Editorial: Wake up Wellington
OPINION: The distress that the politicians and bureaucrats are causing to the people of Wairoa and the wider Tairāwhiti is unforgivable.
OPINION: The Hound, like many in the agriculture sector, is worried about the growing increase of good farmland being lost to trees - especially carbon sinks - and the negative impact this is having on rural communities.
So he welcomes news that Tararua mayor Tracey Collis and Wairoa mayor Craig Little have called on fellow rural provincial councils to contribute to a collaborative study looking at the impacts of forestry on rural communities.
It aims to look at the impact of forestry on the four wellbeings - social, cultural, economic and environmental; the effects of forestry on soil and water quality; damage caused to roading; fire risk; and the future of carbon farming.
Predictably, this has upset the forestry industry who claim the study is "anti-forestry".
Perhaps the tree barons should put a hold on the crocodile tears until they see exactly what this study finds.
The country’s 4200 commercial fruit and vegetable growers will vote from May 14 on a new HortNZ levy.
Meat processor Alliance Group is asking farmer shareholders to inject more capital in order to remain a 100% co-operative.
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.