Feds make case for rural bank lending probe
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
At the end of their conference, Federated Farmers held their AGM and Wayne Langford, the 40-year-old dairy farmer from Golden Bay, was elected as the organisation's new national president.
He says it is a huge honour to be elected to lead Feds, but adds he is already feeling the weight of responsibility that comes with it.
"Federated Farmers are the largest rural advocacy organisation in the country and farmers are looking to us for strong leadership as they try to navigate their way through an increasingly complex world," Langford says.
South Canterbury mixed arable farmer Colin Hurst was elected as vice-president and North Canterbury arable farmer David Birkett joins the board as arable chair. Sandra Faulkner, Mark Hooper, Toby Williams and Richard McIntyre were all re-elcted to the board.
The lobby group the Methane Science Accord (MSA) says it welcomes a recent government move to seek outside advice on reducing biological methane targets, rather than relying on recommendations made by the Climate Change Commission.
After a decade of consultation and court battles, Environment Southland has officially adopted a plan to prevent further decline in the region's water quality.
Farmers are throwing down the gauntlet to politicians - hold an independent inquiry into rural bank lending or face tough questions from the farming sector.
China’s Ambassador Wang Xiaolong says bilateral economic and trade cooperation between China and New Zealand has made significant and rapid progress.
South Waikato farm manager Ben Purua’s amazing transformation from gang life to milking cows was rewarded with the Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer award last night.
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