Green no more?
OPINION: Your old mate has long dismissed the Greens as wooden bicycle enthusiasts with their heads in the clouds, but it looks like the ‘new Greens’ may actually be hard-nosed pragmatists when it comes to following voters.
OPINION: Before we all let The Green Party have at it with their 'bold' emissions reduction plan, the Hound thought it wise to run the numbers through the old Casio.
Their cunning plan is to cut net emissions 35% by 2030 and 47% by 2035, relative to 2020 levels.
NZ currently runs 99% of its transport on fossil fuels.
Forcing us into electric vehicles would overload the creaky power grid.
55% of power generation is hydro, 25% is fossil fuels, more when the lake levels are low as they were this year, which along with a gas shortage, forced up power prices, closing mills and factories.
Of course, the Green plan also includes knee-capping farming.
In short, their 'plan' is to drive NZ back to the dark ages, all in the name of lower emissions.
Global trade has been thrown into another bout of uncertainty following the overnight ruling by US Supreme Court, striking down President Donald Trump's decision to impose additional tariffs on trading partners.
Controls on the movement of fruit and vegetables in the Auckland suburb of Mt Roskill have been lifted.
Fonterra farmer shareholders and unit holders are in line for another payment in April.
Farmers are being encouraged to take a closer look at the refrigerants running inside their on-farm systems, as international and domestic pressure continues to build on high global warming potential (GWP) 400-series refrigerants.
As expected, Fonterra has lifted its 2025-26 forecast farmgate milk price mid-point to $9.50/kgMS.
Bovonic says a return on investment study has found its automated mastitis detection technology, QuadSense, is delivering financial, labour, and animal-health benefits on New Zealand dairy farms worth an estimated $29,547 per season.