downgraded milk ingredients from processing plants into high-quality nutritional products for calves. Designed with bestpractice rearing principles

in mind and an emphasis on setting calves up for strong early growth, resilience and lifetime performance.

“NZAgbiz brings respected expertise and trusted products to the table.”

DWN chief executive, Jules Benton, says the partnership aligns perfectly with DWN’s purpose of empowering our people with valuable knowledge and tools to increase farm productivity.

“NZAgbiz brings

respected expertise and trusted products to the table, and their passion for supporting farmers at both national and local levels makes them an ideal partner for our network,” says Benton.

“Our members will be provided opportunities to access high-quality, researchbacked information, and tools to improve young animal health and farm productivity, from a team that truly understands the realities of farming life.”

NZAgbiz general manager Sam Allnutt says partnering with DWN means we can share our knowledge, while learning ourselves, to continue to improve on rearing practices in New Zealand.

NUTS ABOUT FOOD SCIENCE

A PARTNERSHIP between Torere Macadamias Ltd and the Riddet Institute aims to unlock value from macadamia nuts while growing the next generation of Māori agribusiness researchers.

Torere Macadamias Ltd and the Riddet Institute have signed a strategic partnership to advance food innovation and support the growth of Aotearoa New Zealand’s macadamia industry. This collaboration formalises and celebrates four years of shared research and innovation.

They aim to help strengthen New Zealand’s macadamia value

chain by transforming nuts and by-products into high-value foods and ingredients. In a collaboration with STEMM Academy, the partners hope to establish enduring career pipelines for Māori through food science.

Torere Macadamias Ltd is an organic macadamia nursery, orchard and nut company based in the eastern Bay of Plenty. Pioneering founder and general manager Vanessa Hayes has spent 40 years developing unique macadamia varieties for New Zealand, with a 2022 Plant & Food Research study confirming the nuts were

“Rearing young animals isn’t just about what to feed — it’s about understanding and initiating rearing practices that allow an animal to reach its full potential,” Allnut says.

“We’re passionate about empowering kiwi farmers with knowledge, informed by recent scientific and applied research, that allows them to unlock success.”

The first NZAgbiz Autumn Calf Rearing workshop is being held in Te Kauwhata on Tuesday 24 February, followed by webinars available nationwide to ensure all members have access to expert-led learning, no matter where they are based.

nutritionally superior to imported varieties.

The roots of the new partnership go back to 2022, when Hayes began exploring the potential value of macadamia husks and shells as sources of bioactive ingredients. Her interest in the husks was sparked by an observation of animal behaviour.

“For many years, the cows from neighbouring properties have been pushing down our fence to get to the macadamia husks.

“We wanted to understand what was attracting the cows, so we met up with experts at the Riddet Institute to see what’s there and

how we might extract and use the valuable compounds in new innovations.”

Faruk Ahmed, supervised by Riddet Institute scientist Ali Rashidinejad, commenced a PhD research project to investigate macadamia husks, shells and leaves for bioactive compounds that could be used in functional food products or pharmaceutical supplements. The results to date have demonstrated that macadamia husks contain major phenolic compounds (a potent source of antioxidants) with considerable potential for future applications.

Hayes says formalising the strategic partnership with the Riddet Institute is a significant milestone, adding to her decades of pioneering macadamia research in New Zealand.

The Riddet Institute’s acting director, Paul Moughan, says the Riddet Institute is delighted to collaborate with Torere Macadamias to explore new frontiers in high-value food and ingredient development. He said the partnership would promote local expertise and indigenous knowledge, together with cuttingedge science.

DWN chief executive Jules Benton

16 MANAGEMENT

University boosts Irish ties

EXPECT GREATER collaboration between Massey University’s school of Agriculture and Environment and Ireland’s leading agriculture university, the University College of Dublin (UCD), in the future.

That the message from Professor Paul Kenyon who heads the Massey School and who recently returned from Ireland, where he spent three weeks at UCD in Dublin and the Irish agriculture research organisation Teagasc –one of its main sheep research stations – at Athenry near Galway city.

Kenyon’s trip was funded by the European

Union and was part of a special exchange programme for academic staff and postgraduate students from the two agricultural universities.

Kenyon says for academic staff, it’s about teaching undergraduate students, and for post graduate students, it’s about spending time

studying in each other’s country to understand their respective agricultural production systems and university life.

“So, I taught some undergrads and post grads at UCD in Dublin, plus I went and talked to academic staff about areas in which we have

similarities in terms of interacting with high schools to attract students into our respective courses to meet current students and industry demands,” he says.

