Bremworth launches $6M expansion of cyclone-damaged Napier plant
Listed carpet manufacturer, Bremworth is undertaking a $6 million expansion at its Napier plant more than two years after the site was heavily damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle.
The Government has agreed to a temporary law change that will enable rural Hawke's Bay and Tairāwhiti landowners dealing with cyclone and flood debris to burn mixed waste so they can replant and return their land to productivity.
The plan is for the law to come into effect no later than June 27 and continue until mid-December.
Environment Minister David Parker says some farmers and horticulturalists, especially in Hawke's Bay, are under huge stress dealing with the fallout from the severe weather. He says many have huge piles of waste, including materials like treated timber and plastics that are not allowed to be burned.
"Therefore, we propose reclassifying the burning of mixed waste piles from a prohibited to a permitted activity, subject to standards overseen by councils. People will still need to comply with Fire and Emergency New Zealand requirements."
Parker says the debris puts growers at risk of missing the June/July growing season, creating further threats to livelihoods already put at risk by severe weather damage.
The Hawke's Bay Regional Council says it welcomes the Government's move and will work closely with farmers and growers to ensure they understand the conditions that apply with the temporary law change.
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
The Government claims to have delivered on its election promise to protect productive farmland from emissions trading scheme (ETS) but red meat farmers aren’t happy.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.