Rural bias?
OPINION: After years of ever-worsening results from our education system, the startling results from a maths acceleration programme stood out like a dog’s proverbials – the trial producing gains of one full year in just 12-weeks.
OPINION: At a time when some people are working to narrow the rural-urban divide, one Canterbury school is closing its farm.
Rangiora High School is exploring opportunities to make its farm relevant in the 21st century, according to its board of trustees. The board is excited about moving away from "a more traditional farm to an outdoor lab or outdoor classroom".
A review of the farm's future means the future of animals at the school was under consideration. Options included moving from rearing lambs to fattening stock, or moving away from animals altogether.
The world is shifting to be more sustainable and shifting away from meat, so we need to prepare our students, says the school. Really? One would have thought that with 80% of students from urban areas, the farm would be an opportunity for the school to narrow the rural-urban divide and show what sustainable farming in NZ really is.
Controls on the movement of fruit and vegetables in the Auckland suburb of Mt Roskill have been lifted.
Fonterra farmer shareholders and unit holders are in line for another payment in April.
Farmers are being encouraged to take a closer look at the refrigerants running inside their on-farm systems, as international and domestic pressure continues to build on high global warming potential (GWP) 400-series refrigerants.
As expected, Fonterra has lifted its 2025-26 forecast farmgate milk price mid-point to $9.50/kgMS.
Bovonic says a return on investment study has found its automated mastitis detection technology, QuadSense, is delivering financial, labour, and animal-health benefits on New Zealand dairy farms worth an estimated $29,547 per season.
Pāmu has welcomed ten new apprentices into its 2026 intake, marking the second year of a scheme designed to equip the next generation of farmers with the skills, knowledge, and experience needed for a thriving career in agriculture.