Kenyon says the second part of the trip was about collaborative research and seeing other sheep and beef projects underway in Ireland. He says Massey and UCD already have collaborate programmes running, in particular with Professor Tommy Boland of UCD who’s been to NZ many times.

Kenyon says he was keen to learn about what programmes – especially of a commercial nature –

“At Athenry, I spent time with an Irish PhD student that I co-supervise in conjunction with UCD

who’s looking at pasture swards and the use of greater levels of clover. I had a good chat to her and then I took the

JOINT RESEARCH

IRELAND AND NZ have much in common; both have pastoral-based systems and have to deal with similar issues in the environmental and animal production space. Paul Kenyon says that both countries can learn a lot from each other by greater collaboration.

“The advantage of working collaboratively [is] that we can do research faster because we operate in different hemispheres and effectively get two springs within the space of 12 months,” he says.

A big part of Kenyon’s Ireland trip was to firm up a student exchange programme between UCD and Massey. He says four Irish PhD students will spend three or four months at Massey and a NZ student will

opportunity to look at more opportunities for collaboration between the two countries,” he says.

has been to connect people in UCD and other organisations, many of whom were not directly related to the specific aims of this trip.

“I forged linkages and collaborations that hopefully others will take up for the benefit of both countries,” he says.

The big end game in this collaboration programme is to source funding for future research. Professor Kenyon says there are international funding bodies who are looking to invest in collaborative research – especially if the partners are from different hemispheres. He says both UCD and Massey, both leading agricultural universities in their respective countries, are keen to tap into these funding sources

Professor Paul Kenyon

Managing worms on forage crops used for finishing lambs

Wormwise vet and farmer Mary Bowron draws on her experience to outline the critical steps required to effectively manage worms on forage crops used for finishing lambs.

NON-GRASS FORAGE

crops for finishing lambs can be a powerful tool for providing nutritious and quality feed with a lower parasite challenge. However, you can’t just shut the gate and go on holiday.

For our farm in Northern Marlborough, we finish our own lambs and, if the season allows, we buy in trade lambs to finish. Both short and long-term forages are sown, as part of a pasture renewal programme and to give us options if it goes dry.

As a vet, and part of the Wormwise team, parasite management is an important consideration when planning what crops we choose, and where and how we graze them. They are not a cheap investment so it’s important to get the processes right but still keep things practical.

Our crops aren’t perfect. For example, we have grass edges as we can’t spray right to the fencelines, and these can still harbour worm larvae. Bug damage hammered the crop seedlings last spring, so in some paddocks, plants are sparse and weeds are

abundant! It’s all part of farming but we make allowances for that.

Monitoring to stay ahead of the game is important. We measure faecal egg counts (FECs) and lamb growth rates to keep tabs on worm challenge and performance. It’s not always about the number we get; it’s more about the trend, especially with FECs. We also note behaviour, which is easy to see when moving lambs frequently. If they are skipping and jumping, we figure they are feeling pretty good and being well fed.

After a weaning

drench, lambs either stay on a plantain/clover mix they’ve been on since birth or transitioned onto a brassica. A drench check 10 days post weaning is part of the plan to check the drench used is effective. We collect 10 fresh poo samples in the paddock and do our own FECs in the woolshed.

About 28 days after drenching, we check FECs again. It tells us whether the lambs need another drench and how wormy the paddock has become. Some of our areas have quite a bit of grass around the edges which is mostly

CROPS - A GREAT TOOL

ANOTHER TRICK is to run light ewes in with the crop lambs. The ewes gain weight prior to tupping and provide refugia, if required. They also help to show lambs brassica is okay to eat; funnily enough it is not their first choice.

For short-term crops such as the rape or leafy turnip, refugia is less of a concern. Fewer larvae survive on these crops to begin with because they tend to be grazed to open ground (larvae don’t stand UV light for long), and more will perish in the re-grassing process.

For trade lambs, depending on their origin, we may or may not quarantine drench them. We know we have some combination drench resistance, so

browntop, so it can be a worm haven. Our plantain/clover blocks could become quite contaminated after the first season so FECs are used to monitor that.

We weigh some lambs periodically to get an idea of growth rates. This helps to recalibrate the ‘eyeometer’ that lambs are ‘doing ok’. Or it can be a reality check that stock aren’t performing as we thought. Doing this sooner rather than later gives us time to take action before lambs start going backwards.

sourcing susceptible parasite larvae can help reset the worm population.

