Editorial: Punching Above Our Weight
OPINION: With 10,500 dairy farms, New Zealand continues to punch above its weight around the world.
Your old mate was flabbergasted at the sheer political gall of Labour and the Greens in their latter-day ‘concern for farmers’ in the wake of the recent drop in dairy payout.
MPs from both parties, saying they were worried about farmers, tried to blame the Government for the drop in global dairy prices or sought to make Fonterra pay farmers more or to force banks to carry bad loans. Your canine crusader reckons farmers might take these ‘concerns’ a little more seriously when Green MPs stop labelling farmers polluters and water thieves and their Labour mates stop wanting to hit the farming sector with new greenhouse gas taxes, stop making claims about farmers deliberately avoiding paying tax and cease calls to whack the sector with even more costs.
A Palmerston North shearer has been sentenced to six months' community detention and 12 months' supervision after being found to have physically abused three lambs while shearing them.
Power Farming has launched a joint venture in Southland.
Food rescue charity Meet the Need has released its 2025/26 Impact Report, revealing a record year of growth alongside a stark warning: demand for food support across New Zealand is rising faster than supply can keep up.
As we move into the second half of 2026, the Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) reports that Year-to-Date figures ending June 30 saw new tractor deliveries hitting 1,386 units or 10.7% ahead of the same period in 2025.
The avocado sector is entering the new season with a larger crop and positive market opportunities.
New Zealand growers have always adapted to changing conditions, but one challenge is steadily gaining ground across the horticulture sector: resistance.

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