Picking winners?
OPINION: Every time politicians come up with an investment scheme where they're going to have a crack at 'picking winners' with our money, the Hound cringes.
Your old mate notes that NZ First leader Winston Peters, was not red-necked or stupid enough to ask some really dumb questions about the proposal of Hong-Kong-based He Run Ltd to set up a new dairy processing factory in Otorohanga.
Instead, it was left up to silly old Barbara Stewart, who this old mutt reckons would be out of her depth serving tea in the parliamentary cafeteria, to make a fool of herself. Firstly Stewart claimed foreign dairy companies in NZ like Oceania, Synlait Yili and Yashilia were all bad for the sector (ask those companies’ suppliers). Your mate reckons this proves that the depth of talent in NZ First’s ranks is only puddle thin.
Last month's Agritechnica event led to a wide group of manufacturers celebrating successes when the 2026 Tractor of the Year Competition winners, selected by a panel of European journalists, were announced in Hanover Germany.
According to the latest Federated Farmers banking survey, farmers are more satisfied with their bank and less under pressure, however, the sector is well short of confidence levels seen last decade.
Farmer confidence has taken a slight dip according to the final Rabobank rural confidence survey for the year.
Former Agriculture Minister and Otaki farmer Nathan Guy has been appointed New Zealand’s Special Agricultural Trade Envoy (SATE).
Alliance Group has commissioned a new heat pump system at its Mataura processing plant in Southland.
Fonterra has slashed another 50c off its milk price forecast as global milk flows shows no sign of easing.

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