ACC urges safety during spring calving
Dairy farmers around the country are into the busy spring calving period.
A newly launched collaborative rural wellbeing recovery project aims to help rural communities across the North Island to come together through a series of in-person events and programmes this summer.
“This is a challenging time for our farmers, growers and other rural people. Making time to pause to check-in on each other and focus on our personal and family wellbeing is key,” says Lisa Sims of the Agri-Women’s Development Trust. “That’s why several rural organisations have come together to deliver ‘Checking-in’ – a series of community events and online tools and tips for connection and resilience in a tough season.”
Headlining the project is a series of community get-togethers, events and personal development programmes across the North Island. These include AWDT’s YOU Matter programmes, Rural Women NZ supporting community Christmas events, Farmstrong Comedy events and more.
Rural people across New Zealand are also invited to subscribe to the ‘Checking-in’ tools and tips email series.
Delivered weekly, the 15-part series of short videos is about making the hard stuff manageable – like supporting young people through challenging times, managing emotions and enjoying the good times.
‘Checking-in’ is run by the Agri- Women’s Development Trust, Rural Women New Zealand and Farmstrong, with support from the Rural Support Trust. The project is funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries as part of the NIWE (North Island Weather Event) response.
www.checking-in.co.nz.
New Zealand's diverse cheesemaking talent shone brightly last night as the New Zealand Specialist Cheesemakers Association (NZSCA) crowned the champions of the 2026 New Zealand Cheese Awards.
Tracing has indicated that the source of the first velvetleaf find of the 2025-26 crop season, in Auckland, was likely maize purchased in the Waikato region.
Fish & Game New Zealand has announced its election priorities in its Manifesto 2026.
With the forage maize harvest started in Northland and the Waikato, the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) is telling growers of later crops, or those further south, to start checking their maize crop maturity about three weeks prior to when they think they will start silage harvesting.
Irrigation NZ is warning that the government's Resource Management Act (RMA) reform risks falling short of its objectives unless water use for food production and water storage infrastructure are clearly recognised in the goals at the top of the new system.
More than five million trays, or 18,000 tonnes, of Zespri’s RubyRed Kiwifruit will soon be available for consumers across 16 markets this season.

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