Mountain Warrior's words of wisdom
The Mountain Warrior Shane Cameron is coming back to his roots as key note speaker at the East Coast Farming Expo Property Brokers Evening Muster in February.
Eastland Energy will recreate its Electric Village at the Wairoa A&P Showgrounds during the expo. The interactive display will include electric vehicles and other options for energy.
The East Coast Farming Expo has secured its place on the region’s rural event calendar with three key sponsors giving their support to the 2018 event.
Rural News Group and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council are back -- they sponsored the expos in 2016 and 2017 -- and Eastland Group is aboard as a sponsor for the second time.
Acting land manager for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Nathan Heath, said HBRC is looking forward to this year’s expo and is proud to be a major sponsor.
“We believe the expo has the potential to be a must-do event on the annual farming calendar,” he said.
“Rapid growth in technology can make significant improvements to the way we farm. So to have access to people researching, producing or selling this technology on our doorstep is a great opportunity for the community to learn more.”
Staff on the council’s site will answer questions about the work they are doing and discuss proposed changes to services for the Wairoa community.
Eastland Group returns as a key sponsor in 2018 and chief executive Matt Todd said the company is excited to be involved.
“We’re delighted to be a strategic sponsor of the expo for the second year running,” he says. “We believe the expo’s focus on innovation can be of genuine value to the farming community and the region as a whole.”
Todd says Eastland Group’s newly opened Electric Village, at 37 Gladstone Road, Gisborne, is a NZ-first community space focusing on emerging energy technologies.
“We’ll be bringing Electric Village on the road to Wairoa, giving farmers the chance to have conversations about electric vehicles, electric bikes and farm bikes, our solar research trials, and possible savings on their power bills.
“And we look forward to hearing how they envisage their businesses being powered in the future.”
Rural News Group general manager Adam Fricker says that judging by the strong turnout of exhibitors and sponsors for the expo this year, the industry is acknowledging farmers’ ongoing interest in bringing innovations into their farm businesses.
“Events like this are vital to allow new technology and farming techniques to be discussed and shared throughout the industry,” he said.
Horticulture New Zealand says proposed changes to the Plant Variety Rights Act 2022 will drive innovation, investment and long-term productivity.
More than 1200 exhibitors will showcase their products and services at next month’s National Fieldays, with sites nearly sold out.
Despite difficult trading conditions for European machinery manufacturers brought about conflicts in Ukraine and Iran, alongside the United States imposing punitive tariffs, Italian manufacturer Maschio Gaspardo, has seen turnover increase 12% in 2025 to €390 million (NZ$775m) with a net profit of €11.2 million (NZ$22.3).
New Zealand innovation company Techion, best known for its animal diagnostics platform, FECPAK has signed an exclusive strategic partnership with Farmlands to bring independent animal health disease intelligence to its customers.
Zespri says it welcomes the recently signed Western Bay of Plenty Regional Deal, describing it as an important step towards supporting growth in the region and for New Zealand's kiwifruit industry.
Troubled milk processor Synlait has lost its third chief executive in five years.

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