Editorial: Punching Above Our Weight
OPINION: With 10,500 dairy farms, New Zealand continues to punch above its weight around the world.
Two former Fonterra directors have been elected to the Cooperative Business New Zealand board.
Nicola Shadbolt and Greg Gent will join two others - Mike Brown of Marlborough Grape Growers Cooperative and Matthew Washington of Mitre 10 on the board.
Shadbolt has extensive governance experience and is an experienced advocate of the co-operative model.
A professor of farm and agri business management at Massey University, she is the current chair of Plant and Food Research Institute and a Climate Change Commissioner.
Gent, a Northland dairy farmer, joins with board with an extensive careeer in governance, spanning several decades across multiple sectors.
He is chairman of Southern Cross Health Society and is a past chair of Farmers' Mutual Group, past director of Fonterra, and works as a dairy farmer in Ruawai.
NZ Co-op Business chief executive Roz Henry says the combined experience of the new directors will be a great help to members.
"Their combined experience, knowledge and skills, covering a range of sectors and specialist knowledge will prove invaluable and greatly assist in pursuing the interest of our members, in particular working alongside our government and educators to support New Zealand member-owned business."
A Palmerston North shearer has been sentenced to six months' community detention and 12 months' supervision after being found to have physically abused three lambs while shearing them.
Power Farming has launched a joint venture in Southland.
Food rescue charity Meet the Need has released its 2025/26 Impact Report, revealing a record year of growth alongside a stark warning: demand for food support across New Zealand is rising faster than supply can keep up.
As we move into the second half of 2026, the Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) reports that Year-to-Date figures ending June 30 saw new tractor deliveries hitting 1,386 units or 10.7% ahead of the same period in 2025.
The avocado sector is entering the new season with a larger crop and positive market opportunities.
New Zealand growers have always adapted to changing conditions, but one challenge is steadily gaining ground across the horticulture sector: resistance.