OPINION: On the same day that pigs were reportedly seen airborne over the capital, a political journalist gave the PSA union a chip for being biased towards Labour – not the revelation of the year if you ask the Canine Crusader, but very rare to hear coming from a member of the press gallery.
OPINION: This is my last article as Chief Executive, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to talk about three recurring issues which I have seen over the years, and which are almost certain to be issues in the future.
OPINION: Growing great grapes takes hard work and heavy investment, with a post-harvest marathon of pruning and maintenance, frost defence and yield management, and the relentless spraying, mowing and trimming of the growing season, before vintage lands again.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon recently addressed the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. He spoke about what this week’s Budget will look like. Here’s some of the key points.
OPINION: While some international systems reward milk volume and encourage breeding for larger-framed, high-output cows, New Zealand farmers operate under a very different set of incentives.
OPINION: For thousands of Southland farmers, this week would have tipped them into the non-compliant category when it comes to following regional freshwater plan rules. But the Government has stepped in to give them the clarity they deserve.
OPINION: New economic modelling confirms what many of us in Hawke's Bay have long understood - getting water security right for this region is one of the most important decisions we face as a community. Not just for farmers, but for everyone who lives, works and builds a future here.
OPINION: Should I ever be asked to nominate someone I consider a true-blue, uniquely Kiwi icon entertainer from yesteryear, I would have a couple of names immediately come to mind. Yes, I would have to go for Fred Dagg and Billy T James.
OPINION: The old saying 'a new broom sweeps clean' doesn't always hold up, if you ask the Hound.
OPINION: This old mutt went to school to eat his lunch, but still knows the future of the country, and the primary sector, depends on a conveyor belt of well-educated youth coming through the system.
OPINION: It's been an eye-opener watching the big media companies behaving exactly like the powers-that-be who the crusading hacks from the likes of One News and Stuff claim to be "keeping honest".
OPINION: Town and country find themselves on the same page when it comes to anger over price hikes from NZ Post.
OPINION: Farmers around the country are welcoming the proposed reform of local government.
OPINION: For many Kiwi farmers, the nutrients our farmers need simply arrive when they are needed, get applied when conditions suit, and are largely viewed as one part of the rhythm of the farming year.
OPINION: At a time when farmers are advocating for less government spending and no new taxes, the dairy sector is rightly concerned by ACT's new immigration policy.
OPINION: Farmers have been clear: it is getting harder, not easier, to find and keep good people.
OPINION: Is New Zealand ‘Godzown’ or the ‘Last bus stop on the planet’?
OPINION: After much wrangling, the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between New Zealand and India is a step closer to fruition.
OPINION: Since the escalation of tensions involving Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, farmers have seen diesel prices pushing closer to $4 per litre.
OPINION: I have to admit I do miss the swallows when they leave our place for the winter months. And I always look forward to their return every spring.
OPINION: When Donald Trump returned to the White House, many people with half a brain could see the results for the world might be a bit average, and our boy has been busy trying to prove them right.
OPINION: Media trust has tanked because of what media's more woke members do and say.
OPINION: Bouquets this week from the old mutt for Fed Farmers and Groundswell for continuing to resist the proposed Gore District plan and its intention to apply costly "cultural values" across the district and a raft of land classifications that are unworkable and counterproductive.
OPINION: In what world does old mate Christopher Luxon live?
