Saluting 'The Man in the Arena'
OPINION: As I was putting the final touches on my column for last month, the hottest ‘breaking news’ was the Scott Robertson story from New Zealand Rugby.
OPINION: While most of the country is still lamenting the All Blacks one point loss to the South Africans in the Rugby World Cup final, the Hound – always on the outlook for a cloud with silver lining – found one bright spot on the sporting front.
Just 24 hours before the ABs heart-breaking loss, New Zealand regained the coveted Wayleggo Cup in the hotly contested Trans-Tasman Sheep Dog Trial Test Series held, late last month, in Ashburton.
The event saw the country’s four most talented sheepdogs taking on their Australian counterparts vying for supremacy.
The Kiwis dominated, winning by 84.25 points across the two tests.
NZ has now won 22 of the 36 matches since the competition’s inception in 1985, which is far superior to the Springboks’ four RWC victories (as opposed to NZ’s three) since the William Web Ellis Cup came into existence in 1987.
Zespri's sales of kiwifruit for the 2025 season have broken all past records.
Trainee orchard manager Luke St John has won the Central Otago 2026 Young Grower regional title.
James Blair, an agronomist for AS Wilcox, has won the 2026 Pukekohe Young Grower regional title.
Fifty-eight selected individuals, companies, and start-ups will exhibit their ideas and cutting-edge solutions at the 2026 Fieldays Innovation Awards, with Amazon Web Services (AWS), who joins the programme in 2026 as overall sponsor.
A rare piece of New Zealand adventure history will be on display at this year’s Fieldays, with a pair of socks worn by the late Sir Edmund Hillary to take pride of place at the Norsewear site this June.
This month's National Fieldays will again display a strong international flavour, with more exhibitors and overseas delegations in attendance.

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…