Wools of NZ partners with Asthma & Respiratory Foundation
Wools of New Zealand says it has chosen to partner with the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ in an effort to educate Kiwis around the health benefits of wool carpets.
Rural people are underserviced by the current health model, according to Dr Fiona Doolan-Noble from the Department of General Practice and Rural Health at Otago University.
Doolan-Noble is a nurse with a PhD and who specialises in rural health issues says the focus of the reforms is really good for rural - given the large number of people who work outside urban areas.
"Rural communities are the backbone of NZ," she told Rural News. "More than 700,000 people live rurally so that makes rural NZ the second biggest city in the country and I hope going forward that they are not forgotten."
Doolan-Noble says the approach of the Government's reforms is hard to argue with, but like others who have a vested interest in the reforms, she says the detail and who sits around the table in a given locality will ultimately shape the outcome for communities. She adds that one of the issues to be addressed is that of dental care. She says this is a significant problem in areas such as the West Coast of the South Island.
Doolan-Noble says the changes will take time and the proof will be in the detail.
The Ministry for the Environment (MfE) has found itself in a stoush with NZPork over the controversial National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land (NPS-HPL).
Fonterra says the sale of its global consumer business and its Oceania and Sri Lankan operations could take 18 months to complete.
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.
Well-known scientist Jock Allison has passed away.
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.