Realpolitik!
OPINION: Meanwhile, red blooded Northland politician Matua Shane Jones has provided one of the most telling quotes of the year thus far.
Your canine crusader reckons it is ironic – and highly appropriate – that Shane Jones’ $3 billion electoral slush fund the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) has exactly the same initials as the Problem Gambling Foundation (PGF)!
The Hound suggests Jones is just like a gambling addict, but his $3-billion tab is funded by hard-working NZ taxpayers.
While the mouth of the north is spraying around his bets on things like rat traps and bloody awful pine trees – in a desperate attempt to get re-elected – payback from the PGF looks paltry.
Official figures show around $300 million of the fund has so far been spent with only 616 fulltime jobs created; meaning every one of these fulltime jobs cost $484,000 each!
So perhaps Jones should go see the PGF about him gambling away the PGF kitty!
According to the latest Fresh Produce Trend Report from United Fresh, 2026 will be a year where fruit and vegetables are shaped by cost pressures, rapid digital adoption, and a renewed focus on wellbeing at home.
The Roar is a highlight of the game hunting calendar in New Zealand, with thousands of hunters set to head for the hills to hunt male stags during March and April.
OPINION: The past few weeks have been tough on farms across the North Island: floods and storms have caused damage and disruption to families and businesses.
European dairy giant Arla Foods celebrated its 25th anniversary as a cross-border, farmer-owned co-operative with a solid half-year result.
The sale of Fonterra’s global consumer and related businesses is expected to be completed within two months.
Fonterra is boosting its butter production capacity to meet growing demand.

OPINION: Meanwhile, red blooded Northland politician Matua Shane Jones has provided one of the most telling quotes of the year…
OPINION: This old mutt has been around for a few years now and it seems these ‘once in 100-year’ weather…