Fine wines fly high
Producing a fine wine takes time. So too has the creation of the inaugural Fine Wines of New Zealand list, announced earlier this year.
Farmers say they are puzzled why Air New Zealand is promoting an overseas-produced plant protein burger but not the Kiwi company that supplies them with world-leading transportation fabrics.
Air New Zealand prides itself on being innovative, and like to partner with like-minded enterprises, says Federated Farmers.
"Farmers understand that - we do it ourselves. But why would our national carrier build an advertising campaign around a foreign product and not a cutting edge Kiwi firm supplying a key component made from a natural, sustainable New Zealand product?" says Federated Farmers Meat and Wool chairperson Miles Anderson.
Inter-weave Ltd is a New Zealand owned and operated bespoke wool upholstery and home wares manufacturer. They combine leading design and technology with luxurious naturally-grown, New Zealand wool fibres to produce high quality, clean, anti-static, ethical textiles sold around the world.
The transportation fabrics Inter-weave supplies to Air New Zealand meet the highest flame retardant criteria. They are accredited with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and have Enviromark NZ diamond accreditation, the highest achievable in this programme.
"Typical of products made from wool, the fabrics are beautiful, have excellent durability and will perform exceedingly well under constant wear. Wool fibres have elasticity that allow them to recover to their original shape even after being stretched over 30%."
It’s a great advertisement for New Zealand natural products, our farmers and an industry that is the lifeblood of rural communities, delivering a livelihood for thousands of Kiwi families.
"Seated in nature, and a Kiwi product flying high. Sounds like a great basis for one of those cheeky and fun Air New Zealand advertising campaigns to me," Miles says.
Zespri's sales of kiwifruit for the 2025 season have broken all past records.
Trainee orchard manager Luke St John has won the Central Otago 2026 Young Grower regional title.
James Blair, an agronomist for AS Wilcox, has won the 2026 Pukekohe Young Grower regional title.
Fifty-eight selected individuals, companies, and start-ups will exhibit their ideas and cutting-edge solutions at the 2026 Fieldays Innovation Awards, with Amazon Web Services (AWS), who joins the programme in 2026 as overall sponsor.
A rare piece of New Zealand adventure history will be on display at this year’s Fieldays, with a pair of socks worn by the late Sir Edmund Hillary to take pride of place at the Norsewear site this June.
This month's National Fieldays will again display a strong international flavour, with more exhibitors and overseas delegations in attendance.

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