Trees pose power risk
POWER BILLS could be lower, and power restored faster following a storm if landowners took greater responsibility for trimming trees – so they don’t come down on transmission lines.
This from Tracey Kai, the chief executive of Electricity Networks Aotearoa (ENA), which represents the 29 companies who are responsible for maintaining power poles and power lines throughout the country. She says it’s estimated that between 85%
and 95% of the outages in the recent storms in Southland and Otago were caused by trees bringing down power poles and lines.
She says as well as bringing down power poles and lines, trees cause the additional problem of blocking road and track access to damaged power infrastructure on both public and private land.
“All of this means the recovery operation takes much longer than would otherwise be the case,” she told Rural News
Kai says when people plant trees,
they don’t always think of their surrounds and whether power lines could be affected at some stage in the future. She says lines companies of EDBs (electricity distribution businesses) constantly monitor potential tree problems and in many cases do the necessary trimming themselves.
“Last year they spent $67 million doing this work - the cost of which is passed on to the consumer. If they didn’t have to do this, power bills would potentially be lower,” she says.
Kai says if the EDBs see a problem
on a property, they can notify the owner to fix it themselves, but she says in most cases the companies will do the first trim themselves and try and put the onus on the landowner to fix the problem if it occurs again.
“But many of the EDBs just do the work anyway, figuring that it is cheaper in the long run to trim or cut down a tree rather than waiting for a storm for the tree to come down and cause a power outage,” she says.
There are rules already in place around where the responsibility lies for the maintenance of trees near power
lines and more stringent ones are in the pipeline, but are unlikely to come into force until 2027/28. So there will likely to be more storms before the new rules kick in.
Kai says the EDBs do what they do because it’s right thing and for the most part landowners cooperate.
But she says they had an instance before the floods in Motueka where the local power company identified a problem with a tree on a farm, but the owner refused to let them fix the problem at no cost to them.
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DairyNZ investments hit ‘very high’ strike rates
SUDESH KISSUN
sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz
MILKSOLIDS LEVIES paid by dairy farmers over the past six years have generated nearly $3 billion in value, according to an independent review.
The gain equates to $187/ha or 26c/kgMS per year. The review was carried out by independent economic analysts Nimmo Bell at the request of the DairyNZ board and covers 2020 to 2025 when farmers forked out $341m as levy for DairyNZ.
While a summary of the full report will be released this month, DairyNZ chair Tracy Brown and chief executive Campbell Parker touched on the findings at the industry good body’s annual meeting in Hamilton this month.
Brown says the review was commissioned as part of responding to farmer feedback during the levy consultation.
“We were responding to specific calls for greater transparency around return on investment,” she says.
The review focused on 92 of DairyNZ’s levy-funded projects or 84%
KEEPING
of investments by value out of the total of 179 projects DairyNZ had on the go over that period.
Brown says the reviewers used a range of “rigorous technical methods” to assess projects, along with interviews and workshops, to validate the findings.
She says these programmes have helped farmers effectively push back on the economic and regulatory pressures which have otherwise been weighing down on farm efficiency.
The report also recommends that DairyNZ use results dashboards to provide additional transparency, along with farm-based case studies to demonstrate the R&D in practical action and to involve farmers in the co-design of research programmes to make them even stronger.
Brown says the board is encouraged by the report’s assessment of the potential future value DairyNZ can deliver through its strategy and the pipeline of projects already underway.
Parker noted that the review found “a very high” strike rate with all levy investments delivering positive returns.
On farm change delivered net present value worth 50x the initial investment. Much of this value was achieved by introducing good management practices to head off the reality, or the threat, of de-stocking, adds Parker.
Better freshwater policy delivered net present value 12 times than the initial investment, supporting farm profitability 6.8 times and low leaching
systems 4.8 times.
Parker says others such as strong biosecurity had higher sums invested at the outset.
“At face value it produced a more modest 1.8 return – but due to the scale of levy investment and amount of co-investment by the Government and others – it tallied up, providing farmers protection value worth $44/ha/year or 3.73c/kgMS/year.”
Only one investment – better ryegrass – has a modest (9%) chance of falling short. However, work on the forage value index is ongoing and the second trial may yet unlock the ability to capture gains in dry matter yield by broadening the research, says Parker.
“Together, the investments provide strong returns,” he says.
“In many cases the money invested by DairyNZ was matched or topped up by Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) or other organisations to deliver value that farmers cannot achieve individually.
“This meant that dairy farmers got an even bigger bang for their milksolids levy and this lifted the average net benefit–cost ratio from 5.9x to 8.2x.”
TREES TRIMMED NEAR POWERLINES
She says, come the floods, the tree came down and it took out the power to a community for several hours.
“We have sympathy to what I call the ‘mum and dads’ who have a tree problem but don’t have the financial resources or the skills to deal with it. We will always help them,” she says. However, Kai says those who are planting trees for commercial purposes – making a profit from trees –should have to pay for any damage to the lines and infrastructure on their properties.
She says some landowners don’t like power lines going through their properties, but the electricity network cannot go around corners to avoid a farm or forestry block.
“The reality is that people only recognise the problems with trees and power lines when there is an outage and the recent storms in the deep south has certainly brought this issue to the fore,” she says.
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DairyNZ chair Tracy Brown
Bremworth back into synthetic carpets
CARPET MAKER
Bremworth is reinstating solution-dyed nylon (SDN) into its product mix but says wool carpets remain central to its brand.
The company’s annual general meeting last week heard that the revamped leadership team of the listed company is now focusing firmly on customers.
New chief executive Craig Woolford told shareholders that to succeed, Bremworth must be cognisant of where the market is.
“Bremworth has a proud heritage in wool carpet, and that remains central to our brand,” he says.
But he points out that synthetic carpets account for more than 85% of soft floor coverings sold in Australasia.
“By reinstating solution-dyed nylon alongside wool, we are giving retailers the full range they need and putting ourselves back in the conversation.
“The re-entry into synthetics has been well received. It allows us to participate in more tenders and dealer promotional activities while also positioning our wool carpets as the
premium alternative within a comprehensive range.
“In Australia, our relationships with the major buying groups are strengthening. We are getting back through the door and rebuilding trust, which is critical for long-term volume.
Domestically, we are winning back floor space in key independent stores through improved service, reliable delivery and clearer brand communication.”
Woolford, who took over as chief executive earlier this year, says that for too long, the business saw itself as just a sales company.
“That mindset needed to change. We are a sales organisation that happens to make carpet, not the other way around.
“Everything we do
is to support sales. The team has embraced this shift and the results are showing. We have launched new synthetic ranges alongside our wool offer, giving us fuller product mix that retailers want.
“This has changed the conversation with customers and re-established our relevance in the market.”
Bremworth chair Rob Hewett told the meeting that re-entry into SDN carpet is virtually complete.
“We now have stock on hand and expect to see sales begin this month. The demand pipeline is well supported by ongoing yarn supply from our partners.”
He says the addition of SDN to Bremworth’s product portfolio provides Bremworth with
greater relevance to its retail partners.
“Our sustainability principles remain unchanged. Bremworth continues to champion
the environmental and health benefits of natural fibres, and we will maintain that leadership position whatever the outcome of the Scheme.
REGULATORY APPROVALS PROGRESSING WELL
BREMWORTH CHAIR Rob Hewett says regulatory approvals for the sale of the listed company to Mohawk Industries are progressing well.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has already approved the transaction. Applications are with the New Zealand Commerce Commission and Inland Revenue.
“Subject to these and shareholder approval, the transaction is expected to be implemented in the second half of FY26,” says Hewett.
“This proposal provides certainty of value while preserving the Bremworth brand and workforce. It aligns us with a global parent that brings scale, investment capability and access to new markets.”
Hewett and a new set of directors took over Bremworth in March this year at the request of shareholders.
