RWNZ chief executive to step down
Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) chief executive Gabrielle O’Brien will step down at the end of June.
Organisers of the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA) are going ahead with regional award dinners despite Omicron taking hold.
Judging for the 11 regional programmes are underway around the country and regional award dinners will be held over the next two months.
Organisers say, after consultation with regional teams and national sponsors, the much-anticipated evenings will continue, following government guidelines for events at 'red traffic light' settings.
"We know these award dinners are an important part of the rural community's calendar on many levels, which is why we will follow government guidelines to deliver an evening where success can be recognised and celebrated," says NZDIA general manager Robin Congdon.
"This means the dinners will have a maximum attendance of 100 people, who will be required to show vaccine passes at the venue. We realise capping numbers means some will miss out, and for those who can't attend, the events will be livestreamed on the relevant regional dairy industry award Facebook page."
Tickets will be offered directly to finalists, their supporters, entrants and sponsors. Any remaining general admission tickets will be made available online.
"Of course, in the current environment, we understand some people may be hesitant about attending the dinners, and we respect their decision if they don't want to attend," says Congdon.
"Our remit is to deliver the Awards programme and the benefits it brings to dairy farmers.
"We are rapt judging will continue and entrants will be able to receive feedback and benefit from benchmarking themselves against others, as well as gaining a deeper understanding of best practice."
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Two major red meat sector projects are getting up to a combined $1.7 million in funding from the New Zealand Meat Board (NZMB).
Angus Barr and Tara Dwyer of The Wandle, Lone Star Farms in Strath Taieri have been named the Regional Supreme Winners at the Otago Ballance Farm Environment Awards in Dunedin.
OPINION: The distress that the politicians and bureaucrats are causing to the people of Wairoa and the wider Tairāwhiti is unforgivable.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.