NZ Catchment Groups Thrive with ‘Source to Sea’ Approach
The most successful catchment groups in NZ are those that have 'a source to sea' approach.
A Hamilton woman has been disqualified from owning horses for a year, sentenced to 100 hours community work, and ordered to pay vet fees of $498 after her horse starved to death.
Alicia Victoria Keppel, 53, appeared in the Hamilton District Court for sentencing on one animal welfare charge, after the case was brought to the court by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
MPI animal welfare and national animal identification and tracing (NAIT) compliance regional manager, Brendon Mikkelsen, says it was serious offending.
“The horse was Ms Keppel’s responsibility and she failed to provide proper care and sufficient food for it. For a long period of time she didn’t check on the horse.
Animal welfare inspectors visited Keppel’s property in the North Waikato area on 22 February 2020, after a complaint from a member of the public about an emaciated horse. When inspectors arrived, they found the horse had died overnight.
Mikkelsen says the horse would have suffered significant distress, was extremely emaciated and starved to death.
"In New Zealand, everyone must take responsibility for animal welfare. We encourage any member of the public who is aware of animal ill-treatment or cruelty to report it to the MPI animal welfare complaints freephone 0800 00 83 33".
Matt McRae, a farmer from Mokoreta in Southland who runs a sheep, beef and dairy support business alongside a sheep stud, has been elected to the Beef +Lamb NZ Board as a farmer director.
Ravensdown's next evolution in smart farming technology, HawkEye Pro, was awarded the Technology Section Award at the Southern Field Days Farm Innovation Awards in February 2026.
While mariners may recognise a “dog watch” as a two-hour shift on a ship, the Good Dog Work Watch is quite a different concept and the clever creation of Southland siblings Grace (9) and Archer Brown (7), both pupils at Riverton Primary School.
Philip and Lyneyre Hooper of the Hoopman Family Trust have tonight been named the Taranaki Regional Supreme Winners at the Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
We are not a bunch of sky cowboys. That was one of the key messages from the chairperson of the NZ Agricultural Aviation Association (NZAAA) Kent Weir, speaking at an education day at Feilding aerodrome for 25 policymakers and regulators from central and local government and other rural professionals.
New Zealand's dairy and beef industries say they welcome the announcement that the Government will invest $10.49 million in the Dairy Beef Opportunities (DBO) programme.

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