He says shareholders asked them to act decisively to stabilise the business and protect value.
“We have done exactly that. We reinstated wool yarn production at Napier. We reintroduced SDN carpet to ensure a relevant product portfolio and that Bremworth remains relevant to the largest segment of the market.
“We continue to right-size the cost base and focus resources where they will deliver the greatest return. We also continued with the strategic review to assess the best way to create long-term value for shareholders. It’s been a pretty
We are comfortable as a board that SDN and wool can co-exist under the Bremworth brand. Our customers are asking for this.”
busy 8 months.”
The outcome of that review is the proposed Scheme of Arrangement with Floorscape Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mohawk Industries. Under the Scheme, shareholders are expected to receive total consideration of between $1.05 and $1.15/ share. This includes $0.75 per share from Floorscape and an additional $0.30 to $0.40 per share from excess cash to be returned to shareholders.
BEEF TRADE BOOMING
LEO ARGENT
GLOBAL BEEF trade is expected to grow steadily over the next five years, driven by increasing demand from Asia and strategic export expansions by South American countries.
That’s according to a new report by food and agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank. The new global beef trade report found that over the last five years exports had risen 14% from 2019 to nearly 13m metric tons by 2024.
Brazil and China have emerged as dominant forces in exports and imports, respectively. Brazilian beef exports surged from 2.3m metric tons in 2019 to 3.6m metric tons in 2024, largely driven by growing market demand in China, of which Brazil provided 50% of beef imports (China accounted for 41% of Brazilian beef exports).
China overtook the US and Japan to become the world’s dominant importer of beef, going from 2m to 3.5m metric tons between 2019 and 2024.
Despite the increase in volumes worldwide, the 2024 global beef trading map is not dissimilar from the 2019 map, with the main importing and exporting nations largely retaining their positions.
The report says the second half of the decade is expected to witness continued growth in global beef trade.
SUDESH KISSUN
Bremworth chair Rob Hewett says its sustainability principles remain unchanged.
Parts of lower NI turning brown
BURKE
AS YOU approach Hastings from the south along SH2, the colour of the west-facing hills are a good indicator of a drought.
Farmers are measuring their covers and have also adopted a more flexible approach to managing their operations.
Normally in November, these would still be green, but not this year. They are already starting to turn brown and it’s obvious that stock numbers have been cut to the minimum.
But it’s west of Hastings near the township of Bridge Pa and further north from there that the signs of a drought are much more evident. The hills are already brown and some stock are foraging hard to get good green pasture. Other areas hit are those around Patoka, Crownthorpe and towards the Napier
Taupo Road.
On his 54ha property, Jim Galloway finishes mainly white-faced heifers – quite a change from the dairy farm that he and wife Lynette ran at Eketahuna more than 10 years ago. He says the drought that the region is coming into effectively began last spring when there was a major dry spell between August and September. There was some rain in December and early January 2025.
“But it’s been quite dry since. In the last 12 months we have only had two months with an average or above average rainfall and all the other months we’ve had were below average rainfall,” he told Rural News.
Galloway says the reasons the dams are low is there’s been no top-up rain doing winter and in recent weeks temperatures have been
high and the strong winds have dried out the pastures. A paddock he had set aside for silage is drying out and he says at best it is just standing hay. Streams have also dried up – one on his
property has been dry for a year but he’s lucky in terms of stock water in that he’s got access to a bore.
Over the years, farmers in Hawke’s Bay have become more adept at
FARMERS URGED TO HAVE A PLAN
JIM GALLOWAY says to mitigate the impacts of a drought, farmers must have a plan and have a series of options worked out in advance with trigger points clearly identified. He’s a member of the local Rural Advisory Group (RAG) which gathers information and passes this onto Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and other agencies involved in managing adverse events. He says they are running some dry weather workshops to help both commercial farmers and lifestyle block owners.
managing droughts and are proactive in taking action rather than just waiting and just hoping it will rain.
Galloway says farmers are measuring their covers and have also
“In many ways, commercial farmers are less of a concern than lifestyle block owners which are a potential issue. They don’t react to the situation quickly enough, their animals have names, and they are pets, so it’s not so easy for them to part with them. In events like this we find that they quickly become overstocked and run into problems,” he says.
Galloway says this becomes an even bigger problem for them if there is a shortage of hay. He says they are asking farmers to keep an
adopted a more flexible approach to managing their operations. For example, he says they tend to have more trading stock and have flexible stocking rates. He says many are taking action
eye on nearby lifestyle blocks and offer good advice to stop them getting into difficulties. He says there is still plenty of space at the works and the main flush of spring lambs has still to come.
Dealing with droughts is common in Hawke’s Bay and Galloway says the early nature of this year’s event will have some economic impact. He says farmers will still likely make a profit, but it won’t be as good as it might have been because of the early dry.
early by selling ewes with lambs at foot and not buying new stock as they might normally do.
“The carrying companies say they have carted more stock out of Hawke’s Bay than ever before this spring to either the works or for store to other regions. So, people are reducing their stocking rates, and this is unheard of at this time of the year,” he says.
According to Galloway, prices for stock are good and even lighter animals are fetching reasonable prices for this time of the year.
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Parts of Hawke’s Bay are starting to turn brown and stock numbers have been cut to the minimum.
Race is on to repair irrigators
NIGEL MALTHUS
MOVES ARE afoot to get a team of Australians over here to help repair North Canterbury’s irrigation machinery, ravaged by the big windstorm of late October.
With summer weather starting to kick in to threaten production, the race is on to try to get the bulk of the damaged irrigators back on by Christmas, says Irrigation NZ chief executive Karen Williams.
The worst hit area for downed irrigators was Culverden/Amuri. It is an intensive dairying area but also has a lot of irrigated dairy support and sheep, beef and deer grazing.
Three weeks after the storm, Williams said it was hard to get firm figures but it now appeared that 400 to 500 spans were toppled and many different repair firms were working in the area.
“Certainly our conversations with the service industry have been that they’re on track to have the repairs done by Christmas. That’s by standing up a number of teams and also bringing in some support out of Australia,” she told Rural News
The main irrigation suppliers had their own teams in the area as well as local contractors. Waterforce has confirmed that it is planning to bring in a team of four from Australia to start in early December and work through to Christmas to help give the existing workers some breathing space.
However, Williams said it was only those irrigators that could be repaired that were expected to be done by Christmas. Any that were so badly damaged as to need complete replacement would not be done until the new year.
When parts needed to be ordered in from overseas, IrrigationNZ was
working with MPI and Biosecurity New Zealand to see if they can get priority import clearance.
North Canterbury Federated Farmers president and sharefarmer chair Bex Green is among the dairy farmers who suffered widespread damage.
She believed all the damaged irrigators in the district had now been assessed and repairs were starting, but
National is the Party That Backs Farmers
without a time frame on the repairs it was too soon to estimate the likely losses in production.
“We definitely need to be looking at more feed to get us over the hole of having no water. I can already see the grass browning off in this heat wave that we had this this week,” she says.
“I think it’s going to be a combination of getting more feed in, or drying off, or going to once a day
earlier than we’d like, to just go around that feed deficit.”
Green said her own farm had 100ha or irrigated area out but they were “holding steady” because they had been ahead of forecast production. It was a waiting game to see whether or not the district got rain, she says.
Irrigation NZ estimates that 400 to 500 spans were toppled in Culverden and Amuri during last month’s windstorm.
Christmas warning for ag pilots
A WARNING to farmers and topdressing pilots to take extra care as Christmas approaches.
It comes from the chairperson of the Agricultural Aviation Association, Kent Weir, who says the months before Christmas are statistically the most dangerous of the year for pilots as the pressure goes on them to complete jobs before ‘the man in red’ arrives.
He says a lot of pressure goes on pilots from farmers and airstrip owners to get jobs done before Christmas and pilots can easily find
themselves pushing on in conditions and circumstances where normally they wouldn’t.
