Dry weather classification expands to North Island
The dry weather in some parts of the North Island has received medium-scale adverse event classification from the Government.
A renowned conservationist says the world and New Zealand is failing to fulfil many of the basic principles of sustainability.
The conservationist, Emeritus Professor Sir Alan Mark, says we must face up to our situation in order to avert serious risks.
Mark, of the University of Otago, spoke at Lincoln University as keynote speaker for the university's annual state of the nation's environment address.
During his presentation, he suggested that economic growth had become "an end unto itself rather than a means to a better life" and this is bad news for sustainability.
"Many people assume that if we have a healthy economy, other aspects of well-being will follow," says Mark.
"How do we achieve a sustainable economy with a financial system that requires growth for stability?"
Mark raised several environmental concerns affecting New Zealand, including widespread rangeland degradation and loss of biodiversity in areas such as the Denniston Plateau and Secretary Island.
He also pointed out that the increasingly extreme weather patterns seen in the country were likely symptomatic of global warming.
On the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, Mark describes it as problematic as it offers "multinational corporations the ability to sue governments for losses relating to policies designed to protect the environment."
"Economic development is now outstripping environmental sustainability in many areas," he said. "Adaptation, or market forces alone, are not viable options to address the environmental crisis.
"GDP is a crude measure of goods and services, wealth and well-being and we need to get away from solely focusing on this as an indicator of a country's performance. Better indicators are healthy children, quality of life and education, native forests and white sandy beaches, as is covered by the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) approach to assessing our human welfare.
"To ignore the symptoms of environmental degradation is to fail future generations."
Farmer-led charity, Meat the Need is calling for donations to enable it to supply more meals to families in need.
Weaker pricing and demand from China continue to impact New Zealand red meat export earnings.
Fonterra has cemented its position as the country’s number one cheesemaker by picking up nine NZ Champion of Cheese trophies this year.
New Zealand dairy processors are welcoming the Government’s commitment to continuing to push for Canada to honour its trade commitments.
An educational programme, set up by Beef + Land New Zealand, to connect farmers virtually with primary and intermediate school students has reported the successful completion of its second year.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.