Government appoints three new directors to Pāmu board
The Government has appointed three new members to the board of state farmer Landcorp Farming Ltd, trading as Pāmu.
A programme of improvements on the Crafar farms will begin as soon Chinese company Shanghai Pengxin can settle on the properties.
The company says it is pleased with the Court of Appeal ruling in its favour and, with Landcorp, looks forward to beginning the improvements.
Shanghai Pengxin says the farms will be bought in the name of its subsidiary Milk New Zealand Holding Ltd and run by Milk New Zealand Farm Management Ltd, a joint venture with Landcorp Farming Ltd, which will honour all current arrangements made by the receiver with sharemilkers and staff.
"Our immediate priority is to begin the process of improving the farms, increasing production, and making sure we comply with all of the conditions imposed by the Overseas Investment Office," says a statement issued by Shanghai-Pengxin.
"We look forward to becoming part of our local communities and we will set up a local team to explore opportunities to add value to New Zealand milk through further processing by New Zealand companies and the sale of high-value dairy based products to China under the Pure 100 and Nature Pure brands."
Shanghai Pengxin thanked the many individual Kiwis and organisations who welcomed, encouraged and worked with them to help make their vision a reality.
"We believe there will be strong benefits to New Zealand as a result of us proceeding with our business plans, and we look forward to making a contribution to New Zealand's dairy industry and strengthening the relationship between our countries," it says.
"We will make further announcements in due course."
Grace Su, a recent optometry graduate from the University of Auckland, is moving to Tauranga to start work in a practice where she worked while participating in the university's Rural Health Interprofessional Programme (RHIP).
Two farmers and two farming companies were recently convicted and fined a total of $108,000 for environmental offending.
According to Ravensdown's most recent Market Outlook report, a combination of geopolitical movements and volatile market responses are impacting the global fertiliser landscape.
Environment Canterbury, alongside industry partners and a group of farmers, is encouraging farmers to consider composting as an environmentally friendly alternative to offal pits.
A New Zealand dairy industry leader believes the free trade deal announced with India delivers wins for the sector.
The Coalition Government will need the support of at least one opposition party to ratify the free trade deal with India.