Weir is also the chief pilot for Super Air based at Hamilton and says the message to fellow pilots is to not compromise standard operating procedure and make good professional decisions. He says the top-dressing industry is having something of a renaissance with prices for sheep and beef moving upwards, which is prompting farmers to start applying fertiliser on the hill country.
“Some farmers haven’t applied fertiliser on their properties for nearly two years. But now we are
getting back to what you might call a ‘normal’ year, so pilots are busy again, hence the Christmas rush,” he told Rural News
Weir says this gap in fertiliser application on farms has several implications which need to be considered by both
farmers and pilots. In the past, a pilot who has spread fertiliser on a farm at least every year would be familiar with the property, but in that gap of a couple of years, new technologies and hazards may have emerged.
On farms there are potentially new hazards
such a halter towers and solar systems which, along with sundry wires strung across gullies, are hazards to both rotary and fixed wing pilots.
“What we are asking farmers to do is before any flying is undertaken, they give pilots a comprehensive hazard
briefing – the same as they would to any person who came onto a farm.
While a pilot may have top-dressed that farm before, new hazards could have sprung up. At the same time, we want our pilots to make sure they are fully briefed, ask questions and take nothing for granted before they undertake any work,” he says.
TECHNOLOGY EASING PILOT WORKLOAD
THE MODERN fixed wing or rotary aircraft have come a long way since the first topdressing trials were conducted in September 1948 using an RNZAF Avenger bomber. Later the Tiger Moth became the go-to machine. Today the cockpit of a topdressing aircraft contains a lot of technology with computers controlling when, where and at what rate fertiliser is released from the very powerful aircraft.
the workload off the pilot by stopping them worrying about boundary fences and water ways. But he says there is also a risk that technology in the cockpit can be a distraction for the pilot.
“This automation is great as a safety tool when it’s working well. I just want to encourage
about airmanship – stick and rudder focused – more so than any other facet of commercial flying,” he says.
For the casual observer, watching a topdressing aircraft or helicopter in action on a farm or orchard is somewhat mesmerising. It often brings back memories of the early barn-
Agricultural Aviation Association chair, Kent Weir.
Agriculture a shining light – ANZ
JESSICA MARSHALL
ANZ’S CHIEF executive Antonia Watson says agriculture has proven to be “a shining light” for New Zealand’s economy.
The bank released its annual results last week, with the net profit after tax (NPAT) up 4% on last year to $2,369 million for the 12 months to 30 September 2025.
ANZ is “really comfortable” with where its agricultural clients are at in terms of their debt repayments.
Watson says she is “comfortable” with the result, which saw statutory net profit after tax (NPAT) rise by 21% to $2,532 million.
That increase was largely driven by gains of $163 million from economic hedges, compared to $195 million in the 12 months to 30 September 2024.
“Overall, we were up 4%, which
is about the same amount that our lending was up and deposits were up, so we’re comfortable that our growth is matched in our balance sheet,” Watson told Rural News
She says that there is hope and the conditions are in place for an economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic during 2026.
“We’ve got some of the early indicators showing that the economy is growing again,” Watson says.
This includes cuts to the official cash rate (OCR), she adds.
Watson says that while in cities like Wellington and Auckland there has been a reluctance to spend and invest whereas that kind of economic activity appears to be picking up in rural New Zealand.
“Honestly, the agricultural sector is probably the shining light and hopefully, what’s happening in the agricultural sector will flow through to confidence in the cities as well over time.”
Watson says that ANZ is “really comfortable” with where its agricultural clients are at in terms of their debt repayments.
“One of the things that we’ve
worked very hard to do over the last 10 years or so is have more of our customers paying principle and interest and therefore their debt is decreasing over time.”
She says a decade ago, 80% of customers were on interest only lending. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent crises that
How big is the Cali Thistle problem?
led to rises in interest rates, that number had reached approximately 34%.
“So, that’s a significant number of our agri customers reducing their debt over time, putting themselves in a better condition and also what it meant is that when times got tough and interest rates increased, they could
go back on to interest only… it gave them a buffer to go back onto interest only and then gradually we’ve seen them go back to principle and interest as the farmgate prices and things have increased so they’re in pretty good shape overall.”
Samuel Whitelock Plant Science Graduate, Lincoln University.
ANZ chief executive Antonia Watson.
More EU kiwifruit orchards ensure year-round supply
SUDESH KISSUN
EUROPEAN GROWERS
are playing a key role in ensuring Kiwifruit marketer Zespri has year-round supply of high-quality fruit for consumers.
Zespri has boosted production in three EU countries – mostly in Italy, France and Greece – from 5000ha to 7500ha.
About 1200 European growers are growing kiwifruit for Zespri. The co-op has commercialised 170 hectares of the new Ruby Red in Europe and scored a European health claim for its green kiwifruit.
Speaking at the
inaugural EU/NZ Business Summit in Auckland recently, Zespri chief executive Jason Te Brake highlighted the co-operative’s longstanding ties with Europe, describing them as “an excellent partnership”.
New Zealand kiwifruit has been exported to Europe for over 60 years. One of the original importers remains Zespri’s partners to this day. The first office was opened in Antwerp, Belgium, 35 years ago and Zespri started partnering with Italian growers 25 years ago.
“So, we have longstanding relationships in Europe,” Te Brake says.
This“If we look at our business today in Europe, we’ve got more than 150 people that we employ throughout Europe, we’ve got seven offices and 1200 growers producing kiwifruit for us.”
A big part of Zespri’s business is to ensure consistent supply of high-quality kiwifruit throughout the year.
“Being able to produce kiwifruit in New Zealand, we have a limited shelf life, so we can produce it for about eight months of the year, and then we use our Italian, Greek and French growers to be able to complement our supply,” says Te Brake.
“So, they not only are they selling fruit through
big.
Europe to satisfy our European consumers, but also into North America and into Asia when we don’t have New Zealand fruit available for those consumers.
“So, we see it as a partnership where we work with our Italian, Greek and French growers.”
Zespri is also working to decarbonise its supply chain, particularly shipping kiwifruit around the world.
This year, one in three kiwifruit produced in New Zealand will go to the European market, says Te Brake. That’s about 75 million trays of kiwifruit into the EU this year.
“So, there’s a lot of kiwifruit that we’re sending around the world,” he says. “We are continuing to look at our supply chain, and how do we decarbonise our supply chain.
“When we think about it from a sustainability lens, we have a low
impact on orchard, low impact for our supply chain, but our shipping is our main component. So, we partner with others who can support us.”
Zespri is talking to global shipping and logistics players around a green shipping corridor
into Antwerp.
The co-op is also working on making sure its products are the healthiest fruit brand.
“We want to make sure our brand is healthy for our consumers and is really founded on natural nutrition and health,” says Te Brake.
As farmers know, Californian Thistle is incredibly difficult to eradicate. That’s due to its unusually deep root system, which can burrow as deep as 2.4 metres – that’s taller than Samuel Whitelock.
Not only that, left unchecked, each stem can produce up to the length of a footy field in root every year; up to 4,000 kilometres per hectare!
And the fact that they are perennials, unlike their annual thistle cousins, means they just keep coming back (as you know too well!).
But you can tackle the problem once and for all, with Tordon PastureBoss.
We recommend following a three-spray programme, with Tordon Pastureboss as the anchor product, followed by a second application of phenoxy (MCPA) and then spot sprays of Tordon PastureBoss, for lasting results.
And of course Tordon PastureBoss can be used on a wide range of other hard-to-kill pasture weeds.
See our website for details.
To view the Technical Manual or download the label scan the QR code.
Always read the label before use.
Zespri has commercialised 170 hectares of the new Ruby Red in Europe.
EDITORIAL
Preparing for drought
FARMERS ALONG the east coast of both islands are being urged to start planning for drought as recent nor’west winds have left soil moisture levels depleted.
