Opinion

Why Now Is the Time to Plan Farm Succession, Findex Says

OPINION: Succession and long-term planning are perennial topics because it is perpetually sidelined on busy farms.

Adaptability - Farming's Most Valuable Asset

OPINION: One of the privileges of judging the Ballance Farm Environment Awards for more than a decade is the opportunity to spend time on farms and orchards across New Zealand and hear from people constantly looking for ways to improve their businesses.

Editorial: Backing Dairy

OPINION: The stats speak for themselves.

Not Out of the Woods Yet

OPINION: It seems Canterbury processor Synlait is still in the doldrums.

Peters Targets Fonterra

OPINION: Get offside with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters at your own peril.

Kiwisaver Boost

OPINION: Being a stock manager of a Government MP's farm can come in handy.

'Regulatory Middlemen'

OPINION: Groundswell's opinion of the incumbent farm industry representatives isn't high.

It's The Margins That Matter

OPINION: It appears to be difficult for people who haven’t tried to run a business to understand the difference between assets and cash.

Editorial: Drones Are Not Toys

OPINION: David Seymour and James Meager's plan to make it easier for farmers and orchardists to operate drones can best be described a 'courageous' move.

Ballance Fertiliser Outlook: Middle East Disruption Explained

Ballance Agri-Nutrients has released its latest fertiliser outlook, detailing some of the current global trends influencing fertiliser supply. Ballance head of procurement Shane Crean takes part in a Q&A in the report:

Editorial: The Value of Credibility

OPINION: In politics, credibility is and should be big. It must surely rank higher than charisma, which is quite trite and superficial. Yet, voters nowadays are often wooed and influenced by how someone looks or talks at a superficial level. TV plays a huge role in this.

Election Is Coming, It's Time For The Freebies

OPINION: Flicking through some global news headlines just recently, I spotted something tucked away, which in my opinion rather conveniently had less visibility than it deserved.

Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics

OPINION: In the 1980s, concern was expressed in West Germany about the falling birth rate. Some simple analysis was performed by Professor Helmut Sies, physician and biochemist at Dusseldorf University. His letter ‘A new parameter for sex education’ was published in Nature in 1988:

Editorial: Time to Boost Organics

OPINION: The time has come for the Government to back the organic sector.

Point of View: The Japan Wine Challenge, A New Zealand Judge's Perspective

Having judged at the Japan Wine Challenge in both 2024 and 2025, I’m looking forward to returning to the role in Tokyo this October.

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori: A Call to NZ Winemakers

In the lead-up to Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2026, which runs from 14–21 September, viticulturist Jeff Sinnott, a founding member of the Tuku Māori Winemakers Collective, urges New Zealand’s wine industry to embrace and protect te reo Māori.

Mastering Wine: What "Sense of Place" Really Means in Wine

“The first conviction we need as wine drinkers,” Andrew Jefford once wrote, “is to spend less time thinking about grape varieties, and pay more attention to the places wines come from and the cultures in which they come into being. All the grape variety does is present a spectrum of opportunities.”

Six Priorities to Unlock Growth

OPINION: Dairy farmers know better than anyone that change is constant.

Editorial: Hunting Policy Misses The Mark

OPINION: As the general election approaches, political parties are churning out policies in the hope of attracting more votes.

Domestic Focus

OPINION: After hogging the media limelight for telling a NZ Chinese MP to "go back home", Winston Peters has decided to focus on a domestic issue - oil and gas drilling.