Bacteria to prevent fungal diseases
Plant fungal diseases can be devastating for horticulture and agriculture - in the worst cases, wiping out entire crops.
Rural Women NZ wants rural broadband speed at the same standard of urban speeds.
The organisation has lodged a submission to the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) on its review of the Telecommunications Act.
While RWNZ strongly supports the need for a new regulatory approach to wholesale telecommunication prices, RWNZ vice president Fiona Gower says that it is disappointing that the review does not address the issue of underinvestment in telecommunications.
“We feel strongly that a key goal of the review should include bringing rural broadband speeds up to the same standard as urban speeds,” she says
“While considerable progress has been made through the Government’s Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI), the reality for rural and remote users is that the current state of the network remains poor.
“In addition, it is concerning that the Government is directly funding UFB deployment in urban areas but it is not actually putting any funding into rural areas as part of the RBI”.
The RBI continues to be funded directly by the industry through the Telecommunications Development levy.
Fiona Gower says end-user impact of the proposed utility style pricing regulation remains unclear.
“Primarily our members want internet and phone prices to remain affordable whilst also encouraging wholesale network operators to invest appropriately in improving rural infrastructure. We are concerned about how changes to wholesale prices will be treated by Retail Service Providers and reflected in retail prices”.
MBIE's review also proposes exploring options for promoting competition in the mobile market. Gower says: “Mobile coverage is seriously lacking in rural areas, despite the fact that these days it is considered a basic lifeline in emergency situations”.
RWNZ’s submission encourages the Government to proceed with options that encourage greater infrastructure sharing and competition between mobile network operators. It also suggests additional government stimulus may be necessary to fund further investment by mobile network operations in the most uneconomic areas of the network.
RWNZ have read the submission made by TUANZ, and as a member, lend their support to the TUANZ submission on the review of the Telecommunications Act.
Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford is claiming “some real success” on the 12 policy priorities it placed before the Coalition Government.
Federated Farmers is throwing its support behind the Fast-track Approvals Bill introduced by the Coalition Government to enable a fast-track decision-making process for infrastructure and development projects.
The latest report from ANZ isn’t good news for sheep farmers: lamb returns are forecast to remain low.
Divine table grapes that herald the start of a brand-new industry in Hawke’s Bay have been coming off vines in Maraekakaho.
In what appears to be a casualty of the downturn in the agricultural sector, a well-known machinery brand is now in the hands of liquidators and owing creditors $6.6 million.
One of New Zealand’s deepest breeder Jersey herds – known for its enduring connection through cattle with the UK’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II – will host its 75th anniversary celebration sale on-farm on April 22.