For many farmers it has been a challenging spring, with farmers along the east coast experiencing very dry conditions, while farmers in other parts of the country are dealing with on-going wet weather.
For example, in Hawke’s Bay, normally in November, grass would still be green, but not this year. It is already starting to turn brown and it’s obvious that stock numbers have been cut to the minimum.
In Eketahuna, Federated Farmers provincial president Jim Galloway reports that in the last 12 months they have only had two months with an average or above average rainfall - all the other months they’ve had below average rainfall.
Farmers are responding to by selling ewes with lambs at foot and not buying new stock as they might normally do.
Beef + Lamb NZ is recommending farmers along the east coast to start planning for drought and consider strategies such as early weaning, selling trading stock at lighter weights and buying in supplementary feed before demand puts upward pressure on prices.
Good planning and early decision-making are critical when farmers are dealing with drought conditions.
B+LNZ suggests farmers set trigger dates and if it hasn’t rained by that date, then certain actions need to be implemented.
For example, wean early-weaning five-year ewes and getting those ewes off the property and sold on a higher schedule in December or selling a line of cows and calves – stock that would struggle in a very dry summer.
It is important farmers focus on protecting the reproductive performance of their capital stock to help minimise the impact of a drought.
This is where tools such as body condition scoring is so valuable as farmers are partitioning limited feed resources into the stock that need it the most.
As farmers grapple with the looming dry spell, they have support. B+LNZ has resources on Knowledge Hub to help support decision making. This includes a drought tool kit and strategies used by farmers in previous droughts.
RURALNEWS
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THE HOUND EDNA
“Great – now they can concentrate on these annual, once-in-a-100-years, droughts and floods we’re getting.
SOE on the block?
DID THE Prime Minister hint last week that the sale of Landcorp assets could be part of the manifesto for the next election?
While flicking Pāmu isn’t current policy, it’s no secret that Minister for SOEs, Paul Goldsmith, isn’t happy with past performances of the state-owned farmer, or that coalition partner Act wants Pāmu sold, yesterday. On Newstalk ZB, Chris Luxon said, “I don’t think our government agencies do a very good job of managing their assets in general. In fact, we’re the fourth worst in the OECD… But if you look at something like Pāmu, which is a whole bunch of farmland that the government owns and runs… We’re pretty bad I imagine as a government-run farm relative to other farmers doing that job much better”. The Hound hates to put words in the PM’s mouth, but where there’s smoke, there’s fire!
‘Doomsday’ overkill
IN A memo, rich guy Bill Gates didn’t become a climate change denier, but he did give the world a dose of common sense, saying we should redirect efforts away from the campaign to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and instead focus on other ways to improve human lives and reduce suffering. He advocates for a recalibration of priorities, urging a shift in investment towards areas like global health and specific technological solutions for climate adaptation, rather than focusing solely on near-term emissions goals. Your old mate reckons that should be food for thought for those in power trying to strangle farm production in order to meet pointless emission reduction goals!
EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Peter Burke ...........................Ph 021 224 2184 peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
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Wrong focus?
THE HOUND reckons a big problem with focusing too much on the wrong goal – reducing livestock emissions at the expense of food production, in this case – is that the Government starts throwing taxpayer coin at increasingly ridiculous ideas. Case in point, the ‘she-wee’ for cows. Developed by a Canterbury start-up, the small, lightweight device apparently attaches to the blunt end of the cow and spreads its urine so it can be used as a fertiliser – allowing nitrogen to be better absorbed by pasture. A nice media opportunity for Ministers Willis and Reti, but this mutt doubts that fitting mobile shower heads to 6.8 million cows is going to be practical or shift the needle on emissions. And yet $1.2 million has gone into this project via the government-industry partnership AgriZero.
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
Want to share your opinion or gossip with the Hound? Send your emails to: hound@ruralnews.co.nz
Sugar hit
WINSTON PETERS has described the decision to sell its brands to Lactalis and disperse the profit to its farmer shareholders as a ‘short sighted sugar hit’. Winston is a pretty wise old fellow but for the sake of the next generation of dairy farmers and NZ Inc, let’s hope he’s wrong. Word from Fonterra is that it is ‘unlikely’ that Lactalis will walk away from NZ but there are no guarantees, and if that happens, does it matter? Winston says it does and if he’s right, think economic disaster. Otherwise take the money and run. But with electioneering already underway, the lolly scramble for votes a year out is on, as poorly thought-out promises are made. Political lolly scrambles may appeal to those with a sweet tooth but just remember, economic toothache is painful.
SOUTH ISLAND SALES CONTACT: Kaye Sutherland .......................Ph 021 221 1994 kayes@ruralnews.co.nz
DIGITAL STRATEGIST: Jessica Marshall ..............Ph 021 0232 6446
Paper
requirements.
100% recyclable, the papers we use are from forests that will be around for generations to come.
A SAD DAY A TRUE CO-OP?
Dear Editor,
Well, what an absolute disaster for the NZ meat industry with the Alliance announcement last month.
I was very involved with the visionary Meat Industry Excellence (MIE) group ten years ago and it is cold comfort for me to see how very accurate we were back then, with our predictions on the dire state of the industry, if nothing changed.
The detailed ‘The Pathway To Long Term Sustainability’ report we produced, identified the downward spiral this section of the meat industry was in and offered solutions for a profitable farmer controlled new direction. It should be noted that Beef + Lamb NZ partially funded the thorough analysis we produced, only to then campaign against the report’s recommendations!
The then Alliance governance team completely rejected our ‘Mega Co-op’ proposal, without any serious consideration. Silver Fern Farms also rejected this opportunity and was subsequently taken over by Shanghai Maling.
So, the Alliance announcement spells the end of any hope of farmer control in the industry, a very sad day for red meat farmers and indeed New Zealand.
The absolute irony here is not lost on me, in that the global demand for red meat is at record levels.
Great news I am sure, for all the industry’s foreign owners.
Dear Editor,
The now unsuccessful call to maintain Alliance Group Ltd as a co-operative needs to be put in perspective.
AGL has not operated as a true co-op for many years as their sweetheart deals to traders and third parties is not co-op behaviour.
Will Dawn Meats address this to restore loyal supply and will they close inefficient plants to reduce capacity?
The opportunity to maintain a co-op structure in NZ meat processing and marketing was lost in 2015.
Beef + Lamb NZ partially funded the MIE thorough analysis of the meat industry only to campaign against that reports recommendations.
‘The Pathway To Long Term Sustainability’ report identified the downward spiral this section of the meat industry was in and the solutions for profitability.
The AGL chairman and new CEO in 2015 rejected the ‘Mega Co-op’ proposal of the Meat Industry Excellence Group without consideration.
Silver Fern Farms also rejected this opportunity and this subsequently lead to the Shanghai Maling takeover.
Candidates were backed by MIE to drive the change on these two co-ops.
Within nano seconds of their election to office these once ardent MIE supporters turned native and became enmeshed in the fiduciary duty of their respective co-ops.
They have done nothing and achieved nothing although promising to resign if this became a reality.
Furthermore, the past and present AGL directors neglect of fiduciary duty led to huge losses and they have never been held accountable by shareholders.
So, the call for shareholders to restore the AGL balance sheet to a bankable state was an insult.
Vested interest has destroyed all past attempts for change both in the meat and wool sectors.
Dave McGaveston, Nelson
Tom O’Sullivan Hawkes Bay
Last month Alliance Meat farmer shareholders agreed to sell a 65% stake in the co-op to Dawn Meats.
Additional land needed to feed the same number of people
EIGHT POINT two billion people on the planet. Ten point three billion expected by 2084 (according to the latest United Nations’ projections). And it is our role as farmers and growers in the food system to feed them. We need to do this as sustainably as possible, but the primary goal must be food production. That is the message in the 2015 Paris Agreement.
