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Federated Farmers’ Southland territory manager Laura Sanford with her Subaru.
Subaru of New Zealand recently struck a deal with Federated Farmers to equip its national territory managers with all-wheel-drive Subarus to help them do their jobs.
Laura Sanford, Feds territory manager team leader and Southland territory manager uses her Subaru Outback 2.5L Premium as her mode of transport and her workplace.
“The Subaru is my office, taking me up and down farm driveways, to farm field days and farmer meetings daily. It’s got plenty of boot space for all our gear, especially banners and flags,” she says.
Based in Invercargill, known for bearing the brunt of New Zealand’s wild weather, Sanford says she is glad to have Subaru’s AWD keeping her safe on the southern roads.
“The Subaru excels on slippery farm access tracks and the loose winding gravel roads of the south-west Fiordland boundary or Southland’s Orepuki - Tuatapere highway.”
She especially likes the car’s integral camera and blind spot warning system built into the wing mirrors.
“This is one of my favourite safety features; passengers in the car are blown away by it, particularly farmers used to driving big utes with large A-pillars that seem to add to the blind spot problem.”
Central Otago District Council (CODC) has voted against a plan to spread treated sewage sludge from Cromwell and Alexandra on farmland near Lauder, a decision Federated Farmers says reflects strong opposition from rural residents.
Federated Farmers has called on Central Otago District Council (CODC) to drop or vote down a plan to truck sludge from Alexandra and Cromwell to farmland near Lauder, warning it would compound an "outrageous" situation created by a separate council's decision weeks earlier.
Federated Farmers says new legislation replacing the Resource Management Act will cut red tape, unlock investment and help grow New Zealand's export-led economy, after the Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill passed their third reading in Parliament yesterday.
Leading figures from the major political parties will be questioned on their primary sector policies at the Rural Issues Debate at Mystery Creek Events Centre, Hamilton, on 30 September.
Will the good times last? That's one of the key issues to come out of the latest Federated Farmers confidence survey.
New Zealand's red meat and fifth-quarter exports reached $867 million in August, up 23% on the same month last year, as stronger returns lifted earnings across all major markets.
State farmer Pāmu is bracing for a $30 million hit from soaring farm input costs this financial year.
Flat pricing in the face of significant increases in costs is the greatest problem facing the arable sector, says Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) chief executive Dr Scott Champion.
Entries opened on Monday, 5 October 2026 for the 2027 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA), which organisers describe as the nation's biggest celebration of excellence in the dairy sector.
Waikato milk processor Tatua has again declared a record milk payout to farmer shareholders, leaving other processors in the dust.
A Labour-led Government won’t be bringing back the controversial freshwater rules of 2020.
