Minister raises tariffs dispute
Trade Minister Todd McClay has used a meeting of the CPTPP hosted by Canada to take that country to task for defiantly refusing to open up its dairy market to NZ.
The Hound, like most rational people in NZ’s primary and export sectors, was delighted to see the much maligned and denigrated trade agreement of the past few years – the CPTPP, formerly known as the TPP – come into force this month.
Your old mate would like to tip his hat to current trade minister David Parker for finally getting the deal over the line and into action, as well as the former trade ministers in the previous government – Tim Groser and Todd McClay. However, your old mate still finds it hard to believe that the same David Parker who finally signed off the deal was the David Parker (in opposition) who rallied and marched against the very same deal. Thankfully the reality of government and some minor tweaking of the TPP text has led Parker and others now sitting on the Treasury benches on their road to Damascus.
OPINION: In politics, credibility is and should be big. It must surely rank higher than charisma, which is quite trite and superficial. Yet, voters nowadays are often wooed and influenced by how someone looks or talks at a superficial level. TV plays a huge role in this.
Farmers can spend less time on paperwork, thanks to a new data sharing agreement between DairyNZ’s DairyBase and LIC’s MINDA software.
Kaikōura families affected by July's severe storm have found a practical solution to a problem that's kept some children away from regular schooling for weeks: a washed-out section of Inland Kaikōura Road, which has stopped the local school bus from running its usual route.
Rural New Zealand is welcoming the Government’s recent package of rural healthcare initiatives.
Interest in agritech and production animal systems has prompted Massey University's School of Agriculture and the Environment to new majors to its popular animal science degree.
Ballance Agrinutrients chief executive Kelvin Wickham says despite a tough year, he is pleased the business has returned to profit.