It was also the closing message at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s (UNFAO) conference on Sustainable Livestock Transformation held in Rome at the beginning
of October.
Food production. Increasing food supply from existing land is not easy for developed countries already using precision technology to assist with animal management and application of agrichemicals. The
advances we make can, however, be of assistance in developing countries, as long as the context is known and is appropriate.
In developing countries, smallholders who have access to fertilisers are likely to overapply them disproportionately as a strategy to avoid risk. This is in the recent UN-FAO report ‘2025
Evo Shearing Plant
The State of Food and Agriculture: addressing land degradation across landholding scales’. The report also states that smallholders without access to resources such as fertiliser are likely to continue farming and in doing so will degrade their land while experiencing ever lower yields.
This problem is ever present. When nutrients are removed from the land in harvested material (plant or animal) the soil has a limited capacity to replace those nutrients. Some are present in organic material, but as soil micro-organisms use the organic matter for energy and nutrients, the larder is depleted, and the flow of plant-available nutrients decreases.
Ukraine, once known as the breadbasket of the world because it was a world-leading exporter of wheat, maize and oilseed products, is in strife.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 disrupted the exports of grain and vegetable oil and increased the prices for fertilisers, energy and shipping, affecting global food insecurity. Researchers have found that Ukraine
is exporting more nutrients than farmers are applying. “The increased asymmetry between nutrient inputs and outputs, and between nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, is reducing the sustainability of crop production, while also jeopardising the economy, environment, and future global food security.”
The nine authors of the paper analysing the situation (and published this month in the Nature Portfolio Journal ‘Communications earth & environment’) were from universities and research organisations from the UK, Netherlands and Ukraine. No commercial funding was declared –they were investigating important issues as part of their government employment. The authors recommended urgent adoption of the precision fertilisation principles for crop nutrition based on crop requirements.
“The ‘5R approach’ (right source, rate, application time, application place, and application method) at the field-to-farm scale is the foundational measure underpinning all sustainable practices.”
The 5R (initially 4R) approach was developed in North America and rapidly spread to other developed countries.
In Ireland, researchers from Teagasc (the Government-funded research organisation for agriculture and food research) reported this
year on the potential outcome of further nitrogen restrictions on dairy farms, noting that nitrogen fertiliser use had already reduced 24% between 2018 and 2024. The report stated that 49% of dairy farms and 65% of national milk production would be affected. Teagasc calculated that a 14% reduction in cows would reduce family farm income by 39% and national milk production by 15% (1.2 billion litres).
Just as in the Ukraine, food production is at risk.
Teagasc receives the majority of its budget from a state grant-in-aid from the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) (public funding is just under 80% of the total) and competitive funding from EU research programs (just under 16%). The remainder comes from industry contracts, farmer levies, and commercial services.
In New Zealand when the point about food production is made, there tends to be push back from environmentalists, suggesting that researchers are not independent and that cow numbers should be reduced and fertiliser nitrogen cut.
The data say that farmers have made reductions. Further, they already use the 5Rs of nutrient management. Trying to reduce even
more, just as in Ireland, could mean a breach of the Paris Agreement. Globally the implications of reducing production from existing land are clear. We would need more land to feed the same number of people – let alone the extra people that are forecast.
The major concern about area expansion should be loss of biodiversity. A paper published by the Royal Society in September explains that “habitat loss was the most important cause (and current threat) in continental regions”. The senior author was funded by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship – it was independent research supported by public funding.
The New Zealand continues to have low public funding for agriculture. The country shouldn’t have to rely on overseas research to make the message clear – a nutrient imbalance will jeopardise food supply, which will have ramifications for biodiversity and global economics. QED.
• Dr Jacqueline Rowarth, Adjunct Professor Lincoln University, is a farmerelected director of DairyNZ and Ravensdown. She is also a member of the Scientific Council of the World Farmers’ Organisation.
gmail.com
When nutrients are removed from the land in harvested material (plant or animal) the soil has a limited capacity to replace those nutrients.
COMMENT
Jacqueline Rowarth
Dairy beef genetics in demand
SUDESH KISSUN
sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz
THE NUMBER of beef straws going into dairy cows is on the increase, according to LIC beef genetics product lead Paul Charteris.
Speaking at a field day at Pāmu’s Eweburn Station, near Te Anau two weeks ago, Charteris cited latest figures that show about 18% more beef straws going into dairy cows this spring compared to last year.
“In the last four or five years, it’s just been up and up in terms of the number of beef straws going into dairy cows,” he said.
“I looked at last week’s figures: we’re looking at about 18% more beef straws going into dairy cows this spring right now than what we had last year. And that’s a similar percentage increase on the year before that and the year before and the year before that.”
There are several reasons for the rise in dairy beef genetics.
Number one is sex semen in the dairy herd. Charteris says the more
sex straws that are used in dairy, the more wombs are available for rent.
“And you can put a beef straw in there: that’s definitely a big driver.”
The second is uptake of wearables in the dairy herd. As the collar goes on the cow, the natural mated bull goes out.
According to Charteris, national data shows that the rate of natural mating has decreased across the whole country.
“And a whole lot more beef straws are being used right on day one of insemination. They’re pre-sorting the cows they want replacements from and the ones they don’t.
“And the beef straws are going into those cows you don’t want replacements from. So, we’re seeing a real evolution of mating strategies nationwide as more wearables go onto dairy cows.”
The industry policy around bobby calves is also influencing farmers.
Charteris says the industry should prepare for a “non-bobby future”.
“We talk with
VIRTUAL FENCING
THERE WAS one player on Paul Charteris’ “bingo card of drivers for dairy beef” that he overlooked a few years ago – use of virtual fencing on beef units.
He was on John and Fiona Sherlock’s sheep and beef farm in the Waikato a few months ago.
processors, and we talk around are we going to have bobby calves in the future. And what we’re hearing is, yep, the bobby calf is going to stay here, but not forever.
“And so, as a farmer incorporated company, which has got a longterm vision, we must have beef products and strategies in place for a non-bobby future. And that’s exactly why we’re investing in beef breeding programs and we’re putting so much time and energy into dairy beef.”
Another driver of dairy beef genetics is carbon efficiency on beef units. Dairy beef animals coming onto beef farms will drive down the carbon emissions per kilogram carcass weight by about 25% to 35%, says Charteris.
“So, if you want a more carbon-efficient beef future for New Zealand, more dairy beef animals do help in that regard.
“And finally, from our processes, when we talk to the likes of Silver Fern, Alliance and ANZCO about potential markets for low-carbon
dairy beef products at retail level, we’re seeing some exciting changes there. So, all those
A Class 5 and 6 hill country farm, it uses Halter virtual fencing for all beef finishing.
“And talking to John, he said he’s had, over the last two and a half years, 50% increase in carcass weight per hectare from using Halter now as opposed to two and a half years ago,” says Charteris.
changes are coming together to help drive dairy beef into the future.”
LIC’S RESPONSE
PAUL CHARTERIS says LIC is responding to increased demand for dairy beef genetics by investing in breeding programmes of their own.
LIC has got an Angus Cross Europe breeding program, Kiwi Prime, coming onto the market next year. Kiwi Prime genetics is designed to produce animals with lower birth weights for easier calving and faster growth for better finishing outcomes.
Charteris says another dairy beef genetics they are excited about is Synergizer, a project done in collaboration with Pāmu.
“And he’s now getting kilograms of carcass weight per hectare in the top 10% of all beef finishing farms in New Zealand. And he said it’s doubled and triple-checked his figures.
• Ideal for Cattle Troughs
• High Flow
• Side/Bottom Mount
• Detach to Clean
“He said he should not be able to do that on his type of country, but he is. So I think that sort of technology is going to be a real driver for more dairy beef cattle coming in and finishing in the future.”
