Damien O’Connor: NZ united on global trade
When it comes to international trade, politicians from all sides of the aisle are united, says Labour's trade spokesman Damien O'Connor.
Your canine crusader picked up on a recent statement from Agriculture O'Connor claiming how wonderfully the country's honey sector is doing.
According to O'Connor's highly spun press statement, everything is hunky dory for the country's honey industry.
However, the reality is somewhat different with NZ's honey producers saying O'Connor's sunny claims about the sector "have no relevance to the current situation".
It seems unless they are producing manuka honey, it is very tough going.
This can be seen in wholesale prices for table-grade clover honey at $3-$/kg, while production costs are around $6-$8/kg.
Even O'Connor's own ministry, MPI, acknowledges the struggle the sector is going through with its 2020 Apiculture Monitoring Report.
Less spin, more facts please minister!
New Zealand needs a new healthcare model to address rising rates of obesity in rural communities, with the current system leaving many patients unable to access effective treatment or long-term support, warn GPs.
Southland farmers are being urged to put safety first, following a spike in tip offs about risky handling of wind-damaged trees
Third-generation Ashburton dairy farmers TJ and Mark Stewart are no strangers to adapting and evolving.
When American retail giant Cosco came to audit Open Country Dairy’s new butter plant at the Waharoa site and give the green light to supply their American stores, they allowed themselves a week for the exercise.
Fonterra chair Peter McBride says the divestment of Mainland Group is their last significant asset sale and signals the end of structural changes.
Thirty years ago, as a young sharemilker, former Waikato farmer Snow Chubb realised he was bucking a trend when he started planting trees to provide shade for his cows, but he knew the animals would appreciate what he was doing.

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