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!
Fonterra’s impending exit from the Australian dairy industry is a major event but the story doesn’t change too much for farmers.
Expect greater collaboration between Massey University’s school of Agriculture and Environment and Ireland’s leading agriculture university, the University College of Dublin (UCD), in the future.
A partnership between Torere Macadamias Ltd and the Riddet Institute aims to unlock value from macadamia nuts while growing the next generation of Māori agribusiness researchers.
A new partnership between Dairy Women’s Network (DWN) and NZAgbiz aims to make evidence-based calf rearing practices accessible to all farm teams.
Despite some trying circumstances recently, the cherry season looks set to emerge on top of things.
Changed logos on shirts otherwise it will be business as usual when Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses are expected to change hands next month.