Third Candidate Confirmed for Feds President Election
There has been another twist to the Federated Farmers annual election fiasco.
OPINION: The proposed RMA reforms took a while to drop but were well signaled after the election.
Did that stop councils like Southland's forging ahead with regional plans that would probably have to be rewritten after the RMA reforms arrived?
Like hell, Feds Southland 'pres' Jason Herrisk and colleagues won a court decision granting a 'stay' on rules in the Southland Water and Land Plan until changes can be made to section 70 of the RMA by central government, but the Hound reckons the fight shouldn't have been necessary in the first place.
The plan, which should have been delayed anyway, would have required Southland farmers to apply for expensive resource consents just to continue farming.
"The activist groups who initially brought this case, like Fish & Game and Forest & Bird, should be hanging their heads in shame," Herrick says.
Forestry Minister Todd McClay has today congratulated the winners of the 2026 Growing Native Forests Champions Awards at Fieldays.
The Government has announced $60,000 to provide one-off grants of $1,000 to each of the 60 New Zealand Young Farmers (NZYF) clubs across the country.
New Zealand’s rural sector has once again demonstrated its generosity, with the second Rural Industry Leaders Dinner, Debate and Auction raising an impressive $400,000 for the Rural Support Trust.
There has been another twist to the Federated Farmers annual election fiasco.
Analysis of decades of research has revealed the implementation of good farming practices plays a critical role in reducing nutrient losses to improve freshwater outcomes.
Yesterday the Government used the opening of Fieldays to announce a major investment, as part of its Land Use Flexibility package, to support a more productive and sustainable future across six sectors including dairy.

OPINION: While we're on the topic of lumberjacks, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard has no doubt used a chainsaw hundreds of…
OPINION: To a chorus of crying greenies, and not a minute too soon, the Government has moved to put the…