Battle for milk
OPINION: Fonterra may be on the verge of selling its consumer business in New Zealand, but the co-operative is not keen on giving any ground to its competitors in the country.
Fonterra has copped a fair bit of stick from the Hound over the years. However, on this occasionyour old mate would like to give the dairy co-op some well-deserved praise.
It has changed a tanker collection time so that 35-year-old Andrew Oliver (one of about eight people in the world living with Fryns-Aftimos syndrome) can keep to his nightly routine of watching the tanker collect his dad Ken’s milk before going to bed at a decent time.
Apparently, Andrew, whose mental age is about six, would not go to bed until the milk tanker had been -- a problem when the collection time was 2am.
However, after his dad phoned Fonterra’s call centre to explain the family’s problem, the co-op decided to change its entire milk tanker schedule in the Te Rapa district to oblige.
According to the latest Fresh Produce Trend Report from United Fresh, 2026 will be a year where fruit and vegetables are shaped by cost pressures, rapid digital adoption, and a renewed focus on wellbeing at home.
The Roar is a highlight of the game hunting calendar in New Zealand, with thousands of hunters set to head for the hills to hunt male stags during March and April.
OPINION: The past few weeks have been tough on farms across the North Island: floods and storms have caused damage and disruption to families and businesses.
European dairy giant Arla Foods celebrated its 25th anniversary as a cross-border, farmer-owned co-operative with a solid half-year result.
The sale of Fonterra’s global consumer and related businesses is expected to be completed within two months.
Fonterra is boosting its butter production capacity to meet growing demand.

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