Damien O’Connor Criticises Budget 2026 as ‘Miserable’ for Rural New Zealand
A miserable budget that didn’t deliver much for anyone.
Your old mate notes that after almost two years of cosy meetings and more than $2 million wasted, Ag minister Damien O’Connor’s brainfart, the Primary Sector Council, released its ‘strategy’ on the eve of Christmas, last year.
Despite O’Connor having the ‘Cuddler in Chief’ (PM Ardern) in tow at the launch, the PSC strategy was insipid – coming up with the big idea that NZ will become a world leader in regenerative agriculture and the oh-so woke Māori concept of Taiao!
No wonder this forgettable piece of work was released so that it would disappear in the pre-Xmas madness.
However, while the PSC is under the auspice of MPI, that organisation’s legions of communications advisors and PR were all too busy. Instead, the PSC – no stranger to freely spending taxpayer funds – hired an expensive, Auckland-based PR agency to spin its strategy.
No amount of money or PR spin will ever make a silk purse out of this pig’s ear of a policy!
OPINION: Farmers are being put on notice by the Green Party.
As dairy farmers lock in plans for the upcoming mating season, a partnership between Fonterra and Silver Fern Farms has been formed with the aim of making it simpler to create additional value from calves not entering the replacement herd.
Farmers can now get a more reliable view of pasture covers across their farm, thanks to a combination of three data sources.
A warning to dairy farmers not to expect the same good conditions that they experienced last season, has been issued by a leading farm consultant.
South Waikato farmer Bas Nelis is always interested in fine-tuning his business to improve results.
On a farm in Tikorangi, North Taranaki, Brent Stevenson is sharemilking 1,400 cows.

OPINION: Central Hawke's Bay farmer Mark Warren recently told the Hawke's Bay Times it's time for a conversation about allowing…
OPINION: A nation that relies as heavily as NZ does on functional global shipping lanes will have to do its…