If we quarantine treat, we use a novel drench. Then we do a drench check at 10 days to check that treatment has worked. Crops have enabled us to decrease our use of drench. Many lambs are killed without having been drenched at all, and most others only get 1 or 2 drenches after weaning, saving us time and money. It has been a worthwhile investment for us, lifting our lamb growth rates and finishing more lambs.

Good growth rates help lambs reach market weight sooner, reducing farm larval contamination and ensuring ewe lamb replacements are ready for hogget mating. Where does refugia fit in our system? Adult ewes are not drenched, so they are a key part in providing drenchsusceptible worms on our lamb blocks.

Crops are a great tool. Put some steps in place to monitor and manage parasites, to ensure you reap the rewards on your farm.

Remember for the first 21 days after drenching, the only eggs coming out in the lambs’ faeces will be from worms that have survived the drench. Over time, if drenched lambs are the only stock grazing a block, the predominant worm larvae in that block become those drench survivors.

Wormwise vet and farmer Mary Bowron.

Fieldays innovation entries open

MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

THE NEW Zealand National Fieldays Society is calling for entries to the 2026 Fieldays Innovation Awards, with successful applicants showcased during Fieldays 10–13 June, at Mystery Creek.

Now in their 58th year, the awards recognise ideas, products and services that lift performance and sustainability across the primary sector, while helping innovators move from concept to commercial impact. A prize pool of more than $75,000 in cash, services and products allows entrants to gain access to expert guidance, national and international exposure.

Long-term sponsor AgriTech New Zealand has refocused its attention for the 2026 awards, strengthening its reach through its national and international networks. CEO Brendan O’Connell, a member of the judging panel, said the alignment with the awards was an easy decision.

“The Awards continue to attract exceptional entries that shape

the future of agriculture and food production, something we are proud to support and advocate for,” said O’Connell.

Accepted entries will be showcased during Fieldays within the Innovation Hub, a dedicated space for innovators to connect with thousands of visitors, industry leaders, and potential partners over four days.

Entries are invited from all areas of the primary sector, including dairy, meat, wool, forestry, horticulture (including viticulture), seafood (including aquaculture and fishing), arable farming, ‘agritech, foodtech & greentech’ and manufacturing, as well as the technologies, machinery, and systems that support them.

Entry closes on Friday, 24 April

The three award categories include the Prototype Award, the EarlyStage Award and the Growth & Scale Award, cumulatively representing the full innovation lifecycle. Additional recognition includes the Fieldays Young Innovator of the Year and the People’s Choice Award, the latter voted for by Fieldays visitors. International entries are welcome in the Early-Stage and Growth & Scale categories.

Julian Ramirez-Luna and Eitan Dan, representing CropX, who won the Growth & Scale Award at the 2025 Fieldays Innovation Awards.

The ideal solution for harvesting

MARK DANIEL

markd@ruralnews.co.nz

ASHBURTON BASED

Carrfields has announced its appointment as the new authorised Fendt IDEAL combine harvester dealer across New Zealand with immediate effect.

This nationwide agreement will ensure customers have access to the full range of Fendt IDEAL combine harvesters, backed by Carrfields’ expert product knowledge, parts and quality customer service, so strengthening its commitment to delivering world-class harvesting solutions to local farmers and contractors.

Bringing together Fendt’s harvesting technology with Carrfields’ understanding of NZ arable farming needs, the collaboration also focuses on the importance of backup parts and service support that

Carrfields has been known for over many decades.

Offering the ability to harvest a wide variety of arable crops, including specialist small seeds, the Ideal products have been proven by AGCO’s specialist combine team in NZ conditions over the past two seasons.

Carrfields will also continue to offer the MacDon range as part of its harvesting equipment lineup, with a portfolio including advanced windrowers (swathers) and draper headers, such as the industry-leading FlexDraper series.

Craig Carr, group managing director of Carrfields, said, “Our Spring Farm launch event gave us the perfect opportunity to showcase these premium machines to our loyal customers over many generations. We are committed to offering the best machinery options available for NZ condi-

tions, and Fendt IDEAL and MacDon certainly do that in our harvesting machinery portfolio. We are confident that we can find the perfect harvest-

ing option for any arable farming operation, so welcome the opportunity to provide on-farm demonstrations to any interested farmers.”

...still hammering staples back into their original holes?

A wise man once said... repeating a process over and over and expecting different results... is a sign of insanity!

The Fendt IDEAL combine harvester.

Proven Solutions

Fast-Flo Valve

Compact, high flow & extremely versatile 34 L/min @ 29 PSI

Super-Flo Valve

Slipper Fit Piston helps prevent stuck valves 188 L/min @ 29 PSI

proof & self cleaning 570 L/min @ 29 PSI