Trop de Paris!
OPINION: Your old mate's ear has been chewed off recently by farmers voicing their displeasure with the National Party, particularly relating to how they're treating their farmer base.
The National Party will launch the ‘Rural Nats’ at Fieldays this week.
The Rural Nats is a new special interest group within the National Party focused on rural people and issues. The group will work to build on National’s history of advocating for rural communities by better connecting with rural people and giving them a strong voice within the Party.
Rural Nats will also help to develop rural and agriculture policy and to identify and foster future rural leaders for the National Party.
National MPs with connection to the farming and rural communities from each of the Party’s five regions will lead the Rural Nats in their respective area. They include Grant McCallum, MP for Northland in the Northern region; Barbara Kuriger, MP for Taranaki-King Country in the Central North Island region; Mike Butterick MP for Wairarapa in the Lower North Island region; James Meager MP for Rangitata in Canterbury Westland; and Miles Anderson MP for Waitaki in the Southern region.
These MPs are part of a large group of National MPs with farming, agriculture and horticulture backgrounds who understand just how important the rural sector is to New Zealand’s economic success.
Visitors to Fieldays can find out more about the Rural Nats at the National Party’s stand in the Rural Living Marquee – site RM46. They can also meet and talk with the Prime Minister and National’s rural MPs who will be at the stand throughout the week.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) says proposed changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will leave the door wide open for continued conversions of productive sheep and beef farms into carbon forestry.
Federated Farmers says a report to Parliament on the subject of a ban on carbon forestry does not go far enough to prevent continued farm to forestry conversions.
New Zealand Apples and Pears annual conference was a success with delegates and exhibitors alike making the most of three days of exhibitions, tours, insightful discussions, valuable networking and thoughtful presentations.
The future of New Zealand’s agricultural sector grew a little brighter, with the South Island Agricultural Field Days (SIAFD) now accepting applications for its scholarships through Lincoln University, offering $10,500 to up to six exceptional students who are poised to become the next leaders in the primary industries.
OPINION: Nothing it seems can be done in the short term to get Donald Trump to change his mind about removing the unfair 15% tariffs that he’s imposed on New Zealand exports to the US.
A charity that connects young people with farmers for two years of on-farm training is reporting 150 student applications for its 2026 intake.
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