Synergizer brings together the best of Charolais and Stabilizer breeds. Charolais is a continental breed from France, refined in New Zealand to suit pasture. By combining Charolais’ growth and colour-marking genes with Stabilizer’s efficiency and carcass weights, Synergizer is poised to deliver a reliable, profitable calf which is designed with the needs of rearers and finishers in mind.
The product will be on the market in 2027 as liquid straw.
Charteris says LIC is “deadly serious” about dairy beef.
• Compact/Robust
• Up to 50mm Inlet
• Flows up to 600L/min
• For Storage Tanks
• Easy Access to Valve
• Inlets Upto 50mm
• Avoids Starting & Stopping of Pump When Tank is Filling
Pamu’s Eweburn Station was one of the first to trial Halter on beef cattle. Inset; Paul Charteris, LIC.
14 AGRIBUSINESS
Red Devon beef the secret to best pie
A MID Canterbury beef farm has unlocked a new market for its products thanks to its unusual beef breed, and an awardwinning pie taking the district by storm.
The Hokonui Breakfast Ashburton radio show set out to find the region’s
best pie in September, with 24 pies from 11 local stores and producers nominated.
Tamar Farm’s Red Devon pie came out on top, winning the gold award by a landslide, capturing almost half of all votes.
2026 Notice of Elections, Call for Nominations and Remits
Call for Nominations: Directors and Directors
Independent Remuneration Committee (DIRC) nominations
“We’ve almost got to the point where we’ve run out of pie meat because the pies are so popular,” said Chrissie Wright, who owns Tamar Farm near Mount Somers with husband Richard.
Tamar’s pies come with both steak and
Beef + Lamb New Zealand Ltd (B+LNZ) give notice that nominations are now open for B+LNZ Directors and Directors Independent Remuneration Committee (DIRC).
Under section 41 of the B+LNZ constitution, two electoral district Directors will retire by rotation at the 2026 annual meeting.
Nominations are invited to fill two Board of Director vacancies, one for each of the following electoral districts:
• Eastern North Island (ENI)
• Southern South Island (SSI).
Patrick Crawshaw (ENI) and Geoffrey Young (SSI) must retire by rotation. Geoffrey Young has advised that he will retire from the Board. Patrick Crawshaw is eligible to re-stand and has confirmed his intention to stand for re-election.
The successful candidates for these Director positions will also be appointed to the Board of Directors for the New Zealand Meat Board.
Nominations are also invited to fill one vacancy on the Directors Independent Remuneration Committee (DIRC).
All nominations must be made on the official forms, available:
• at www.electionz.com/BLNZ2026R
• by emailing iro@electionz.com or
• by phoning 0800 666 032.
All queries regarding B+LNZ elections should be directed to the Returning Officer on 0800 666 032.
Call for Remits for the 2026 Annual Meeting
Remits are called for under section 12 of the Second Schedule: Proceedings at Meetings of the B+LNZ constitution. Remits are a matter that the proposing farmers are raising for discussion and resolution at the annual meeting.
The B+LNZ remits policy and guidelines can be found at beeflambnz.com/about/corporation-documents
Remits must be supplied in writing on the official forms, available from B+LNZ:
• by emailing enquiries@beeflambnz.com or
• by phoning 0800 233 352.
All queries regarding annual meeting remits should be directed to B+LNZ Chief Operating Officer, Cros Spooner, on 0800 233 352.
Key Deadlines
• Nominations and remits close: 5pm on Friday 5 December 2025.
• All nominations are to be received by the Returning Officer.
• All remits are to be received by B+LNZ.
• Confirmation of nominations: confirmed by electionz.com and B+LNZ by media announcement in the week commencing 8 December.
• Annual meeting date is 17 March 2026 in Timaru. Voting timelines will be advised at the time of announcement of Director elections in the week of 8 December 2025.
Voting Eligibility
To be eligible to vote in the B+LNZ Director elections, or for annual meeting resolutions and remits (if any), a livestock farmer must, on 30 June 2025:
• have owned at least 250 sheep, or 50 beef cattle, or 100 dairy cattle
• be registered on the B+LNZ electoral roll.
Voters are only eligible to vote for the Board of Directors in the electorate where they farm.
If you have previously received voting instructions, you are already on the electoral roll and do not need to re-register. All voting for Director elections, company resolutions and farmer remits will be conducted online only.
If you want to check your registration contact B+LNZ on 0800 233 352.
Warwick
032
mince fillings, are baked by Sims Bakery in Tinwald, and are exclusively sold at the Mt Somers Store – but they can also be ordered direct from the farm.
The recipe for the filling was developed by Richard, Chrissie and the team at Tamar, with the key ingredient being, of course, their Red Devon beef.
Tamar has a herd of about 2500 Red Devon cattle, which are known for their slow growth and well-marbled, tasty meat.
The farm’s venture into pies came about due to their efforts to find new markets for their beef, while also retaining a traceable, single-origin offering.
While Tamar’s premium cuts like rib eye and sirloin are in high demand, including at top Christchurch steak restaurant Bessie, the less popular cuts haven’t been so easy to move.
“When you get an animal processed, you’ll get eight boxes of meat back and only one of those boxes contains steak,” Chrissie said.
“It’s easy to sell the steaks, but that’s why we’ve come to doing the pies.”
The couple’s longterm goal is to find a wider market where the time and care they
put into their beef is recognised.
“The proudest moment will be when we see it everywhere, with our Tamar logo on it, and people associate that with a quality product,” Richard said.
The Wrights’ efforts to find new markets for their product and maximise value are in line with broader sector trends.
“As an export economy we need to be looking to sell our story and our products abroad, and it all starts on the farm and the brilliant work many of our farmers, like the Wrights,
are doing,” said Lorraine Mapu, managing director of business and agri at ANZ, which banks Tamar Farm.
Export earnings are rising again, she said, helped by stronger prices in key markets.
“We have an opportunity to enhance New Zealand’s reputation as a source of the highest quality goods – but we will only get top prices if we give consumers proof of where their food comes from, and how it was created.”
That’s where single-origin branding, on-farm assurance, and digital traceability are
moving from “nice to have” to “must have”, she said.
“On farm, the strategy looks a lot like what Tamar is doing: keep the steaks premium, find loyal customers for the less glamorous cuts, and make sure the consumer can trace the story back to the farm gate.”
In the meantime, the Wrights’ plan is to keep building a brand people recognise and trust –which will be helped along enormously by their new accolade.
“People are prepared to pay once they know it’s a quality product,” Chrissie says.
Richard and Chrissie Wright of Tamar Farm, where they breed Red Devon beef cattle.
Expo to focus on health, wellbeing
FARMERS’ HEALTH and wellbeing will take centre stage with a new hub at the 2026 East Coast Farming Expo.
The dedicated hub will feature outreach teams, health experts, body and mind fitness gurus. and more.
Event manager Sue Wilson says all too often farmers focus on their operations means their own health and wellbeing can unintentionally be overlooked.
“We’ve always had experts at the Expo but for 2026 we decided to dedicate a hub and bring everything together.”
Keynote speaker on Wednesday (February 18) afternoon is Kane Briscoe from FarmFit NZ. He will speak about his mental health journey and the strategies he has developed to help with mental and physical fitness on the farm.
Kane is known for his open and very frank discussion around the challenges many farmers face and is hell-bent on making a difference. His talks are as confronting as they are entertaining.
The Rural Wellbeing Hub will feature the Kahungunu Executive team, the Bowel Screening outreach team, Rural Women New Zealand –ConnectHER, Craig Wiggins’ health check site, Rural Support Trust and free hearing advice.
“This collective approach ensures farmers can access practical, relevant support in one location,” says Wilson.
Craig Wiggins – Wiggy to most –is bringing a nurse doing general
health checks.
