UK Politician Alistair Carmichael Praises "Positive Spirit" of NZ Farmers
A leading British farming politician says he's impressed with the positive attitude of New Zealand farmers that he met during his recent trip here.
The Health and Wellbeing Hub is back at Fieldays this year, focusing on the importance of rural health and providing free health check-ups and advice to visitors.
The Hub is run in collaboration with Mobile Health, which provides elective day surgery for patients in rural New Zealand and supports the rural health workforce. Mobile Health chief executive Mark Eager said the initial idea behind the hub was to build a “health centre of the future” and provide an interactive platform for farmers and growers.
“With the Health and Wellbeing Hub, we get engagement from people that don’t usually receive health care,” he claims.
“In 2019, we’d see women walking into the hub with purpose, spending awhile inside looking around. Later, you’d see them return with their husbands pulled along by the ear to get a check-up.”
More than 25,000 people came through the Health and Wellbeing Hub at Fieldays 2019. Eleven malignant melanomas were detected in the Hub in 2019, and one woman discovered she had type 1 diabetes – both serious conditions that were caught at the right time.
In the Hub this year there will be organisations covering all facets of health and wellbeing. Rural mental health is also at the forefront of support again this year. Fieldays visitors can make their health a priority and catch up with a friend over a check-up at the Health and Wellbeing Hub.
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.
New Zealand wool is reaching new heights as air filtration companies move away from synthetic products to biodegradable alternatives.
Opuha Dam's ability to protect South Canterbury communities from major flooding has taken a significant step forward, with Opuha Water Limited (OWL) successfully commissioning a new outlet valve capable of releasing record volumes of water from the dam ahead of a weather event.
There's been widespread support from the primary sector for the Government's announcement on changes to freshwater farm plans that come under the Natural Environment Bill, which is now set to replace the existing RMA.
A partnership between state-owned enterprise Pāmu (Landcorp Farming Limited) and charity Meet the Need is putting more than quality New Zealand beef into food bank parcels this year.
The Opportunity Party has faced criticism during the election campaign that its policies are too urban-focused and offer little for rural communities.

OPINION: The same mainstream media muppets that brought you Jacindamania in 2017 have been flat out pimping for the Opportunities…
OPINION: Your old mate reckons the atrocious way farmers in the UK are treated by their lords and masters in…