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.
OPINION: The refusal of both Damien O'Connor and PM Jacinda Ardern to release some of the correspondence they received about Groundswell begs a question or two.
Who was this correspondence and why are the Government protecting them?
Your canine crusader suggests the Government - and especially O'Connor - has had a long, tetchy relationship with Feds and would have been happy to throw them under the bus for political gain.
According to a mate of yours truly, he reckons this correspondence will be from either Beef + Lamb and DairyNZ, or the Food and Fibre Partnership Group.
Funny this is that, at present, Groundswell seems more in touch with rural concerns than any of those three groups who are about as popular in farming circles as Ron Brierley would be at a kindergarten picnic!
The Government is set to announce two new acts to replace the contentious Resource Management Act (RMA) with the Prime Minister hinting that consents required by farmers could reduce by 46%.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on climate change would be “a really dumb move”.
The University of Waikato has broken ground on its new medical school building.
Undoubtedly the doyen of rural culture, always with a wry smile, our favourite ginger ninja, Te Radar, in conjunction with his wife Ruth Spencer, has recently released an enchanting, yet educational read centred around rural New Zealand in one hundred objects.
Farmers are being urged to keep on top of measures to control Cysticerus ovis - or sheep measles - following a spike in infection rates.
The avocado industry is facing an extremely challenging season with all parts of the supply chain, especially growers, being warned to prepare for any eventuality.

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