“We regularly find rural people who haven’t had a health check for over 10 years,” says Wiggy. “We want to make sure people take the right steps (to health). We all know someone who has died young from something treatable and preventable.”
The Carr Family Foundation health and wellness checks are no strangers to the Expo, where he also has his Lean on a Gate, Talk to a Mate initiative. He’s teamed up with Mates in Construction to put together a rural mental health training programme designed to help rural service industries and communities.
“Vets, stock agents and agronomists get faced with some tough conversations that they just aren’t trained for, and we want to help that.”
Wiggy’s mantra is simple, “strong people make strong communities and strong communities make strong people”.
Bowel Screening Outreach will be leaving nothing to chance with a big walk through blow up bowel complete with educational fact sheets and experts on hand to answer questions.
Kaitakawaenga Sally Maoate says the Expo is a great opportunity to educate and highlight the importance of participating in New Zealand’s free bowel screening programme.
Bowel cancer is the third highest cancer type in New Zealand which has one of the highest bowel cancer rates globally. “We want to share the
lifesaving message so we can improve participation rates and help save precious lives,” she says.
“Our participation rates are not great. Many are put off participating in the screening programme because they feel well. Unfortunately by the time symptoms are noticeable, the disease may be quite advanced. Early detection often means a better outcome.”
Kahungunu Executive is a Wairoa health provider working in the community and Māori ora space with a focus on increasing access to health in rural areas while supporting and delivering mental health initiatives.
Executive clinical lead Julie Duffell says the Expo is a chance to promote their services and engage
with the wider community. As well as promoting breast and cervical screening and working alongside the Heart Foundation and Bowel Screening Programme, she is hopeful the Executive will have rangitahi services present with the team who work in local schools and youth groups.
RWNZ’s pilot ConnectHER aims to help rural communities better connect with government and nongovernment services. The initiative is being trialled in the Wairoa/East Coast and Southland regions.
RWNZ recognise it can be challenging to access face-to-face services in rural communities, with distance from larger towns and cities, and poor connectivity often
WOOL TRAINING HEADS TO THE CHATHAMS
NEXT MONTH, wool training will reach one of New Zealand’s most remote communities, the Chatham Islands - bringing hands-on skills and industry connection to locals eager to step into the wool harvesting sector.
Wool training business Womolife, in partnership with Hokotehi Moriori Trust, Tāmata Hauhā and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), will deliver the programme. Chatham Islander Tommi Gregory-Hunt is
managing the programme delivery, enrolling over 30 people in online learning, followed-up by a four day in-shed training course (three x 4 days courses, each course stepping up in level). The goal is to build practical shearing and wool handling skills while fostering long-term employment pathways.
“This is more than just training, it’s about creating opportunity in a place where access to industry support is limited,” says Carmen Smith, Womolife head trainer.
“The learners here are motivated, resilient, and ready to contribute to the sector.”
Local shed owners have also stepped up to support the programme, offering space, equipment, and encouragement. Tāmata Hauhā feels privileged to be able to support Tommi and grass roots kaupapa like this.
“It’s great for the island, and our rangatahi aspirations and also for the farming and wool industries as a whole,” says Cherie Tirikatene,
compounding the issue. The ConnectHER programme aims to overcome some of these challenges by connecting women and families in need with appropriate service providers.
EVENT INFO:
❱❱ WHAT: East Coast Farming Expo
❱❱ WHEN: February 18-19, 2026
❱❱ WHERE: Wairoa Racecourse, Wairoa, Northern Hawke’s Bay
❱❱ MORE INFO: https://eastcoastexpo.co.nz
general manager at Tāmata Hauhā.
This wool training initiative is currently the only programme of its kind, making the Chatham Islands a national leader in hands-on wool harvesting education.
The programme will be documented across Tāmata Hauhā’s social media channels, with learner profiles, trainer interviews, and behind-thescenes footage capturing the energy and impact of the training.
Chewing the fat . . . Craig Wiggins (right) and Dr John Roche chat at the 2025 East Coast Farming Expo.
Dealing with ‘poddy’ lambs
Lambs that have had a tough start to life are obvious at docking/tailing as scrawny little critters with a potty tummy and no fat on their backs - hence the term 'poddy'. Ginny Dodunski, Beef + Lamb NZ Wormwise programme manager, outlines the best way to deal with these lambs so they can perform to their full potential.
WHETHER THEY’VE lost their mum, or mum isn’t milking because of udder problems or some other issue, these babies are doing their best to grow and develop on what nutrition they can scrounge from grass. Their little rumens are trying to develop as fast
as they can, but while this is happening, the meagre flow of nutrients from the rumen to the gut is nowhere near what they need to grow properly.
Rumen development rate in young animals is strongly related to the energy level of the forage/feed they
are grazing. A classic series of experiments with reared calves in the US showed a near straight-line relationship between time to full rumen development and access to meal. Thus, getting calves onto high meal intakes is a key piece of successful calf rearing, and lambs are no different. Even when they’re with mum, their weaning weight is highly influenced by the amount of quality feed on offer between docking/tailing and weaning.
Lambs without a mum can show a huge improvement if separated from the big mob and run on their own on the highest quality feed you’ve got.
Farm systems scientist Tom Fraser tried this with a group of South Island hill country farmers - they separated the poddies at tailing and put them onto the best feed they could find. For some this was plantain/ clover or other specialist
forage, for others it was short rotation finishing pasture, or just a good clover-dominant perennial sward.
They weighed the poddy lambs at tailing and then again at weaning. The result was awesome – not only did these lambs grow faster than their mothered-up mates till weaning, but they had largely caught up with the other lambs. The poddies had very similar weaning weights to the main mob, and much better survival than they would have had if left in the big mob.
So why are we talking about this at Wormwise? It’s common for these lambs to be scouring too. It’s standard practice on many farms to give them a drench for worms at docking, but if these lambs are left to fend for themselves in the main mob, simply giving them a drench is probably not enough. A drench is not solving their two biggest challenges: the battle for
good nutrition and mob pressure.
In addition, there are two other common causes of scouring in young lambs: The first is the tiny threadworm Strongyloides. This parasite has a different life cycle than the other worms, being picked up through skin contact with the ewes’ udder, and very quickly expelled by lambs in their early weeks of life. Treatment is not necessary. Secondly, mismothered lambs are often affected by a gut
parasite called Coccidia. Coccidiosis requires a different treatment than worms, speak to your veterinarian.
While poddy lambs undoubtedly have some worms on board, it is often less than we imagine. Until a lamb has a fully functioning rumen (which these little critters are still battling to develop), a number of the common worm species cannot complete their development in the gut.
In addition, lambs don’t tend to suffer
production losses from the worms they ingest in their early weeks, partly because their immune system does not start reacting to worms till later in life.
It’s still a good idea to treat poddy lambs for worms, but the best thing we can do for them is to bring the trailer along at tailing time and give them a ride to a spot with some great feed and a few little mates. You might be surprised at what you see by weaning!
• Article – Beef+Lamb NZ
Lambs without a mum can show a huge improvement if separated from the big mob and run on their own on the highest quality feed you’ve got.
Farmer’s tractor order delivers an extra set of wheels
WITH LIFE often
a matter of timing, complemented by a portion of luck, it looks like Waikato farmer
Matthew Darke’s timing of an order for a new tractor in July delivered an awful lot of the latter.
Originally, a new Case IH Maxxum 125 tractor for the Darke’s dairy operation was on the cards for early 2026. That changed when son Will saw there was a Case IH competition that offered the chance to win a 2025 RAM pickup truck for tractors purchased and delivered between April 1 and July 31. So the Darkes brought their order forward and, as the saying goes, they hit the jackpot.
The new Maxxum 125 joins a Maxxum 110 and a Puma 210, both tasked with a range of different jobs around Rockland
IN BRIEF
Farms, including carting feed, carting gravel from the property’s quarry for the cow races in the sheds, muck spreading and cropping activities.
The Darkes also grow summer turnips and maize on about 60ha to supplement the feeding needs of the dairy herd.
John Gilbert, CNH New Zealand business manager, made a call to Matthew a call in October to deliver the good news.
“When he rang, I thought we hadn’t filled in our documentation for the new tractor correctly, but when he asked, ‘do you know why I’m ringing?’, I knew the competition was due to be drawn, so I thought that it may be about that,”
Matthew said
The 2025 RAM 1500 Laramie Sport truck now sits on the driveway of the Darkes’ 500ha property at Aria, south of Hamilton, where they milk a herd
REVENUE DROP
of 1250 jersey cows, once a day.
The switch to OAD milking started 18 years ago when Matthew returned to the family property and converted it from a sheep and beef operation to dairy. While more NZ dairy farmers are moving to OAD, Matthew says it was considered unusual back in the day.
“We had the lifestyle we wanted with the sheep and beef, so when we changed to dairy cattle, we decided we weren’t going to milk twice a day,” Matthew said.
“It was a lifestyle decision for us, meaning we can get up, have breakfast with the kids, and then go off and milk the cows. Milking at 7.30am has also made it easier to source labour. Indeed, we employ several women who put their kids on the school bus and then they come to us.
“We have two
CNH INDUSTRIAL saw consolidated revenues decline approximately 14% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2025, recording US $4.71 billion compared to US $5.49 billion in the same period of 2024.
Within its Industrial Activities segment (covering agriculture and construction equipment), net sales fell 16% to US $4.02 billion. The agriculture division faced a 17% drop overall, with North American agriculture equipment sales down a steep 36 %—highlighting the region’s softness in farm-equipment demand.
sheds on the farm, each accommodating about 650 cows, so we need a number of employees. It’s a lot of cows, and a big operation, but by milking
SALES MIXED
once a day, it changes it all completely,” says Matthew.
With milk prices at record highs, due in part to strong export demand,
AGCO HAS reported net sales of $2.5 billion for the third quarter ended September 30, 2025, a decrease of 4.7% compared to the third quarter of 2024. On a regional basis, sales in Europe/ Middle East were up +27.5%, compared to drops of 32.1% in North America, 8.1% in South America and a fall of 5.90% in Asia/ Pacific/Africa.
Regional operating margins were up in EME, South America and APA by 15.6, 5.7% and 4.9% compared to a fall in North America of 10.5%.
Matthew says the NZ dairy industry is in a good place.
“Prices have never been better, so you’ve got to enjoy and take
ISUZU UPDATE
advantage of these good years, because when the not-so-good years come around, things can change pretty quickly,” Matthew says.
ISUZU UTES New Zealand has announced an update to its popular D-MAX ute and MU-X SUV ranges, with the introduction of start-stop technology across the range. The new system is said to deliver fuel economy and emissions improvements of up to 10%. Powered by Isuzu’s proven 3.0-litre 4JJ3 turbo-diesel engine, the D-MAX and MU-X deliver a strong 140kW of power and 450Nm of torque, providing the muscle for towing and offroad work. Both models feature a 5-star ANCAP safety rating, advanced driver assistance systems, and robust ladder-frame construction.
Silage inoculant proven in New Zealand
• 24% more protein than untreated silage
• Faster pH reduction, minimising feed value losses
• Live bacteria for effective fermentation
• Stable silage 24 hours earlier than untreated
From left, John Gilbert - CNH, Graham Anderson, Giltrap Agrizone, winner Matthew Darke and Andrew Giltrap, Giltrap Agrizone.
Sixth-generation 2026 RAV4 unveiled
MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz
OVER THE years, the RAV4 has proven to be a vehicle that appeals to all markets, taking the number one passenger vehicle spot in New Zealand and in other major markets, with over a million vehicles sold to date this year, making it the world’s most popular passenger and recreational vehicle.
Arriving in three distinct styles, with two powertrains and drivetrains on offer, the 2026 RAV4 line-up will undoubtably cement its popularity even more. The expanded, sixth generation RAV4 range will see the introduction of Toyota’s first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain for New Zealand.
With its matrix of powertrain, drivetrain and grades to choose from, the Core, will tick many boxes, including base grade hybrids (HEV), mid-range HEVs, fully featured HEV, as well as a highly spec’d PHEV.
The Adventure model is aimed at those who enjoy exploring the great outdoors, with the option of a GR Sport, with the best performing powertrain as well as other performance aspects.
The PHEV appeals with the electric-only driving range, enough to satisfy the daily needs of most drivers, available in a front-wheel drive (FWD) GXL, an all-wheel drive (AWD) XSE and the new (AWD) GR Sport grade variants.
Toyota NZ says they have structured the new RAV4 model range to meet the needs of private customers, business and fleet buyers, and driving enthusiasts.
The focus for the 2026 RAV4 Core grades centres on delivering a refined, versatile SUV experience in four grades-the GX HEV FWD and AWD, GXL HEV FWD, AWD and FWD PHEV, XSE PHEV AWD and Limited HEV AWD. The XSE PHEV AWD sits in a happy mid-point between the GXL and fully spec’d Limited.
All hybrid grades use a fifthgeneration hybrid system with a 2.5-litre petrol engine and either frontwheel drive or e-four all-wheel drive producing a combined total system output of 143kW regardless of FWD or AWD, while providing typically smooth operation.
The Adventure, like other hybrid AWD grades, features downhill assist
control and a trail and snow drive mode which tailors the vehicle’s traction control system to provide extra grip in slippery conditions. Standard equipment includes bridge-type roof
rails, unique front and rear bumpers with integrated silver skid plate and wider black reinforced wheel arches. Other enhancements include synthetic leather upholstery available in both
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Black and Mineral, two-stage heated front seats, a powered back door and a larger 12.9-inch touchscreen.
Arriving in three distinct styles, with two powertrains and drivetrains on offer, the 2026 RAV4 line-up is likely to cement its popularity even more.
Big day at Clash of the Colleges
DIOCESAN, Darfield High School and Christchurch Boys’ High School took out the three age groups at the Canterbury Clash of the Colleges, which was held at the recent Ashburton A&P Show.
164 students from 11 schools took part in the event, which was supported by Danone, South and Mid Canterbury Community Trust and Ford.
Established by the New Zealand Rural Games Trust, the event motivates, supports, and empowers young people to pursue careers in the Food and Fibre sector by taking part in an Amazing Race-style competition.
Event manager Daniel O’Regan says it was a fantastic day with students testing their practical skills and industry knowledge while having fun and networking with industry professionals and their peers from across Canterbury and North Otago.
event
Modules included: Telford – SIT ATV safety, Ford Ranger wheel changing, RX Plastics irrigation setup, Gallagher Break Fencing, St John’s first response, Evolution Vets animal health, PGG Wrightson Wool ID & handpiece skills, PGG Wrightson Seeds feeds and seeds ID, Discovery Forestry module, Girls Who Grow and Future Farmers riparian planting.
The energy was burned off with traditional rural sports like Skellerup’s gumboot throwing and Harnes Racing’s sulky race & Thoroughbred Racing’s hobby horse race.
O’Regan had special thanks for Value Pack Meats, Property Brokers, and FMG for hosting the BBQ, and to their volunteers from MPI On Farm Support, Ashburton High School, Hinds
Young Farmers Club, and Growing Future Farmers.
Adding to the excitement, the event was emceed by Tangaroa Walker of Farm 4 Life, a leading agri-edutainment creator with over 340,000 followers.
Participating schools include Ashburton College, Beaconsfield School, Christchurch Boys’ High School, Craighead Diocesan
School, Darfield High School, Mt Hutt College, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, Timaru Boys’ High School, Wakanui Primary School, Waimate High School, and Waitaki Girls’ High School.
The
featured traditional rural sports like Skellerup’s gumboot throwing.
